Kate’s foot drove off the ground, propelling her scooter a good ten yards ahead of me, Eileen hot on her heels.

Reggie and I were content to hang back—or at least I was. Reggie probably preferred to weave back and forth between the girls as they sped up the sidewalk.

It was the morning after I’d seen Sam on TV, and my girls were accompanying me on my morning walk. Their craving for speed precluded them from simply walking, so they blazed ahead of me on their scooters for most of the outing to the park and back.

They were almost to the entrance of our neighborhood when I spotted a police cruiser heading toward us. As soon as it slowed, I knew it was Sam. Oblivious to his presence, the girls scooted on, leaving me to stand awkwardly on the sidewalk as he pulled alongside me and stopped. The passenger window lowered at what felt like a snail’s pace, and then there he was, aviators and all. He tipped them down and one corner of his mouth quirked.

“You look tired,” I said without thinking. Super smooth. But he did. He also looked a bit scruffy and a lot hot.

“You look beautiful,” was his immediate response.

I blinked in surprise and then looked down at my ratty t-shirt and shorts. I never did get around to buying those trendy work-out clothes. “Um, thanks. If you like that kind of thing.” What was I talking about?

His mouth spread in a full grin and my belly dipped way down. Hello, Six Flags. He didn’t need words to respond—his look said it all.

“Did you get my text?” I hurried the conversation on. “That looked like a bad scene last night.”

“Just read it as I was leaving the station. The situation could have been worse. We got the perp and the victim is still breathing.”

“That’s good to hear. I didn’t stay up for the details.” That was a lie. I’d stayed up for hours; I just hadn’t watched the rest of the news.

“That’s probably for the best.” His eyes went from mine to his rear window. “I take it that’s Kate and Eileen?”

“Yup. Just got home yesterday.” I couldn’t help the smile on my face.

“Look at you all happy. I’m glad you got them back.”

“Me too. Believe me.” I just barely kept from scowling at the thought of Mike’s behavior.

“Sounds like there’s a story there. Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I waved Sam off. “Just complications of having an ex.”

He huffed. “I hear you there.”

I was tempted to ask about Emberly since he’d given me the perfect window. But before I could say a word, I realized the girls had turned around and were headed back our way.

Shit. I’d have to think fast and decide how to play this.

Kate rolled up first and peered shyly in the window. Eileen didn’t hesitate to give Sam a wave. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Sam waved back.

“Girls, this is Officer Martinez. Officer Martinez, this is Kate and Eileen.” I pointed to each girl in turn.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kate and Eileen. And I’m glad to see you wearing helmets. Smart kids.” He gave them a thumbs up and a warm smile.

I grinned to myself. Officer Overprotective strikes again. “We’ll let you go.” I didn’t want Sam to spark the girls’ interest any more than he already had.

But before he could respond, Eileen interjected with a grin of her own. “Oooh, Mom. Did you get in trouble? We can’t leave you alone for a minute.” Little sassafras was going to find herself with no allowance if she kept this up.

That made Sam laugh. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You are definitely your mom’s child.”

I turned my glower from Eileen to Sam. “Ha, ha. Move along, Officer Martinez. Come on, guys.” I motioned the girls in the direction of our house. “Have a nice day, Officer.” I waved behind me without looking back, but his laugh still reached my ears.

We’d barely gotten to the neighborhood entrance when Kate finally opened her mouth. “Seems like Officer Martinez has got it bad.”

I stopped in my tracks and Reggie plowed into my calves.

Oh lord. What had I done? And for that matter, what had happened to my innocent little girls while I’d been on my month-long quest for regeneration?

“There they are!”

There was no time to even begin to think of a response to Kate’s comment. As soon as we turned the corner, the girls saw Jill’s car in our driveway and raced off at lightning speed.

My sister ran toward them in a ridiculously dramatic fashion, leaping along the way like a Disney character on acid. “It’s been so long! Come to me, children!”

All three of them were laughing their damn heads off by the time Jill gathered them in her arms, scooters ditched carelessly in the street.

The three of them hustled inside, leaving me to pick up the scooters and tuck them in the garage. By the time I got inside, they were all settled around the kitchen table with drinks, giggling madly about something I probably didn’t want to hear.

“Hey, sis,” I waved to Jill.

“Jenna, I think they grew while they were gone.” Her lips pursed.

“Probably. They refuse to stop.” I went to refill Reggie’s water bowl.

“Probably because Kristen made us eat spinach. She eats all this healthy stuff.” Eileen’s tongue hung out of her mouth in disgust.

“I like spinach—and you’ve had it before in lots of stuff, I’m sure.” Jill rolled her eyes at me.

“But it was just, like, leaves.”

“That’s called a salad, genius,” Jill said, causing Eileen to stick her tongue out at her.

“Whatever.” Kate wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t mind that as much as the aha tuna. Yuck.”

Jill and I looked at each other and grinned. God, it was great to all be together again.

“What should we do today?” I sat in the remaining chair and raised my eyebrows.

“We could go to the pool,” Eileen suggested.

“I didn’t bring my suit.” Jill frowned.

“You can wear one of Mom’s,” Kate offered.

“I’m pretty sure I’d get arrested if I wore one of your mom’s suits. We’re not exactly the same shape, and that’s all I’m gonna say.”

“Oh!” Eileen perked up. “Mom almost got arrested on our way back from the park.”

That girl was asking for it. I frowned at her.

