The Breaking Point. Mariella Starr

remained stable, and they didn’t have to pay high-interest rates on their purchases. They also considered Uncle Tito’s account, Ricco’s college fund, and they added to it regularly.

      When Faith’s parents had died within a month of each other, one of a heart attack, and the other of a broken heart, she had inherited their home, and their savings, but inheritance taxes had eaten into most of it. She was thankful that she had been able to keep the house. Her parents had paid for most of her college expenses, so she didn’t have much college debt.

      Ales walked from the dealership office smiling. “If we hang around for about an hour, you’ll be able to drive it home,” Ales said, and he picked up Faith’s hand and kissed it. “You look reflective, what are you thinking? Are you happy about your choice?”

      “It has nothing to do with the car,” Faith said. “I was thinking about our finances and how lucky we’ve been. We graduated from college with very little student debt, and your Uncle Tito’s inheritance has made our lives much easier than most young couples.”

      “It did,” Ales agreed. “Who knew he had that kind of money stashed away? We didn’t. Mom didn’t. He was Dad’s brother, but she was livid that he didn’t leave her part of the inheritance. That was because Uncle Tito never liked our mother, although she didn’t see it that way.

      “He lived in a tiny little track home built after WWII. The inheritance allowed Tyrell and me to go into business, and then you got your dream job of teaching at Frostburg. We have done well. I’m going to stop at the grocery store on the way home for tail-gate food.”

      “I’ll drive straight home,” Faith said. “You won’t listen to my suggestions when it comes to manly food anyway. It will save us an argument over junk food.”

      “Good idea,” Ales agreed, nodding his head, but he looked into her eyes seriously. “Please, drive carefully!”

      Faith called her neighbor Tracy London as soon as she entered the house. Ricco hadn’t wanted to go car shopping. He had wanted to spend time with his new friends. A phone call had granted that permission, and now she was calling Tracy to retrieve her son.

      Ricco came running. He was all over the new vehicle for a few minutes, and then he lost interest and ran off to play with his friends.

      Faith had known Tracy all her life, although she’d been Tracy Winchester during her school days. They had been good friends, having grown up across the street from each other. They’d been in the same classes from first- through the twelfth-grade. They’d gone their separate ways after high school, although they still considered each other good friends.

      Tracy had stayed local and had worked as a waitress in her parents’ restaurant. Apparently, she and her husband had purchased her parents’ home when the senior Winchesters had retired to live in Florida. Tracy was still the overseer of the family-owned restaurant. They saw each other occasionally, but Faith hadn’t seen her old friend this trip because of her injuries.

      Faith left the door unlocked for Ricco and went upstairs to work on a painting she’d started.

      “Hello? Hello?”

      A female voice broke through Faith’s concentration, and she set her brush aside and walked to the top of the stairs.

      “Tracy, come on up,” Faith yelled down the stairwell. They hugged when Tracy made it to the third floor.

      “I read about your accident in the newspaper, but I didn’t want to bother you while you were recuperating,” Tracy said. “I saw you when you first got here, and you were in rough shape. It scared the crap out of me!”

      “When I first got here, I didn’t want to be seen by anyone. I looked like a monster from a horror movie. I have appreciated the casseroles and food dishes you’ve sent over. I’m getting better every day,” Faith said. “It’s been... wow... it’s been almost eight weeks since the accident.”

      Tracy’s eyes went to the scar in Faith’s hairline, and Faith fiddled with her bangs. “I know, it looks awful, I have to be careful when I go out to cover it.”

      “It’s not that noticeable,” Tracy said. “Ricco said you’re staying here for the summer. I haven’t been in this house since, well, you know, since you lost your parents. It’s like walking through an art gallery!”

      “My parents were my biggest fans,” Faith said. “We don’t spend a lot of time here, and I love the way my mother decorated the house. It looks like a time capsule of the past on the exterior, but inside she picked furniture that works without being stuffy. There are a few antiques here and there. I’m just thankful they aren’t that gruesome gothic style my grandmother favored.

      “It might be a little narcissistic, considering most of the wall decorations, but I gave all these pieces to my parents. A few of these drawings were drawn when I wasn’t much older than Ricco. Now, my home is beginning to fill with his work.”

      “I’m going to come back and take the time to study every single painting,” Tracy promised. “What I came over for was to ask if you and your husband would like a kid-free weekend? I know Ales is returning to work Tuesday. I’m not nosing into your business, but Ricco talks, and I keep my ears open because I try to stay one step ahead of those boys getting into trouble.”

      “Oh, I understand that. I do the same with Ricco,” Faith admitted.

      “Sooo,” Tracy said, extending the word, and smiling. “Of course, I know Ales, but honey, that man of yours is just getting more handsome with every year. He’s got the older ladies on our street peeking through their lace curtains every time he drives up, or is working in the yard. The old grannies are having hot flashes again! You grew up here, and you know what the street gossip is like.”

      “Anyway, Curtis, and I, and Jayden, and Byron are going to an Orioles game tonight, and we have a spare ticket. Curtis is an old school chum of one of the players, so he gets free tickets occasionally.

      “We’ve got tonight, and the next three days planned. We’re going to the game at Camden Yards tonight, and we’ll stay at a motel we like about fifteen miles outside of the city. My husband is definitely a country boy, and he doesn’t like going into cities—any of them. Tomorrow we’ll drive into Baltimore, again and spend Saturday at Harbor Place going to all the places the boys want to visit, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Odditorium, the Aquarium, and the Science Center, and we’ll get our fix of fresh seafood.

      “When we leave Baltimore, we’ll drive to Frederick to my brother Dwain’s house. We’ll be spending two nights there, and we’ll take in a Saturday evening Keys game at the Harry Grove Stadium. There will be fireworks after the game. Sunday, we’ll have a family get-together with all my brothers and their families. We’ll have a barbecue, and go to another fireworks display. We’ll be doing pretty much the same Monday, and then we’ll head home. I’ll be exhausted, and the boys and Curtis will have fulfilled their baseball fix for the summer. We’d like to invite Ricco to go with us so we won’t waste the ticket.

      “I thought you might enjoy a kid-free weekend. God knows, we parents don’t get them very often, and maybe you could do the same for us, minus the baseball marathon. I know this is short notice, but we’re leaving in a couple of hours, so we can try to avoid the traffic.”

      “Goodness,” Faith exclaimed, smiling. Tracy still talked a mile a minute. “We have tickets for the game tonight, but we might sacrifice them for a kid-free weekend.”

      “You can still go, just minus your kid,” Tracy said, grinning. “If you don’t go, believe me, we can find someone to take the tickets. With one extra ticket, if we’d offered it to one of my brothers they would have fought over it. With three extra tickets, they could all go, and their wives would owe you a big favor for getting those lug-heads out of their hair for a few hours.”

      Faith laughed. “Ales is a huge baseball fan, so I’ll have to talk to him when he gets home.”

      “I want to go!” Ricco’s voice came from