Free This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

her toes. This was what she'd been searching for all these years, a family of her very own. She couldn't remember ever feeling so peaceful. Even her hair was peaceful, no longer brutally short and back to its natural dark brown color. Just right for her.
    Roo nudged her hand with his wet nose.
    "Hungry, buddy?" She rose and was on her way to the kitchen to feed him when the phone rang again. Her pulse raced, but it was only Phoebe.
    "Dan and I had a meeting in Lake Forest. We're on the Edens now, and he's hungry. Want to go to Yoshi's with us for dinner?"
    "I'd love to."
    "Great. See you in about half an hour."
    As Molly hung up, the knowledge of how much she was going to hurt them hit hard. They wanted her to have exactly what they did—a deep, unconditional love that formed the foundation of both their lives. But most people weren't that lucky.
    She slipped into her threadbare Dolce & Gabbana sweater and a skinny, ankle-length charcoal skirt she'd bought last spring for half off at Field's. Kevin's phone call had unsettled her, so she flipped on the television. Lately she'd gotten into the habit of watching reruns of Lace, Inc . The show was nostalgic for her, a link to one of the few pleasant parts of her childhood.
    She still wondered about Kevin's connection to Lilly Sherman. Phoebe might know, but Molly was afraid to mention his name, even though Phoebe had no idea Molly had been with him at the Door County house.
    " Lace is on the case, oh yeah… Lace can solve the case, oh yeah …"
    Commercials followed the credits, and then Lilly Sherman as Ginger Hill bounced across the screen in a pair of tight white shorts, her breasts overflowing a bright green bikini top. Auburn hair billowed around her face, gold hoops brushed her cheekbones, and her seductive smile promised untold sensual delights.
    The camera angle widened to show both detectives at the beach. In contrast to Ginger's skimpier apparel, Sable wore a high-cut maillot. Molly remembered there'd been an offscreen friendship between the two actresses.
    The buzzer from the lobby sounded. She turned off the television and, a few minutes later, opened the door for her sister and brother-in-law.
    Phoebe kissed her cheek. "You look pale. Are you all right?"
    "It's January in Chicago. Everybody's pale." Molly squeezed her a moment longer than necessary. Celia the Hen, a motherly resident of Nightingale Woods who clucked over Daphne, had been created just for her sister.
    "Hey, Miz Molly. We've missed you." Dan gave her his customary rib-crushing bear hug.
    As she hugged him back, she thought how lucky she was to have them both. "It's only been two weeks since New Year's."
    "And two weeks since you've been home. Phoebe gets cranky." He tossed his jacket over the back of the couch.
    As Molly took Phoebe's coat, she smiled. Dan still considered their house Molly's real home. He didn't understand how she felt about her condo. "Dan, do you remember the first time we met? I tried to convince you Phoebe was beating me."
    "Hard to forget something like that. I still remember what you told me. You said she wasn't entirely evil, just mildly twisted."
    Phoebe laughed. "The good old days."
    Molly gazed fondly at her sister. "I was such a little prig, it's a wonder you didn't beat me."
    "Somerville girls had to find their own ways to survive."
    One of us still does , Molly thought.
    Roo adored Phoebe and pounced into her lap the moment she sat. "I'm so glad I got to see the illustrations for Daphne Takes a Tumble before you sent them off. The expression on Benny's face when his mountain bike slips in the rain puddle is priceless. Any ideas for a new book?"
    She hesitated. "Still in the thinking stages."
    "Hannah was delirious when Daphne bandaged Benny's paw. I don't think she expected Daphne to forgive him."
    "Daphne is a very forgiving rabbit. Although she did use a pink lace ribbon for his bandage."
    Phoebe laughed. "Benny needs to be more in touch with his feminine side. It's a