She lets go and looks him in the eye. “You say no to a hug from your mother?”

Knowing better than to argue, he lets her put a wet one on his cheek.

“Charlie told me he hates your hugs,” I jump in. “He said he hopes you don’t give him another.”

“Don’t start – you’re next,” she warns. She plants one on me and fights her way out of her winter coat. Noticing the crates and boxes all over the floor, she can barely contain herself. “Oh, my boys are back,” she coos, following us to the kitchen.

Charlie starts stuffing groceries into the cabinets. On the counter, I take a long hard look at the Charlie Brown cookie jar. I’m already biting the inside of my lip. For almost five years it’s been my most regular habit. I’m dying to open it. But for once, I don’t.

Charlie watches me closely. It’s okay, he says with a glance. Everyone needs a day off. Including you.

“And guess who I got a present for?” mom asks, grabbing my attention. From one of the shopping bags, she pulls out a blue plastic bag. “I saw it in the yarn shop – I couldn’t resist…”

“Mom, I told you not to buy me anything,” I moan.

She doesn’t care; she’s too excited. Reaching into the bag, she takes out a needlepoint canvas and holds it up. In thick, red stenciled letters are the words, “Bloom Where You’re Planted.”

“What do you think?” mom asks. “It’s just a little coming-home gift. I can put it in a frame or on a pillow – whichever you want.”

Like most of mom’s needlepoints, the slogan is mushy and oversentimental.

Raised in Brooklyn and Miami, Brad Meltzer is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. The Tenth Justice was his first published work and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Brad currently lives in Florida with his wife, who's also an attorney.