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Her boys were growing up too fast. “How
long has he had a girlfriend? Since I left?”
    “He said it’s been about two weeks and he
knew you’d be surprised. He thought you were too busy with the move
to care about what was going on with him.”
    “That’s ridiculous. I’m never too busy for
him. My God, his first girlfriend and I find out through you.”
    “It sounds harmless enough so I wouldn’t
worry.”
    “That’s great advice from someone who
doesn’t have children. Do you think they’re having sex?”
    “They’re in seventh grade, for heaven’s
sake. That won’t happen until at least eighth.”
    Sarah wanted to reach through the phone and
strangle her sister. “You can’t possibly be that naïve. Do you have
any idea how many times I’ve found him with his door locked?
Puberty has hit him like a ton of bricks. You wouldn’t believe how
young kids are having sex and doing drugs. I’ve got friends with
older kids and I’ve read a couple of books.” Oh God, she was
totally unprepared to deal with her hormonal teenaged son having a
girlfriend.
    “Don’t you think you’re jumping the gun? Two
weeks is a little fast and I doubt they’re doing it in the bathroom
at school. Hell, Kevin may be testing the waters a little bit, but
he’s too afraid of getting in trouble to do anything stupid.
Especially when you’re not here to punish him.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “Maybe you don’t know this because you’re
not the oldest, but the whole point in doing stuff to piss your
parents off is for them to be around to get pissed off. Why would
he waste his time screwing up with me?”
    Sarah rubbed her temple with her free hand.
“Do me a favor and try to get more information. I don’t know why
he’d confide in you instead of me, but I guess I should be grateful
he’s talking to someone.”
    “Like you were hot to talk about boys with
mom and dad? That’s what I was for and Kevin doesn’t have an older
brother to talk to. I’m doing the best I can here, Sarah, but I’m
not going to pry. If he wants to talk, I certainly won’t turn him
away.”
    Sarah groaned. How was she going to handle
her boys without Todd? “I appreciate your help with everything, I
really do. You know I have to give you a hard time so you’re sure
it’s me you’re talking to, right?”
    “You’ve got good kids, Sarah. Just don’t
freak out. At least the move will bring a swift end to the
girlfriend.”
    “Yeah, and give Kevin another reason to be
angry with me. Give them both a kiss for me, will you?”
    Sarah hung up the phone and, after a moment
of brooding, returned to the kitchen to make coffee. As it brewed,
she opened the deck doors and stepped out into the cool
morning.
    She didn’t blame Kevin for being afraid of
change. Facing the past, facing the future… she was scared to
death. But she couldn’t let the fear take over because then she’d
be sunk. She had to accept the truth: it was up to her to succeed
in Colorado. She really hoped she didn’t screw up.
     
     

Chapter 5
    “Senator, we’ll be arriving in five minutes,” Kimberly Weston
whispered to her boss as he sat next to her in his chauffer driven
Lincoln. He nodded his head without glancing her way or even
pausing in his conversation with a constituent. The warm Colorado
sun felt good on her arm through the darkened glass and she fought
the urge to roll down the window and let the breeze rustle through
her short blond hair.
    Kimberly touched her fingers to the back of
her neck where her thick mane used to hang. Although Benji loved to
twist her usually long hair around his fingers, Senator Burwick had
insisted she cut her hair into a more professional pageboy style.
How the length of her hair affected her ability to keep track of
his schedule and generally keep his life in order was beyond
her.
    But whatever Benji wanted Benji got.
Kimberly learned that being a young assistant who attracted more
than her share of attention