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Acknowledgments

A huge thank-you tothis fourth book for 5 Spot a reality She’s an extraordinary agent and I’m lucky to have her

Another huge thank-you to everyone at 5 Spot/Grand Central Publishing for their tremendous support I’m lucky to ith such talented, creative, and dedicated people in publishing I arateful towhere I want to go with , , and art departood and my books are where they need to be Thank you, thank you, thank you

I’d also like to acknowledge my Bellevue friends who helped my research, notably fore, and life coach Kristiina Hiukka, for their wonderful insights, inspirations, and brainstor There are so many other Bellevue friends who have been here for me over the years You knoho you are Thank you

To fellow 5 Spot authors Liza Palood friends I love talking books with you and just hanging out I’m lucky to know you

Tothat Mom needs her words but loves you both dearly

And finally, to ar and salt You make life taste better

Chapter One

Zoo a spot close to the club pool Okay, technically it’s not a spot, but there’s nothing else close and I’m late

Nathan says I run late often, and yes, sometimes I do, but not always It’s just that odly I’ve always been busy, but in the past year I have taken on way too reed to assist too anizations

The problem is, everyone needs help, and I hate inefficiency, I really do, which is how I got to be on so many committees in the first place

I kno to get things done I’ve always kno to get things done, and forthese days is about raisingthe quality of life for the kids

It really is about the kids, isn’t it?

I sign in quickly at the poolhouse’s front desk and wave at a passing e into the late afternoon light that already streaks the pool

Scanning the area for irls,

I tug my top over the waist of ed before heading to the pool, but I was afraid of being even later It’s Friday, Labor Day weekend, andwith her boyfriend

I feel bad that Annika, our Finnish nanny, didn’t get to leave at three-thirty as requested (it’s nearly five now), but today was hellacious Morning Pilates, two-hour auction corocery shop Then it was a rush hoet the salmon steaks into the bourbon irls from the club

Pulling irls Tori’s in the baby pool, Brooke’s lying on her towel on the lawn, and my eldest, ten-year-old Jemma, swims in the deep end with her friends Annika sits in the shade near the baby pool, her purse on her lap She’s ready to go, which annoys me

I don’t like being disapproving, but I do resent being uilty It’s Labor Day weekend She has Monday off It’s not as if she won’t have three full days of vacation

Annika spots o She leans down, kisses Tori, and, with a nod at me, leaves Quickly

“Taylor!”

It’s Patti calling my name I turn, spot her and a cluster of women at one of the pool’s round tables, and indicate that I’ll join the cold to drink

So preferably with alcohol

A few in and tonic Nice Sliding lasses on top of my head, I sip my drink appreciatively Day’s almost over I’m almost free

Suddenly Annika reappears on the pool deck, dashes to a table near the baby pool, and rifles through the stack of beach towels they brought earlier She’s looking for soot to be her car keys or her cell phone—she couldn’t survive without either

It’s her cell phone

I’irl doesn’t live on her cell?

Annika leaves again, and I watch her dash back out She’s worked for me for over a year now, and we aloes ho done, all the chores checked off

So a proper chat, but ould we talk about? My girls? My house? My laundry? No, thank you I have enough on n teenager

What a day Not bad, just long and busy Pilates nearly killedwell, that went so much better than I expected

“Have you been here long?” I ask the group at large, dropping lasses back onto my nose

“An hour,” Patti answers

Monica grimaces “Since two”

“Noon,” Kate adds

Noon? Ihere for five hours My God, doesn’t she have anything else to do?

“You should have gotten a sitter,” I say, glancing atthey’ll be content for another half hour at least, an hour if I buy theht I would buy them ice cream, too, if it meant I could just leave my feet up for a while and relax

Kate sees et a sitter,” she explains “Labor Day weekend Everyone’s going away”

True We were going away, too, and then Nathan begged off at the last irls, and olf

“Actually,” Kate continues, crossing her legs, tugging down her straight twill skirt that looks like Eddie Bauer but I know is Ralph Lauren, “I feel like I got off easy The kids really wanted to go to Wild Waves, but I convinced the the money”

Saving money? Kate?

I struggle to keep a straight face Kate Finch is loaded, one of the area’s old money, and then she married Microsoft money—and not one of the little Microsoft millionaires who pop up everywhere, but Bill Finch, head of the games division—so the Finches are set for life

“How did you convince the kids to do that?” Patti asks, leaning forward to get out of the sun’s rays Petite and brunette, Patti Wickhay, a vivacious personality, and the inability to take no for an answer

“Bribed theive them the cost of the adas if we could just come here Worked like a charm”

Thank God for money

Hate to ad Who’d want to make the drive from Bellevue to Federal Way—what is that, fortyabout the kids getting lost or abducted before driving back hoht Far better to take advantage of the Points Country Club pool before it closes for the summer