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magical cards. There’s ornery Ottis Ray Creeley in a sharp plaid blazer, buttoned-up shirt, and pleated pants. He looks like he’s chewing on a lemon, and liking it. Next to him is Jerry Brookings and his lying tongue. He’s a dorky middle-aged man in shorts, a collared shirt, and a visor he probably thinks is cool. Boris Reiner is a royal cheater who may be a hard case. He has a huge head of ginger hair that some women must find attractive but Josie finds ridiculous.  
    Then there’s Lennox Cruz: over six feet, rangy; but gorgeous with his short, sandy-blond hair; wide shoulders, like a swimmer’s; and the kind of lean, toned muscle that only comes from genetics, plus exercise, plus eating well, plus plenty of sleep, plus … being him . He’s successful as an actor and singer in Hollywood and spends his off time here in Georgia. Most of the time, Stella spends his money traipsing around the world. Now would be a perfect time for a trip. No one said a thing. Lennox must have volunteered.  
    “Hey, Lennox,” Josie says, trying to keep cool.
    “Josie Bran,” he says with a kind grin. “I bet you didn’t know I was coming.”
    “Nope. Big surprise. What did Aunt Emma tell you?”
    “You’ve got something good going here. Marriage counselor?”
    “Sort of.”
    “What’s this all about?” Mr. Jenkins asks. “I was told you had a mint ’66 Ferrari for sale.”
    “Were you?” Josie asks.
    The other men look just as confused. Josie glances at the front door, a large, red-lacquered wooden piece with fine multicolored Tiffany glass paneling. Roxy spent the entire day securing the place. That front door won’t open to these men—to any man—for the time being. Roxy wasn’t clear on how long her binding magic would work. Josie, though, was told that she should feel secure these men can’t crawl out windows, or sneak out any of the doors, or even knock through a wall. They’re stuck inside Birchall, until the women are ready to let them out.
    “Welcome to Husband Rehab,” she says, hands out in a friendly gesture of camaraderie. “The Birchall Mansion will be your home for the weekend.”
    They all stare at her.
    Josie spends the next ten minutes explaining that they’re here because their wives each have a specific complaint. When that complaint is addressed they get to leave. Lennox keeps quiet through the speech. The other men protest, some louder than others. She keeps an eye on Mr. Creeley, whose inability to lighten up is the reason he’s here. He’s quiet enough at the moment. The banker, Mr. Jenkins, is making the biggest fuss. He even tries the front door, which doesn’t open, of course. He’ll probably be the easiest to fix, and the fastest to get back home to his loving wife.
    “Your bedrooms are upstairs,” she says. “We’ve put your names on the doors. There are several bathrooms you can use. We’ve placed linens in the closets. I suggest you guys get a good night’s sleep. We start tomorrow. Remember, your wives want you here for a reason.” Two nights means Josie has the weekend to help the easy cases. Any hard cases will have to stay into the work week. That could be tricky if they don’t want to stay.
    Mr. Creeley exits through the drawing room, looking for an escape. The other men also leave the vestibule, each probably hoping for a way out. She lets them discover for themselves that they’re stuck here for the night.  
    Lennox is grinning at her like he used to when they were kids, maybe in class and the teacher was asking a question that Lennox knew but refused to answer because he didn’t want to show off. Something about him always made her wonder what his secret was. It wasn’t just that he is smart and good looking. No, he has a way about him you trust, as if anything he touches turns to gold.
    “So, you’re in the marriage counseling business?” he asks, heading for the stairs, lingering a step or two to make sure she’s with him.
    She follows. “I am …