and she wasn’t a natural hugger. But Kat hadn’t started out in life a hugger, either. Instead, Samantha dropped down to pet Winnie.
“Ethan, guess what?”
It hadn’t escaped Kat’s attention that her daughter had started referring to Ethan by his first name, instead of Mr. Basque. She supposed that was okay. He’d probably told her to do it.
“Hey, Sam!” he greeted her. “Wait, let me guess. Today’s your last day of school?”
“Well, yeah, but that’s not what I was gonna say.”
“Then what?”
“Mom and me are making Everything Stew.”
“Everything Stew? I never heard of that.”
“It’s easy. You just throw in a little of whatever you can find. Except not eggplant. And not waffles.”
Kat was getting more embarrassed by the minute. She’d just as soon Ethan didn’t know about her pathetic excuse for dinner plans.
Ethan put down his tools, straightened, and walked up to Kat, who had opened the back door of her clunker to retrieve her briefcase and purse.
“Where’d this car come from?”
“Oh, well, I had a little car trouble today. This is a loaner.”
“Why didn’t you call me? I was home, I could have come to get you. And you could borrow my car. I’m sure it’s safer than this thing.”
“Hey, don’t insult my wheels,” she said, trying to keep the mood light. “It’s safe. My mechanic is a good guy. He wouldn’t loan me a car that wasn’t safe.”
“Does it have airbags?”
“No, but my car doesn’t have them, either. That’s why we wear seat belts.” She waited, wondering if he would challenge her further, insist she do better. But he didn’t. He must have been biting his lip, but he didn’t pursue the argument, and she wanted to hug him for it. Chuck, bless his heart, would never have shown such restraint.
Maybe there was hope yet.
“C’mon, Sam,” she said, “let’s go see Bashira and get our dinner started.”
“Are you really going to fix Everything Stew?” Ethan asked.
“We are,” Kat said emphatically. “Would you like to join us?” Please say no.
“Actually, the guys next door are having a cookout. Jasmine is here, and she’s staying the next two weeks. They’re celebrating school letting out.”
“Oh. Well, have fun. It sounds like a good time.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I wasn’t telling you so you could send me off with your good wishes. You’re invited, too.”
“Can we, Mommy?”
Kat had to admit, the prospect sounded better than Everything Stew. Her mouth watered at the thought of grilled hamburgers. But she wondered whether Tony had really invited them, or if Ethan just assumed they would be welcome.
“All right, that would be really nice.”
“Things’ll get started about six. We can walk over together.”
* * *
WHEN THEY ARRIVED at Tony and Priscilla’s house a little after six, Jasmine answered the door. “The party’s out back on the deck,” she said brightly. “Hey, Samantha, want to see my new Barbie?”
Sam nodded in mute adoration, and the two girls rushed off to Jasmine’s room.
“I’m glad they’re getting along so well,” Ethan said.
“Me, too. In our old building, there weren’t any children even close to Sam’s age.”
They wandered through the apartment, to the kitchen and out the back door to a gorgeous two-level deck, where a partylike atmosphere prevailed. The Gypsy Kings blared from a boom box. Tony presided over the grill, where hamburgers and hot dogs sent out mouth-watering smells. Priscilla was there, too, lounging in a hammock. Another couple whom Kat had never met were laying out the buns and condiments on a picnic table. Ethan, who’d brought Winnie with him, turned her loose in the backyard to play with another little spotted dog, undoubtedly one of her litter mates.
Kat felt a little bit like a gate-crasher, until Tony put down his spatula to give her a bear hug. “I’m glad you could come.”
“Thanks for including us. I brought brownies.” She hadn’t wanted to show up empty-handed, so she’d thrown together a batch of brownies from a box. They’d gone over pretty well the last time she’d served them, at the fire station.
Ethan introduced her to the other couple, who were Jasmine’s mother, Natalie, and her stepfather, Paolo. Kat thought it a bit strange that Tony socialized with his ex and her husband. Kat and Chuck got along pretty well—better than most divorced couples—but she would have found it awkward to attend a dinner at his house. She found the lack of tension refreshing.
A few minutes later, Ethan’s mom arrived with a macaroni salad and a big smile for Kat. “Are you getting settled into your