Maddie entered the house. When Steven saw her, he merely snorted, as if he had suffered some enormous injustice.

Unusually, Maddie did not greet him. After sitting down, she waited until Tessa came in before asking, “Where are Mom and Dad?”

“They’re probably chatting with people around the neighborhood. They love to go out every day to listen to gossip, then come home and tell us all about it.”

Tessa placed the nutritional supplements Maddie had brought on the coffee table and said to her hus