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went to live with his brother. And remember Jill Evans? She started out writing romance novels, which her husband thought was very funny and teased her about constantly. But when she got an advance that was more than Ralph made in a year, he asked for a divorce. A lot of men can’t handle it when their wives become successful. It does something to their ego.”
    Andy stared into her tea. She had never looked at herself that way—a success—but she could see where some people might think so. Obviously, Shari thought so. If Martin thought so, he’d never told her. For that matter, he’d never given an indication that he considered her work more than just her “little hobby.” That he had never acknowledged her accomplishments irked her, but she’d never said anything. It wasn’t worth getting upset with him. Blessed are the peacemakers. That had always been her life verse. She wondered now if she’d made a mistake. Maybe if she had gotten upset with him, hewould have seen Lavender Meadows for what it was—successful. Not something you just threw away.
    Not much later Shari headed for home, promising to keep praying about Andy’s situation.
    Andy spent the evening writing up orders that had come in from her Web site and answering e-mails from friends and family. Just before ten, she glanced at the clock, then closed by sending her nightly message to her kids. She had no sooner mentioned that she’d spent the morning cleaning closets than Bria instant-messaged her back.
    
    
    
    
    
    Why do I have to have such a perceptive daughter? I should have kept my mouth, er, rather my fingers shut, er, still.
    Camden bleeped in. Daughters were not the only perceptive ones.
    Camden was going for his master’s in geology at Montana State, thanks to Bria’s encouragement.
    Andy blew out a full-cheeked breath and sent the same message to both.
    They both still did it, turned Mom into a three-syllable word, even on the computer screen.
    Bria, her eldest daughter, had always known she was her father’s favorite, even more so now that she was pursuing corporate life on thefast track. She was barely twenty-nine and already an executive in a communications company. Andy often wondered if Martin was vicariously reliving his life through Bria.
    She mentally stopped herself from going there. She glanced at her calendar. Martin would be in St. Louis tonight, and tomorrow morning he would have breakfast with his new client. Should I have asked how his trip was going? Andy pondered the thought. How long had it been since her husband discussed his travels with her? Or more to the point, how long since she’d asked him about them, other than the perfunctory “How was your trip?”
     Bria wrote.
    Knowing that Martin kept in regular e-mail contact with his kids had always cheered Andy. They had more contact with him through the Internet than actual face-to-face talking time, but they didn’t seem to mind. Of the three, Morgan, their youngest, was the only telephone addict.
    Speak of the angels. Ten thirty and the phone rang.
    “Hi sweetie.” Andy tucked the phone between shoulder and ear and typed to the two online.
    “Mom, do you miss me as much as I miss you?”
    Andy could hear the sob behind the words and knew Morgan was still suffering from acute homesickness. It had been three weeks since Andy had taken her youngest to college. Thank God for cell phones and long-distance family-calling plans.
    “Of course I do. Why?”