Jill’s eyes were dinner plates.

“Oh, please,” Kate interjected. “He was totally flirting with her. He wasn’t gonna arrest her.”

My head snapped back in surprise and Jill’s mouth dropped open, her eyes growing wider if that was possible. “What in the world do you know about flirting?” I took in this strange creature who looked like my daughter, but couldn’t possibly be my innocent little Kate.

Eileen answered for her. “Dad let us watch a lot of TV. She’s addicted to some stupid show.”

“It’s not stupid! It’s funny.” Kate sat up straight in her chair. “And I’m going to marry Leonard.”

“Oh my God.” Eileen’s lip curled. Apparently, even spinach was more palatable to Eileen than the thought of marrying a boy.

I looked back to Jill, and I was pretty sure we were on the same page. My little girls were growing up, and there wasn’t a whole lot we could do to stop it. Perhaps investing in padlocks for their bedroom door and window was a sound plan.

* * *

“Jesus Christ. How did they grow up without me realizing it?” Jill squinted and brought her sunglasses down over her eyes. We both watched Kate and Eileen as they stood in line for the diving board.

“I know. The attitude and the crush on a boy—that wasn’t there before they left last month, was it?” I turned to my sister. She’d gone home to pick up a swimsuit after our little conference this morning and was wearing a bright orange bikini. At least she’d chosen a relatively modest one.

“I don’t know, but damn. Before we know it, they’re going to be dating boys and testing all sorts of limits. I mean, I think I was twelve when I kissed a boy. And I pretty much never stopped after that.”

I pulled my hair back and secured it with an elastic. “Please don’t say that. My brain refuses to go there.”

Jill leaned back in her lounger and folded her hands on her bare stomach. “Okay, then. Let’s switch topics to another girl and her run-in with a cute boy this morning.”

“Hmm,” was all I said in response. My eyes tracked Kate as she cannonballed off the board.

“I know the topic is verboten, but it’s not like I was the one to bring it up.” Jill tested me.

I glanced at her. “Yeah. Well, he was driving by and stopped when he saw us.”

“Hmm.” It was Jill’s turn to be cagey.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.” She sighed, using a tone that conveyed a whole lot of something. “Just that it sounds like Sam hasn’t really given up on you.”

“Or he was just being polite?” Even I didn’t believe that one. I groaned and lay back. “He looked good, Jilly.”

She didn’t say anything in response, and I could have kissed her. This right here was prime “I told you so” material the likes of which siblings the world over would kill for.

“I don’t know. It’s just … nothing is like I thought it would be,” I said after a moment’s pause.

“What do you mean? Because you like him more than you anticipated?”

“Well, that too. I guess I had this expectation that Kate and Eileen would flip out at even the idea of me going on a date, but here they are, secure in their own skins and finding peace with whatever comes at them.”

“Yeah, about that. What happened on their vacation?”

I told her about Mike ditching them at the beach and pretty much leaving Kristen to parent them the entire time.

“Seriously, if it hadn’t been for Kristen, they would have practically been latchkey kids. They really like her, and from what I can tell, she’s all in.”

Jill scowled. “How does Mike keep scoring awesome women when he’s such a douchebag?”

I gave her the side-eye, but couldn’t really disagree. “He presents a great package on the surface, from my experience.”

“Well, I hope for the girls’ sake, the relationship survives his assholish tendencies.” She tutted and checked her top to make sure it was covering all the necessary bits. “So, the girls being all chill and Kristen’s stepping up to the plate is making you rethink Sam?”

“Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s not like I want to marry the guy!”

“Calm your tits. I didn’t say anything.” Jill struck a defensive pose, as if I would attack at any moment.

I furrowed my brow and turned to watch the girls again. Eileen was preparing to execute a backflip, bouncing a few times to gather her courage. Then she sailed off the board, curling into herself and spinning like a pinwheel. She entered the water with toes pointed and hands straight in the air. Perfect. My lips curved at the elation in her face when she broke through the surface of the water.

I sighed and took a moment before turning back to Jill. “I miss him.”

She sat up again. “At the risk of incurring your wrath, I’m going to speak my mind.” She checked for signs of lunacy, and seemed satisfied with my expression. “Jenna, stop martyring yourself and go get him.”

My mouth opened to protest, but it just hung there, waiting for a bug to fly in. Was that what I was doing? I put my head in my hands and I might have whined. “Shit. I’m that mom, aren’t I?”

“Um, I’m not really sure how to answer that. I kind of like having four limbs and a working spine.”

“Ugh.” I raised my head again. A sigh escaped. “Okay, I’ve got some thinking to do.”

“Sounds like it.” She patted my knee cautiously.

“I texted him last night, you know.” God, was I completely unable to keep anything from her?

“Well, now. Good for you.” Her smile was huge and I managed a small one in return.

I proceeded to fill her in on the strange interaction between Emberly and Sam the night before.

“Ha! Somebody’s jealous.”

“God, I don’t know why I tell you anything.” I shoved her arm and stood from my lounger. “It’s hot as Hades out here. Let’s get in the pool.”

“What’s the matter, sis. You all hot and bothered?” She stood and adjusted her bikini bottoms.

I gave her the stink-eye. “You’re going down, sis.”

Jill gestured dramatically to the pool “After you, ma’am.” The little shit.

I turned, casual as can be, and shoved her in the pool. Despite the borderline modest suit, I’m pretty sure a couple high school boys still got a show they’d be filing away for later.