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“So, did either of you find anything useful?”Abby asked, as she wiped avocado from her lips.“I found that Mom had a thing for Scotch Tape.”

“I found my tambourine that Mom yelled at me for losing,” Charlie said.

“You wouldn’t stop shaking that stupid thing,” Morgan said.“I hid it.”

Charlie picked up a beet and looked like she was about to throw it at Morgan.Morgan stared her down, and Charlie put the beet in her mouth.

Morgan reached down, picked up the shoebox, and placed it in the middle of the table.“I found a box of photographs.”

Charlie and Abby dipped their hands into the box, and each pulled out a handful of pictures.

Charlie held one up.“Here’s one from Abby’s second birthday,” she said.“Only five kids came, and Morgan and I were two of them.”

“I’m sure I had more friends than that,” Abby said.

“You were young.You hadn’t figured out the social thing yet,” Charlie said.“You’ve improved a little.”

Abby laughed, then held up a picture.“Here’s one from that time Mom took us to Disneyland.”

“She saved up for that day for over a year,” Morgan said.

“It was so much fun,” Charlie said.

“Until youhadto go on Space Mountain and then threw up your chicken nuggets,” Morgan said.“They shut the entire ride down for over an hour.”

“And gave the people sitting behind you free passes,” Abby said.

“At least I was brave enough to go on it,” Charlie said, clucking at them like a chicken.

“There are so many pictures of you two and hardly any of me,” Abby said, looking through the box.“Did the camera break when I was born?”

“Nope, you were just boring,” Morgan said, and Abby playfully smacked her.

“I’m not letting that happen with my kids,” Abby said.“I take a picture of everyone or no one.”

“Then they better have a quadruple wedding,” Charlie said.

“You can joke, but it will save me money on therapy.They’ll never feel like they didn’t matter.”

Morgan put her arms around Abby.“You mattered to us,” Morgan said.

“Hey, do either of you know who this is?”Charlie held up a picture of their mom with her arms around a man.Abby and Morgan stared at it.

“That was taken recently,” Morgan said.“Mom’s wearing the sweater I got her last Mothers’ Day.”

“She never mentioned she was dating anyone,” Abby said.

“I would’ve thought she’d tellmeif she was,” Charlie said.“My clients pay me to be an expert on relationships.”

Your relationship with Rick makes you the opposite of an expert,Morgan thought and struggled not to say out loud.

“I bet Mom’s neighbor Esther would know who he is,” Abby said.“She always seemed like the nosy type.”

“I can’t believe Esther’s still alive,” Charlie said.“She’s been eighty since we were kids.”

Morgan got up and looked out the window.“She’s home.Her Dodge Dart’s in the driveway.”

“You two should go over and ask her,” Charlie said.