Katelyn wasn''t exactly clueless-she''d known all along that Autumn had cozied up to her on purpose.


    With a hint of regret, Katelyn sighed. "Ana, this is all my fault. If only I''d seen through Autumn''s tricks sooner, you wouldn''t have had to go through all that.”


    "Mom, how could this be your fault?" Anastasia smiled, trying to ease her mother''s guilt. "Even if she hadn''t gotten close to you, she would''ve found another way. It''s all behind us now."


    Katelyn''s mood took a dive. "I''ve lived half my life and I still can''t judge people right. Ana, why am I so gullible? First I misjudged Julie, then Sandy, and now Autumn- almost ended in disaster."


    She looked truly remorseful.


    Anastasia reached over and squeezed her hand. “That just means you have a good heart, Mom. Only kind people get fooled. You always see the world in a good light. And as for what other people think, we don''t need to worry about that."


    Funny how people get older, but their hearts grow softer-almost like kids again.


    Every family''s got its quirks—nobody''s perfect.


    What matters is understanding and epting each other.


    Changing the subject, Katelyn asked, "Ana, your sister-well, I mean Sandy-she hasn''t caused any troubletely, has she?"


    Hearing Sandy''s name, Anastasia realized she hadn''t heard a peep from that side in ages.


    After Ashley Stanton''s fall, Tavon Morton had gone back to Willowbrook, and it had been radio silence ever since.


    Morton Group went bankrupt, and neither Sandy nor Sean had made a sound.


    That was so out of character for Sandy.


    “It''s been a while since I heard anything,” Anastasia replied. “But Mom, don''t stress about it. I''m heading to the elementary school to drop something off for Pattie. Would you mind taking Emmie and Nancy out this afternoon? They could use some fresh air."


    "Are you kidding? I''d love to!" Katelyn perked up. "What about your mom? She hasn''te by these days."


    "My aunt''s sick, so Mom''s been looking after her. She just hasn''t had time to visit," Anastasia said as she slipped on her shoes. “Alright, Mom, I''m heading out.”


    "Okay, go on, go on."


    Anastasia grabbed her car keys and drove over to Maplewood Elementary to drop off Pattie''s homework.


    She arrived just as the ss let out.


    Standing in the hallway, Anastasia handed the notebook to her daughter, Paradise. "Pattie, how was ss today?"


    "No sweat! It was super easy." Paradise beamed. "Mom, my ssmates all say you''re really pretty."


    Anastasia caught a few little faces peeking at her through the


    ssroom windows and gave them a friendly wave. Then she said to her daughter, "Alright, scoot back


    in ss is starting soon Your dad''sing to get you after school today."


    "Okay!" Paradise grinned, her smile brighter than it had been in a long time.


    The bell rang.


    Paradise headed back to ss, and Anastasia made her way down to the parking lot. Suddenly, someone called out from behind, “Mrs. Salstrom Junior!"


    To tell her apart from Katelyn, most folks in their circle referred to Anastasia as "Mrs. Salstrom Junior."


    She turned around and saw a well-dressed woman, probably around her own age, walking over.


    At first, Anastasia couldn''t quite ce her, though her face looked familiar.


    It was Lisa-Andrew''s mom.


    "I''m Lisa, Carter''s wife, Andrew''s mother," Lisa introduced herself. "My son''s in fifth grade here."


    Anastasia''s memory clicked. “Oh, Mrs. Carter! What a coincidence—your son goes here too."


    Lisa gave a polite but cool smile.


    "He''s been here five years. Your daughter only transferred this year sort''s not really a coincidence the Went on "Raising kids isn''t easy. Being a parent is even harder Education is everything, and not just the academics, Mrs. Salstrom


    Junior-don''t you agree?"


    Anastasia sensed a chill in Lisa''s words, though she couldn''t figure out what she''d


    done wrong.


    She nodded, keeping it courteous. "Yes, education is very important."


    Lisa''s tone sharpened. "With girls, you''ve got to be even more careful. They''re quiet, keep things from adults. What worries me most is if they start thinking about boys foo soon-it distracts them from school, and that''s just not good."


    Anastasia blinked, caught off guard. "Boys? Mrs. Carter, could you maybe spell it


    out for me? My daughter''s not even nine-how could she be thinking about boys? If


    I or Paradise have done something to upset you, please just say so."


    Lisa, of course, wasn''t about to admit that her son had slipped Paradise a love letter.


    She huffed, “Girls mature early nowadays. I''m just giving you a friendly heads-up— kids mess around with gadgets all day, who knows what they''re up to? If they start falling for each other, it''ll ruin their grades."


    "My daughter''s education is none of your business, Mrs. Carter. I have things to do, so I''ll be going," Anastasia said, done with the conversation.


    Seeing that Anastasia wasn''t biting, Lisa blurted, “My son wrote your daughter a love letter."