Laney saw Zach's car in front of the house as soon as she turned onto the block at eight-thirty. Had there been trouble again? Then she saw the man himself, pulling weeds from the flowerbed surrounding the porch. Parker was a few feet away, obviously instructing Zach on what to pull and what to leave. She sat in her car, jaw dropped at the homey domesticity of the scene. What alternate universe had she landed in?

"Hey, Aunt Laney. I put the lasagna in the oven an hour ago, ...