She’d spent a restless night, tossing, turning, and denying that she felt any disappointment when Jake turned down her invitation to come in the evening before. He gave her some wonderful excuses. Trevor had gone out with some friends, and he couldn't leave Chloe alone in the house. At fifteen, the girl was old enough to be alone, but Kate hadn't earned the right to judge the way Jake raised his daughter. At exactly quarter after six, the next-door neighbors sprang into action. Laurel and Hardy were at it again. Chloe ran out the kitchen door with her hands covering her ears, but otherwise amused by the antics of the adults in her household. She leaned over the fence, with her feet dangling in the air. "You comin'?" Kate pulled the goose-down comforter tighter around her shoulders. "I don't think so." I'm pouting, she might as well have added. "Why not?" Jake's deep voice startled her. She’d been watching the kitchen door to see him leave the house so she could childishly give him her back and return to bed as if he meant nothing.
