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across the top.
    â€œWow.” Megan was so impressed with the cake she almost forgot to feel guilty about going love-wacko over Greg. “ That is beautiful.”
    Carly blushed and smiled her prettiest smile. “I baked it for you and Angela and the kids. It’s a red velvet cake. And if I do say so myself, it is delish. Where I come from, we would always have red velvet cake on Independence Day.”
    Megan ushered her inside and shut the door. “Come on back to the kitchen. We’re having blueberry pancakes. There’s plenty. Join us.”
    â€œOh. No. Really. I can’t. All I have to do is look at a pancake and I put on five pounds.”
    Megan, who always did a lot more than look at her pancakes, only shrugged and offered, “Coffee, then?”
    â€œI’d love a cup. Yes.”
    They went on to the kitchen, where Angela spotted the cake and said, “Oh, Carly, you shouldn’t have….” Even the kids got all wide-eyed over it—well, except for Anthony, who only got wide-eyed lately when his mostly absent dad was at the door.
    Carly took a stool, accepted a cup of black coffee and talked to each of the children in turn, asking them how they were doing and what their plans were for the day. Michael peppered her with a volley of questions. Olivia, whose rock collection was her pride and joy, solemnly explained that her grandpa had sent her a real quartz crystal, a big one, all the way from Arkansas. Even Anthony opened up to her a little. He said his dad was coming and they were going to the Catskills Game Park and maybe there would be fireworks after dark.
    Carly was good with kids. Megan couldn’t help wondering why she and Greg had never had any.
    Not that she would ask. Oh, no. Not going there. No way…
    The kids finished their breakfast, cleared theirplaces and ran upstairs to get ready to go. Angela served herself the final stack of flapjacks and sat at the counter while Megan got the coffeepot and gave all three of them refills.
    Carly, sitting between Angela and Megan, sipped and said how good the coffee was, and asked Angela how her job managing that dentist’s office was going.
    Angela said it was great. “And I get holidays. All the good ones. What more can I ask for?”
    Regular support checks from Jerome would be nice, Megan thought. But of course, her sister would never say that.
    Megan knew what was coming. After a moment, it did.
    Carly turned to her and sweetly scolded, “You didn’t call me yesterday to tell me how it went. Did Greg hire you?”
    Keeping her expression totally noncommittal, Megan shrugged. “Not yet. That was just the preliminary meeting. There will be a more formal presentation at my office next week, with my whole team involved. There’ll also be Gregory, Sr., and a few vice presidents, I think.”
    Carly let out a cry of delight. “Look at you. So calm and collected. I mean, you just said ‘Not yet.’ Why, he is going to hire you, isn’t he?”
    â€œSurprised?” Megan couldn’t help teasing.
    â€œWell, I…I just…”
    Megan smiled. “Hey. It’s okay. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your setting up that interview.” Too bad I went and fell for the guy you’re still in love with….
    â€œOh, well.” Carly’s thick lashes swooped down. “I was happy to do it.”
    â€œI’m very grateful. The chance to land the Banning’s account, that’s a big deal for me.”
    Carly sipped more coffee. “So tell me. How is Greg?” Her cheeks were pinker than ever and those Delft-blue eyes glittered with a frantic kind of hope.
    â€œWell, of course, it was a business meeting,” Megan hedged, and felt like a low-down, backstabbing creep. “But he seemed well. You know, healthy. All that…”
    On Carly’s other side, Angela looked up sharply from her plate of pancakes. She’d