doing my workout!”

Jim frowned. “Yeah. I see that.”

Men.

Oh well, it would soon be time to nurse and I knew he couldn’t do that. May as well stay on duty. I crossed the room and plucked Laurie off his chest. She was like a little sow bug, all curled into him. Warm and cozy on the front and soaked in the back.

“Poor thing,” I said.

Jim nodded then turned over, trying to sleep.

I stayed at the foot of the bed. “Do you think if I take the case to Galigani, he’ll take it on?”

“What’s in it for you then?”

“Galigani can’t work the case. At least, I don’t think so. It’s too early after his open heart surgery. But I could use his license, right?”

“I guess that’s up to him. Call him.”

After changing Laurie’s diaper, I placed her in her crib and twisted the mobile for her. She gazed up at the dancing bears and tried to bat at them.

I did another set of lunges, rehearsing how to ask Galigani for the use of his license. Pain shot through my lower back.

Nice. Try to do too much and wind up getting nothing done.

Taking advantage of Laurie’s temporary calmness in the crib, I dialed Galigani. I was still unsure how to ask him, but figured something would occur to me when he picked up. He answered on the third ring.

“Hi, it’s Kate Connolly.”

“Ah! Kate! You must have read my mind.”

“Really, why’s that?”

“I was wondering if you and your husband and, of course, your beautiful daughter might join us for dinner.”

Us? Who was ‘us’? I thought he was single.

“We’d love to.”

“Great, how about six?”

“That works.”

“So, what can I do for you?”

Okay, here was my moment. Just say it, spit it out.

“Uh . . . well . . . no . . . Uh, we’ll see you tonight.”

Jim shuffled Laurie in his arms as I rang the bell. We waited a moment for the door to open, enjoying the smell of frying garlic wafting in the air.

Galigani pulled the door open and smiled. “Welcome!”

Jim placed a hand on my waist and guided me inside. I handed the bottle of Chianti to Galigani and spotted a woman sitting on the couch. I froze in my tracks. I must have unconsciously taken a step backward because I bumped directly into Jim and Laurie.

Jim recovered first. “Mom, what are you doing here? What a surprise!”

My mother stood from the couch and laughed. “Hello, darlings!”

I regained my composure somewhat and allowed Galigani to take my coat and usher us into the living room.

“Make yourselves at home,” Galigani said. “I’ll open the Chianti and stir the sauce. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked Mom.

She smiled. “Albert invited me.”

My mouth gaped and remained that way probably a tad too long, because Jim stepped forward and whispered urgently, “What about Hank?”

My mother hadn’t dated anyone since divorcing my father eons ago. Then recently she’d found a beau online and had seemed quite content. They were even planning a cruise to Mexico.

“Well, darlings. I’m not married, you know.”

My mouth, still hanging open, dropped an inch farther.

Mother motioned for Jim to hand Laurie to her. Jim passed the baby over then glanced at me and subtly pointed his chin toward the kitchen.

The swinging door to the dining room flung open and Galigani appeared with a tray full of prosciutto-wrapped melon. “Let’s start with this. I have a plate of antipasto coming up, and let me grab that Chianti.”

He placed the tray on the coffee table.

“Oh, Albert, let me help you.” Mom passed Laurie to me and disappeared with Galigani toward the kitchen.

I hit Jim’s arm. “Can you believe this?”

Jim eagerly popped a prosciutto-wrapped melon into his mouth. “It’s crazy. Can you believe these melons are so sweet out of season? This is delicious!”

I remained standing in the same spot. Too stunned to move, I clutched Laurie to me and inhaled her scent. The new shampoo from Magic Moments smelled like jasmine. I hadn’t tried the bath gel with lavender yet, because I was so enamored with the jasmine fragrance.

Mother and Galigani reappeared through the swinging door giggling. Mom carried the wineglasses and bottle on a tray. Galigani brought the antipasto plate.

“This melon stuff is unbelievable,” Jim said.

Galigani smiled broadly. “That’s one of my favorites. I’ve had to give up a lot of favorites after the open heart surgery, but thankfully this one’s on the list of keepers.” He picked one up off the plate and examined it thoughtfully. “I