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A car door slammed and Tom turned his head toward the front of the house Had so rack, and turned off the burner before going inside through the patio door Just as he shut it behind him, there was a knock on his front door

He opened it to find his cousin Sarah on his doorstep, looking her usual bright and cheerful self in jeans, a baggy T-shirt, and a perky ponytail

“Sarah This is a surprise Are Mark and the kids with you?” He looked over her shoulder, but she appeared to be alone

“Nope, just me Can I come in?”

“Of course you can” He said the words easily but he frowned a little It wasn’t very common for her to show up on his doorstep She uess what

She stepped inside and he offered her a seat “I was just going to have sorill if you want”

She shook her head and sank into one of his chairs He realized his hoht and airy house overlooking the harbor The cottage was all wood paneling and hardwood floors and sturdy furniture The upholstery was dark and plaid—not a floral print in sight It was snug and welco, and quiet and secluded Just the way he wanted it

“What brings you by, Sarah?” He kept his voice deliberately casual “Everything all right with the family?”

“I’ve cohtly “You do know about Josh, right?”

“I heard”

“We’re having a picnic on Me”

“I heard that, too Your mom called me yesterday”

“Oh”

It see that he and Josh should work so hard at avoiding each other They had been the sae, with the saether all through high school—Josh on the pitcher’s mound, Tom at shortstop They’d double-dated, spent summer afternoons at the beach, and once put a hole in his father’s alu rescued