"Thanks."

As Justin walked toward the house, LoriSue reached down at her feet for a large red-leather organizer bag. Before Charlotte realized what was happening, she'd pulled out her checkbook and begun scribbling.

"Take this." She held out a check, and Charlotte stared at a sum of "five hundred dollars" written out in elaborate script. Her mouth fell open.

"What in the world is this for?"

LoriSue laughed bitterly. "I probably owe you thousands for food and child care over the last couple years. You don't owe me anything. Oh, yes, I do.

LoriSue abruptly stood up. She fluffed her hair and smoothed out the skirt of her fire-engine red spring suit "I know I haven't been the world's best mother in the last couple years. I've let my problems with Jimmy and the business kind of distract me. If it weren't for you, Charlotte…" LoriSue let her words trail off, then shook her head.

Charlotte and Bonnie said nothing.

Justin came out with a banana in his hand, already munching away.

"Honey, come here a second." LoriSue crooked a red-nailed finger in the air.

Justin walked up to his mother. "Yeah?"

"Do you remember to say thank you to Mrs. Tasker for the things she does for you?"

Justin's eyes nearly popped out of his head and he stopped chewing. "Am I in trouble for something?"

Everyone shouted "No!" at the same instant.

His shoulders relaxed and he swallowed his mouthful of banana. "Whoa. Good."

The women laughed, and Charlotte watched with amazement as LoriSue put a hand on her son's blond head. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the woman touch her own child.

Then LoriSue kissed Justin's forehead. "We're lucky to have the Taskers as our friends."

Justin nodded.

"Scouts tonight?" LoriSue asked.

Justin looked at Charlotte, then at Bonnie and back to his mother, blinking. "Uh. Yep."

"Your uniform should be clean. Want to have dinner with me before you head out?"

"You gonna cook?" Justin sounded a bit scared.

LoriSue laughed loudly and gave him a quick hug. "Heck no. I thought we'd go to Chico's for Mexican."

A huge smile spread over his face. "That's my favorite, Mom!"

"I know."

"Cool."

When Justin ran back into the yard, Charlotte stood up. "I can't take this, of course." She held the check out to LoriSue.

"Why not?".

"Because I don't do things for Justin for money. He's a great kid. I like him. He's always welcome here."

For a second, Charlotte was sure LoriSue was going to cry-her nose wrinkled up and her eyes watered. But instead she sniffed, raised her chin, and hoisted her bag to her shoulder.

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"I appreciate the thought, but that's not the way to do it." Charlotte placed the check in LoriSue's hand, then watched her rip it in half with a flourish and stuff the scraps in the front pocket of her bag.

"All right. Then how about I take everyone to Chico's tonight? The kids, you, and Bonnie-even Ned if he's around."

Bonnie and Charlotte grinned at each other.

"You've got yourself a date," Bonnie said.

"What's going on with Charlotte?"

Bonnie raised her head from Ned's chest and smiled at his question. He may have been retired from police work, but he'd forever have a cop's instincts. She'd seen how closely he'd studied Charlotte at dinner, sitting across from her at the big table at Chico's.

"She's just tired. She's got a few new clients."

"The woman needs a good New York Strip and a side of onion rings."

Bonnie giggled and kissed the curly graying hairs of her husband's chest.

"Did you see what she ate tonight? I'm telling you, human beings are not designed to live on brown rice and fish flakes. Those kids are going to get rickets-just you watch."

Bonnie shook her head. "And maybe they won't have to take pills to lower their cholesterol, either."

"Ouch! That hurt."

She felt Ned's chest rise and fall with gentle laughter as he put his strong arms around her and'pulled her tight. "You gotta admit this old geezer's still got it, though "

"You've still got it," she said dutifully.

"And you still want it."

"I still want it."

"You want it again?"

Bonnie laughed and kissed the crinkled skin of his neck. She'd been kissing that same neck for a long, long time.

"You offering?"

"Damn right I am. All I need is a good night's sleep and two cups of coffee and I'll be raring to go again-just like magic."

They both laughed and Bonnie threw her leg over Ned's.

"Actually, there is something going on with Charlotte, honey. It's the new neighbor. She's a little threatened by him, I think."

Ned sat up without warning, causing Bonnie to nearly tumble from the bed. He pulled her up next to him.

"The guy in the black Mustang?"

"Huh? I don't know anything about a Mustang."

"Yeah, well… the kids gave me the whole scoop on him."

"The kids?" Then it dawned on her. "Have Matt and Justin been spying on him?"

Ned laughed. "I never reveal the identity of a confidential informant. You know that, dear."

She grinned. "A black Mustang, huh? Wow. That would make a pretty picture."

"Don't think he's gonna be sticking around long, either. The boys say he's already packing up to leave."

"But he just got here."

"Maybe Minton doesn't suit him."

Or maybe he figured out who Charlotte is.

"That's too bad."

Ned laughed at that. "Oh, yeah? Did you have plans for him?"

"Not me. No way." Bonnie kissed his bald head. "I've got all the man I can handle right here."

Charlotte didn't even bother with the Triscuits that night She pushed open the swinging pantry door with her knee, reached for the squirt cheese, and aimed the spout directly into her open mouth.

She leaned up against the kitchen counter and gloried in the way the salty, creamy, sharp pleasure melted on her tongue. She swallowed with a moan of contentment.

It occurred to her that if any of her clients saw her, they'd fire her. The registered nurse who advocated a diet based on legumes, complex carbohydrates, and eight servings of fruits and vegetables a day was bingeing on a snack food made in a laboratory of artificial ingredients she could barely pronounce.

What a hypocrite.

She needed sex.

She needed Joe.

She wanted Joe.

She'd already blown it with Joe.

But maybe she wasn't to blame. Maybe just the touch of him again-his hands and mouth on her-was too much for her to handle. Could it be she'd had a psychotic break, right there in the driveway?

Charlotte liked that theory and celebrated with one last squirt of cheese. Now she was thoroughly disgusted with herself. She put the can of cheese on the pantry shelf and shuffled to the family room couch, where she flopped down and covered her eyes with her crossed arms.

Maybe she wasn't attractive anymore…Maybe men like Joe weren't interested in nearly middle-aged mommies with laugh lines and stretch marks. The injustice of that made her sigh-how come Joe had only become more of a hottie in the last thirteen years, while she'd turned into a sex-crazed, wrinkled hag?

Nature sucked.

But maybe it was just that she was sweaty that night and she didn't smell quite as sweet as he remembered and her hair was plastered to her head from the sprinkler. Maybe she'd be more appealing to him if she dabbed herself with her best perfume, wore her shortest skirt-the black one that hit midthigh-and stockings. Maybe if she went over and asked to borrow a cup of…

Shit.