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little beast, but it was hopeless.”
    Mike laughed. “I’ve told Ma about the time Ricky got his head stuck in a bucket. You got back at him that time with your hammer.”
    â€œRight,” Justin said, his tone ironic. “Too bad it was a plastic hammer.”
    â€œNo wonder you moved here,” Judith remarked.
    â€œNot soon enough,” Justin said. “It got worse later on when Willie got his first movie deal. He needed publicity showing he wasn’t just a badass rebel, and conned all of us into photo ops. Willie the family man with wife and kiddies, Willie at a family picnic, Willie grinning all over the place when Granny Weevil baked him a cherry pie. After we did our posing for him, he’d ignore us until the next time we were needed. He was a user, a taker.” Justin paused. “You’ve heard all this before. Mike must’ve talked about it.”
    Judith glanced at her son. “I recall the bucket story, but not much else.”
    Mike looked embarrassed. “When I first met Justy, you weren’t home a lot. Even on weekends, you were always tired from coping with…Dad.”
    The reference to Dan McMonigle evoked bittersweet memories. Dan had raised Mike as his own son. He’d done a decent job as a surrogate father, but he’d been a rotten husband. “I was an absent mother, what with holding down two jobs,” Judith acknowledged. “I also had to do what I could for Grams.”
    Mike shrugged. “You didn’t have much choice.” He turned to Justin. “Speaking of fathers, didn’t your dad always side with Willie?”
    â€œOh, yes.” Justin sounded resentful. “My father was a few years younger than Willie. He looked up to him and envied his courage and determination. But the rest of the family, especially my mom, didn’t feel that way.”
    â€œBut,” Judith put in, “didn’t he come to see you and your mother this time?”
    Justin’s expression was sour. “That was what Pepper said when she called to say they were headed this way. There was another reason, though. A local computer company had expressed interest in developing an action game using Willie. I don’t know if he got together with them.”
    Judith shook her head. “If he did, it wasn’t face-to-face. Except for jumping out of windows and off roofs, he stayed close to the B&B. The only visitor was the publicist who took photos when your uncle got blown off course.”
    Justin shrugged. “Family isn’t a Weevil priority. Pepper had mentioned getting together at Mom’s condo at the bottom of the hill. That’s why I thought the B&B would be a perfect place for them to stay—especially since Willie’s been banned from every local hotel that doesn’t have cockroaches for doormen.”
    â€œAnd?” Judith prodded.
    â€œAnd…nothing.” Justin shook his head. “Not a word from Pepper—or Willie—after I gave them your contact information two weeks ago. They never called to confirm the get-together, so Mom decided to leave town. I would’ve, too, if I hadn’t had to work.” He glanced at his watch with its plain black face and silver hands. “Speaking of work, it’s going on ten. I’ve got an early HR meeting tomorrow.” He bent down to kiss Judith’s cheek. “I won’t let Uncle Willie and Pepper cheat you out of the money for their stay here.”
    â€œDon’t be silly,” Judith said. “You’re like family.”
    Justin stopped on the porch, his face serious. “You’ve all been family since the first time Mike asked me to come for dinner. Before Mom moved here, I was lost, a hick from the sticks.” He took a notebook out of his inside jacket pocket. “I’ll make out an IOU.” Justin scribbled a few words and handed the page to Judith.
    â€œWe’ll both sign.”
    Judith