Josh looked worried.

I would never do anything to hurt your mother, Lucio said. She is my heart.

Joshua squinted at him. So one of these girls decided to make your life miserable?

It looks that way. She told my friend Piers what she did. I called her a couple weeks ago, and she admitted it to me.

That's the guy whose place we went to for all the photo equipment, right? Jason asked.

Yes. He's coming over to the house for dinner tomorrow night, Lucio said.

Cool, Jason said.

So why was this chick so mad at you? Joshua asked.

Lucio smiled, amused by Joshua's dogged pursuit of the truth. We had dated for a few months while we worked on an assignment together. I left her a note saying I was leaving the country, but she followed me to the airport. She cursed at me in front of many passengers, and told me that one day she'd make me pay.

So she ripped you a new one right there in public? Jason asked.

Lucio chuckled. I'm afraid so. And she could curse in several languages.

Josh nodded. She had to be really smart to pull off all that stuff in China, with the paperwork and the bank account and giving your work to the Chinese government.

Lucio nodded. Yes. She is a smart woman.

Josh blew out air, his face looking slightly pale. Well, thanks for that life lesson, he told Lucio.

How do you mean?

Dude, I'm going to try my best to never piss off a smart girl.

Lucio smiled, wishing someone had taught him that lesson when he was fifteen.

Ginger pushed her chair away and began to clear the dishes from the outdoor table.

Absolutely not, Piers said, placing a large pale hand over hers. This has been such a wonderful evening and you've already done so much to make me feel welcome. Let me do this, please.

Her eyes shot to Lucio, who produced a warm smile. You know, it's funny, she said to Piers. Lucio made that same offer the first night he ate dinner with us. Are all European men this gallant?

Piers and Lucio looked briefly at each other and then howled with laughter.

The short answer would be no, guapa, Lucio said, coming over to her chair and kissing the top of her head. And just you waittwenty years from now I will have forgotten all of my manners. I will be throwing my drawers around and picking my teeth with twigs.

Josh and Jason thought that was hilarious, but Ginger didn't believe it for a minute. Lucio was the most conscientious personman or womanshe'd ever known. And his good habits had most definitely rubbed off on her boys, who, at that very moment, were helping to clear the table without being asked. But what resonated most in Lucio's joke was the reference to twenty years in the future. The idea of a lifetime with him at her side sent a shiver of pleasure through her.

Do you need a sweater, my love? Lucio asked.

I'll get it, but thank you. She placed a tender kiss on Lucio's lips before she headed for the patio door. The boys had become used to their kisses and caresses, though she and Lucio had been careful to create a PG-13 environment around the housethe last thing they wanted to do was turn the place into a replica of Larry's Barely Legal Love Emporium three blocks away.

But one look at Piers and Ginger knew he'd been surprised by the kiss. Piers stopped stacking dishes and stared at her and Lucio, his mouth slightly open.

She smiled at him, and he smiled back, clearly embarrassed.

Piers was an odd bird, she had to say. As Ginger walked upstairs she thought of how awkward he seemed when he first arrived with Lucio that evening. Shy and stammering, he needed some time before he relaxed, but once he did, he had the boys enthralled with stories of his mishaps and misadventures. He and Lucio got into a rhythm with their storytelling, and Ginger had been charmed by how Piers sometimes finished Lucio's sentences when his friend struggled to find the correct English, just as she and the boys sometimes did.

She could see how close they were. She understood that they knew each other well and respected each other immensely. Ginger knew all about their past, how Lucio left the heartbroken Sylvie in London for Piers to deal with. She knew how sad Piers had been after she passed away. It had been Ginger who suggested Lucio invite him over.

It was nice of Piers to offer to pick up Jason after school tomorrow and show him his work.

Jason asked specifically to see his passport. Is yours as sloppy and overstuffed as Lucio's? he asked.

Piers had laughed. His is tidy compared to mine.

Ginger had almost reached the top of the stairs when her head suddenly felt funny. She had to brace herself against the banister. She stumbled up the last two steps and kept a hand on the wall as she ran toward the master bathroom, not sure she'd get there in time. The sickness hit her with almost no warning, and it left her weak and dizzy.

After a few moments, Ginger made it to the sink. She washed her face with cold water and rinsed out her mouth, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

No way, she whispered, examining the rosy flush of her skin. There is absolutely no way this can be happening.

Ginger's hands gripped the bathroom counter. She needed to calm down. It didn't have to be that. It could be a virus, or something she'd eaten. It could be menopause! Of course!

But what else did she need to consider?

Well, how about the fact that the condom broke the night of the earthquake?

How many weeks ago was that?

But she'd had her period.

She'd had two periods, even!

But they'd both been lighter than usual, and shorter, with the spotting in between. And there were days when she was just bone-deep exhausted for no reason.

Oh, God! She knew if she weren't careful she'd start to hyperventilate. She didn't want Lucio to find her passed out on the bathroom floor, now did she?

Oh, crap. Lucio! He'd been so glad she wasn't pregnant!

Ginger ran a brush through her hair, willing the tears to stay put in their ducts. She applied a little lipstick. She took a slow and deep breath, deciding that for the rest of the evening she'd just relax. Maybe she'd skip that second glass of wine, fine, but other than that, it would be business as usual. Then tomorrow, after she got back from her morning walk with the girls, she'd stop by the drugstore and pick up a test kit. She'd make a point of stopping at a pharmacy on the other side of town, where no one knew her.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, she said, turning, taking a moment to catch her side view reflection in the mirror. She smoothed her skirt across her belly. She sucked in and held her breath.

She wondered exactly what she was seeingone too many waffles that morning or a baby?

A baby she'd made with Lucio. A baby growing inside her.

Oh, Lord, what had she done?

This wasn't supposed to happen to her.

For God's sakeshe was forty!

Lucio and Ginger said their final good nights to Piers and shut the front door. The boys retreated to the family room, hoping to catch the end of the game.

All right, Lucio said, leading Ginger to the sofa and gesturing for her to sit. He plopped next to her. Let's have it.

Oh, damn. She thought she'd done an excellent job of pretending she was carefree. Relaxed. Not pregnant. It's nothing, she said. Really.

Genevieve. Lucio shook his head, scolding her. I meant it when I said I want to know everything that's going on with you. Please don't try to hide it from me. I can tell when there's something wrong.

She gave him a halfhearted smile.

You do not like Piers, is that it?

Ha! No. I mean yes. I like him. He's shy but sweet. That's not it.

Lucio frowned at her. You didn't eat much at dinner. No dessert. You were quiet the last part of the evening, too. Is your stomach bothering you again?