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across KJ’s head. She chuckled. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you what it was, would it?” She tapped Kenae on her nose. “Youtwo better send me pictures every day so I can see what you’re up to. You can use that phone for something other than music. Okay?”
    â€œOkay, Mom,” Kenae said.
    â€œI’ll send a video,” KJ added.
    â€œThat’ll be great, KJ.”
    Mary Margaret looked up at Kenneth. “We’d better head for the gate. We still have to go through security and that line is pretty long.”
    â€œOkay, babe,” he said. “You guys got all your stuff?” he asked the kids. “Do you need help with anything?”
    The kids shook their heads.
    â€œOkay, then,” Destiny said. “Come and give your mom a hug big enough to last the entire summer.”
    â€œMom,” KJ whined, but he did as she asked.
    â€œYou be good,” she whispered in his ear. “I love you and I’m going to miss you. I’ll be looking for your video updates. They’ll be the highlights of my summer.”
    â€œOkay, Mom,” he said.
    â€œBye, Mom,” Kenae said, giving her mother a big hug. “I’m going to miss you.”
    â€œI’ll miss you, too, baby,” she said. “But you’re going to have a great time. Just make sure to take time out of your busy schedule to call your old mom.”
    â€œI will,” the young girl said.
    â€œOkay, gang, let’s head off.” Kenneth pointed to the security line. “That line is calling our names.”
    While Kenneth was busy with the kids, Mary Margaret stepped closer to Destiny. “We’ll take good care of them,Destiny,” she said. “They’re going to miss you, of course, but we’ll try to make the trip a fun and educational time for them.”
    Destiny took a deep breath. Though he was engaged with the kids, she could sense that Kenneth was waiting to hear how she would respond. “I know you will, Mary Margaret,” she said, and felt Kenneth relax. “And if they give you any trouble, I’m just a phone call away.”
    â€œI’m sure it won’t come to that,” Mary Margaret said. “I’m looking forward to having the time with them. I enjoy having them around. They’re good kids.”
    Given that Mary Margaret and Kenneth wanted the kids to spend more time with them by living with them full-time during the school year, Destiny wasn’t sure how to take that comment. “Well, you can enjoy them for the summer,” she said, using what she hoped was a light tone to restate her own case. “Just be sure to bring them back to me.”

Chapter 6
    D ESTINY HAD STAYED AT THE AIRPORT UNTIL THE flight to Los Angeles departed. Though she didn’t accompany her kids to the concourse, she took comfort in sitting in the airport until she knew they were safely off the ground and en route to their destination. While she waited, she’d changed out of her dress and heels into a pair of form-fitting jeans more suited for a cookout and sandals that showed off her recently painted toenails. She was dressed more casually, but she knew she still looked good.
    By the time she pulled into Natalie’s driveway, three things had become very obvious to her. First, she had to keep herself busy or she’d go crazy worrying about her kids; second, there was no way she was going to go the entire summer without seeing them; third, now that she’d told them about the surprise, she had to make the move to Gwinnett happen or come up with something equally exciting.
    As she checked her face in the rearview mirror, Destiny acknowledged that making Mary Margaret uncomfortablewasn’t the only reason she’d taken special care with her appearance today. She also wanted to make a good impression on this Daniel character that Natalie was so high on her meeting. She hadn’t really dated