Free The Switch by Heather Justesen

guilty. Lee was gone, and though he’d told her that if something happened to him, that he wanted her to remarry, discussing him with another man was awkward. Though she’d had a couple of dates in the past year, she hadn’t been really interested in either of the guys. Danny was another story entirely.
    She knew it was stupid and forced the thought away for the time being.
    “I’m sorry. It must have been horrible for you.” He watched her, studying her reaction, but didn’t move closer—which she appreciated.
    She nodded, unable to form words about how difficult it had been to finish her pregnancy with Tristi after burying her husband. Danny didn’t need to know everything, anyway. “It wasn’t exactly a high point in my life.”
    “If you ever want to talk about it . . . ” He left it open ended, obviously sensing that she didn’t want to at the moment.
    “Thanks. I’ll remember that.” I won’t talk to you about it, though . How could she? She decided to change the subject. “You’re welcome to join us for dinner. I’m testing out a new pasta dish tonight.”
    “But with no pine nuts, I’d guess,” he teased.
    “Right,” she nodded. “There are no pine nuts in this house. Peanut butter on the other hand—we go through tons of that. But not tonight.”
    “Sounds great. Could you use an extra pair of hands in the kitchen?”
    Tia released the tension in her shoulders and put him to work. Everything was going to be okay.

Ten
    It was so not okay. She had already swabbed her own cheeks and gotten her father to do the same. Now she waited impatiently for her mother to show up and do the test. In the morning Tia would send the test kit back and within a week she could have an answer to everyone’s questions.
    If her mother would show up.
    Mona had insisted she would come over to do the test, there was no reason for Tia to make the drive, and besides, it would give her a chance to spend time with her grandbabies. Of course she hadn’t had time to stop and chat when she arrived to get the girls.
    Tia appreciated her mother’s willingness to take Samantha and Tristi out for a couple of hours. It was amazing how much she’d managed to get done without the constant distractions, but it was long past time for her mother to get back so Tia could tuck the girls into bed. What was keeping them?
    She stalked across the living room again and tried not to look at the clock—it would only irritate her. Had they been in an accident? Tia wanted to call, but last time her mother had taken the girls, she’d thrown a fit about Tia checking up on them. A glance at the clock urged Tia to pull out her cell phone anyway. She waited impatiently for the ringing, then gritted her teeth when it went to voice mail.
    What was going on? Tia sighed in relief as the doorbell rang, then nearly growled when she opened the door to find Nichole standing there instead of Mona.
    “Wow, what’s wrong?” Nichole asked.
    “My mom has the girls. Still. And she should have been home half an hour ago. And she isn’t answering her phone.” She led Nichole into the room and they sat on the sofa.
    “Odd.”
    “Not for my mother, it isn’t.”
    “Yet you’re still upset.”
    “Irritated, yes.” It finally occurred to her to wonder what Nichole was doing there so late. “Sorry. What’s going on?”
    “I could see you pacing and thought maybe you could use a sympathetic ear.”
    Nichole lived across the street, and when both had their drapes open, they could look right into each other’s homes.
    “Thanks. She was supposed to do the DNA swab tonight, then offered to make it grandma time, and she rushed the girls out so fast we didn’t get the swab done. Now she’s late coming back and it feels like she’s dragging her feet. I want this over and done with. I wish she’d come last night instead. Then they’d already be in the mail.” The tension of not knowing made a hard ball of worry tighten in her stomach.
    “Yes, but