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something that might be taken for a smile.
    “That was all Mike’s idea, and you know it.” Josh shook his head. Every poor decision had always come from Mike. Josh just went along for the ride. The only reason he didn’t break his own arm was because he’d been smart enough to climb off the roof as soon as he heard Mike’s howl upon landing.
    “My boy’s an angel.” Herb struggled to wink his right eye. A few years ago, Herb had suffered from a stroke, leaving the right half of his face partially paralyzed.
    “He’s an angel, all right. With black wings and a tarnished halo.” Josh took the draft beer Herb offered him and headed toward Derek, who was sitting in the back with the other guys.
    The evening went as it normally did—loud music, taking turns buying rounds of beer, and a lot of ribbing about childhood deeds. Josh could usually count on spending at least three hours at the pub, so he was surprised when he heard his phone’s ringtone halfway through the night.
    “Dude, you’re seriously going to take that?” Derek tried to take the phone from him, but Josh stopped him.
    “It’s your wife,” Josh said to him.
    That set the other men laughing. Josh ducked out of the group and headed out toward the back deck, where it was a little quieter. If Abby was calling him, something was up.
    “What’s wrong?” he said as soon as he answered the phone. He glanced over at Derek, who had followed him.
    “Your wife is fast asleep. I’ve tried waking her, but she’s exhausted. I think you need to take her home.”
    “Seriously? She fell asleep?”
    “You know what she’s like when she’s tired. She’s getting crankier every time I try to wake her.” Abby laughed, but Josh heard the tension behind her words.
    “I’ll be right there.” Josh hung up and pulled out some money from his pocket. “This is for my share. I need to grab Claire and take her home.”
    “Everything all right?” Derek blocked him from leaving. “What did Abby say?”
    Josh sighed.
    “Claire fell asleep and doesn’t want to wake up. I don’t like this. She’s become really lethargic, and it’s not good.”
    “Talk to Abby. She’ll know if Claire is okay or not.”
    Josh nodded and left through the back door that let out into the side alley. The bakery was just across the street. Abigail was at the door to let him in.
    “She’s okay, Josh. Don’t worry,” Abigail said quietly with a quick look over her shoulder to where Claire was resting against Kat, one of the owners of the bakery.
    “You sure? Should I bring her to the clinic tomorrow?”
    Abigail shook her head. “She’s fine, and I leave tomorrow for the city for a few days. I’ll be back after that, though. If she’s still this bad or gets worse, then bring her in, okay? But maybe, for the next few days, just let her sleep. Her body might be fighting a virus or something, or maybe she’s just not getting enough rest.”
    Josh snorted. “You’re kidding me, right? She sleeps more than she’s awake.”
    “I know. But there’s no fever, no vomiting . . . so I’m not too worried. Not yet.”
    “What about her headaches?”
    “How bad are they?”
    “On a scale from one to ten, I’d say they’re about a six.” Josh frowned. Every couple of days they seemed to get worse.
    “Okay, bring her in as soon as I’m back. I’m only gone a few days. But if it gets worse—if the headaches increase in frequency or intensity or anything else worsens, then take her in to see Dr. Will.”
    “Thanks, Abby.” Josh made his way across the room to Claire. “Come on, Sleeping Beauty, time to get you home before the clock strikes midnight.” He bent over to pick her up.
    “Mixed up fairy tales again,” Claire mumbled as she rested her head against his chest.
    “Here. There’s some treats in there for her to enjoy later.” Kat put a bakery box on Claire, cradling it in the curved shape of her body as it lay draped over Josh’s arms. “There might just