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her.
    She sighed and focused her attention on the conversation, which had returned to football as Derek and Ken debated the Dolphins’ chances for making the Super Bowl and lamented bygone days under Coach Don Shula. She glanced across the table and saw that Emily was just as bored as she was.
    “Time for dessert?” she inquired brightly. “It’s chocolate cake with caramel frosting.”
    “From some can?” Ken asked in a scathing tone.
    She gave him a chiding look. “Have you ever known me not to make it from scratch?”
    His expression brightened. “Okay, then. I’ll take a piece. A big one.”
    “Me, too,” Derek said just as eagerly. “Nobody bakes the way you do, Marcie.”
    “Certainly not in our house,” Emily agreed unapologetically.
    Marcie marveled at the exchange. Derek’s tone hadn’t held even a hint of implied criticism of his wife and Emily’s response had been just as easygoing. Why couldn’t Ken speak to her or about her the same way? And why couldn’t she make herself speak up if his attitude bothered her so much?
    Knowing she wouldn’t find an answer to that tonight, she pushed the topic aside and went inside with Emily to cut the cake. At least she’d gotten that right.

3
    “M om, can Caitlyn spend the night?” Dani asked Emily on Friday. “Please. It’s not a school night and her mom says it’s okay with her if it’s okay with you.”
    Emily thought of her plans to try to bring some order to the chaos around the house. She’d even had some crazy idea about enlisting the kids to clean up their own messes before their dad came home tomorrow after two weeks on the road for business. She gazed at Dani’s hopeful expression and sighed.
    “Sure, why not?” she said. “We’ll order pizza.”
    “And we can watch videos and have popcorn?” Dani asked.
    “I assume that means a trip to choose the movies,” she said, resigned to going back out on the hot, humid evening. Late September was just as bad as July when it came to the Miami weather.
    Dani grinned. “Uh-huh. She gets to pick one and I get to pick the other one. That’s what we decided.”
    Emily shook her head. Dani always had a plan and it was always fair. “Fine. We’ll go as soon as Caitlyn gets here.”
    Dani threw her arms around Emily’s waist. “Thanks. You’re the best! I’ll call her now.”
    Emily watched her daughter race up the stairs. She was nine now and she’d overcome all her reservations about being friends with a girl two years younger. She and Caitlyn were as close as sisters. That they chose to spend most of their time here, rather than in the Carters’ far more organized household still bemused Emily, but she had to admit that most of the time she enjoyed having all the kids underfoot. Caitlyn and Evan were both polite and well behaved. They set a good example for her own kids.
    She glanced out the back door and saw Josh and Evan horsing around in the pool. Sliding open the back door, she called to her son, who trotted over.
    “Caitlyn’s spending the night with Dani. Do you want to ask Evan to stay, too?”
    “Awesome,” Josh said at once. “Hey, Evan, Caitlyn’s staying over and Mom says you can stay, too, if you want to.”
    “Count me in,” Evan called back.
    “Ask your mom,” Emily reminded him. “As soon as Caitlyn gets here we’re going out to get videos to watch. You guys can come, too, and pick your own.”
    “Thanks, Mrs. D,” Evan said. “I’ll be right back.”
    Already tall for his age, Evan pushed himself out of the pool with an athletic grace that Josh didn’t possess. Much as her son enjoyed sports, he didn’t have the raw talent that Evan had. Thankfully, though, the two boys weren’t especially competitive. Josh just enjoyed playing the game, whatever it was on any given day, and was happy enough to see his friend excel at it. Josh seemed to have inherited her laid-back personality, rather than his dad’s competitive, ambitious one.
    As she stepped back