"Honey, you have got some explaining to do!"

Blake wedged the phone between her shoulder and her right ear before carefully putting Jason down on his crib, right next to Kevin.

"What do you mean, Mom? And where are you calling me from?"

"I'm still in California. Listen, I ran into your father yesterday, or should I say, he tracked me down. I wonder how he ever found out where I was. Any thoughts?"

Blake stammered for a few seconds before sighing loudly. "I told him, alright? He was asking how you were, and I thought it couldn't hurt to let him know that he could talk to you in person if he ever felt like it. I didn't tell him about your divorce, though, I swear!"

Holly sat down on the bed next to her half-packed suitcases. "I know, I took care of that myself."

"What? You told him?"

Holly grunted and fell back on the bed. "I had promised myself never to do that, I know, but he started pushing my buttons and tried to boss me around, and so I snapped. It was stupid of me."

"I don't think it was stupid," Blake softly. "You were just telling the truth."

"I was doing it to protect his marriage to Amanda, but as it turns out, I needn't have bothered. They got a divorce last year, but maybe you knew that too?"

There was a screech at the other end of the line, so loud that Holly had to take the receiver away from her ear. When she tried to listen to her daughter again, the latter had entered a wild and seemingly endless monologue.

"Of course I didn't know, or else I would have told you! How did you find out? Was he the one who told you? I wonder why it took him so long to give you the news! Oh, but, stupid me! He didn't tell you for the same reason that you didn't tell him about your divorce: because he wanted you to have a chance at happiness! Isn't that noble of him, Mom?" She took a deep breath before resuming: "So what now? Have you two reconciled? Because there is nothing standing in your way now, if that's what you both want! I don't mean to tell you what to do, but I know I would be thrilled to have the family back together again!"

"Blake," Holly said in a calm but stern voice. She could practically hear her daughter deflate all the way from Springfield. "You father and I have not reconciled. It's going to take more than a talk by the beach to get us there, if it ever happens at all."

"But why? Why can't it be simple for you two for once? And don't tell me that you're not sure that you want him back, because I know what your feelings for him are."

"It's more complicated than that."

"I'm sure I'll end up being sorry for asking, but why do you say that?"

Holly squirmed on the bed. The part of the conversation that she was dreading had finally arrived. "Well, as I said, your father and I have gotten into a fight when we saw each other."

"What about?"

"Never mind that for now. The important thing is that he could have told me about his divorce and he chose not to."

"Then how did you know?"

"Amanda told me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard right. I came to see her the day after I spoke with your father, because I wanted to know where I could find him. She got to break the news to me."

Blake chuckled. "Boy, she must have look like she had eaten a lemon."

Holly laughed at the recollection of Amanda's sour expression when they had parted. "It wasn't so bad. However, she has no clue where your father his, and that's the reason for my call. Do you know where I could find him?"

"No. I assumed that he lived with her."

"Do you know anything about his new business?"

"He said something about importing wine, but I don't know where his office is. Do you want his cell phone number?"

Holly picked a notepad and a pen from her purse. "Go ahead." She noted the number down carefully. It would certainly help her to track down his whereabouts.

"What are you going to tell him? Are you going to try to win him back?" Blake asked, her voice full of hope.

"We'll see. For now, I just want to make peace with him," Holly said. She felt badly for lying, but telling her daughter about Richard and why she had decided to track Roger down would be even more awkward.

"But aren't you flying home tomorrow?"

"Actually, I decided to extend my stay for a few weeks. It's high time that I take a vacation. Gilly Grant has an apartment in Newport Beach and she offered me to stay there for a while."

And now, to the second part of my plan, she thought after she had hung up the phone.


Later that evening, she found herself comfortably seated in a wicker chair on the terrace behind Gilly's house, watching the sun setting on the ocean and savoring a glass of chilled white Californian wine. The notes of a blues melody reached her faintly from the living room.

"Your house is gorgeous, Gilly," she said to her friend who was sitting right next to her.

"It's rather small by Californian standards," the other replied deprecatingly.

"Don't you try and sell yourself short, Gilly Grant. You did good for yourself out here, and you should be proud. Although I have to say that I never would have guessed that you could afford a house on the ocean front on a journalist's salary."

"You're right about that, it would have been impossible if my parents hadn't lend me money when I first came out here. I made some investments with the help of my boyfriend, and here I am."

"Well, I really appreciate your hospitality, Gilly. I hope I'm not imposing."

Gilly took a bottle out of a small icebox and refilled their glasses. "I wouldn't have offered if I had been afraid of that. Besides, I'll be spending a lot of time at Chris' place and at work." She took a sip and glanced at Holly. "So, what is that project that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Holly cleared her throat and sat up straighter. "Right, to business. I'd like you to help me do some investigating work."

"Sounds like something that I could do. Is there a story at the end of it?" Gilly said, looking interested.

"I'm not sure yet. I hope not."

Gilly frowned. "I don't understand. What do you need my help for then?"

"I'm asking you a favor as a friend, not as a journalist, although I will need your research skills. I can't go to a private investigator, Gilly. I need someone I can trust."

Gilly shook her head, but there was a smile in her eyes. "Why do I have the feeling that this has something to do with Roger?"

"I need to help me locate him. I went to Amanda the other day and she said that they were divorced. She has no idea where he might be."

Gilly stared at her with surprise. "Divorced? So you want me to help you find him so that you two can patch things up? I don't know, Holly. I mean, I like you very much, but Roger…"

Holly raised her hands hurriedly. "I know that Roger is not your favorite person, but let me fill you in on my plan, and then you can decide." She took a deep breath and told her friend all that had happened since she had met Richard, including her conversation with Roger and Richard's last curious request that she stay put in Springfield after her trip.

"I know that something is going on, Gilly, and I have to find out what it is!"

Gilly stared at the ocean pensively. "You are aware that we might find out that Roger is involved in something illegal, are you?"

"Yes, although I hope not. I can't believe that he would still be up to his old tricks, but if he is, I want to know. And there would be your story. I have a feeling that this could be big," Holly replied with a trace of bitterness in her voice.

"Oh, Holly, I don't like Roger, but I don't wish him to end up in jail either!"

"Yes, you do!" They exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

"Okay, maybe if you weren't in the picture, but that's not the case." She got up and disappeared into the house, then came back a few minutes later with two bowls of lemon sorbet.

"Let's discuss your plan over desert, shall we?" she said, and she handed a bowl and a spoon to Holly.

Holly nodded and took a huge spoonful. "Brain freeze!" she yelped before slapping her forehead. She swallowed her mouthful and put the bowl on the coffee table. "The first thing that we have to do is to find out where Roger is. I think the easiest way would be through his business. It has to be registered with the State, right?"

Gilly nodded. "He would also need a permit delivered by the city, but since we don't know where his business is located, that would make it hard to find him that way."

"We might find out the general area with his phone number. It's not a landline though, it's a cellphone number."

"I know someone that could look it up for us."

"Great, let's start with that. Also, I was wondering if you could ask Chris if he heard about someone looking for financial back-up for a new wine business. We might get a lead that way."

"Excellent! It's good to be working with you again, Holly."

Holly picked her glass and they made a solemn toast. "To a renewed partnership!"