Toni knew she’d not only have to find out exactly what classes the kids were taking, but she’d have to start working on a schedule as soon as possible. When dealing with so many pups at one time, schedules were critical to managing the insanity. This, of course, applied to any large family. But a family of focused, driven little nightmares needed schedules the way breathing beings needed air. It was the only way to survive without unnecessary bloodshed or jail time.

And that was what Toni did best, wasn’t it? She managed the schedules of her family, negotiating agreements and timelines, while threatening important body parts when necessary.

For instance, she already had figured out how she was going to end the argument, but Cherise suddenly charged past her on the stairs. “I’ll handle it,” the twenty-year-old cellist promised as she ran by. “I’ll handle it!”

Although she probably wouldn’t handle it well. Cherise, the sweetest of their brood, was also the most sensitive next to Freddy. As it was, she was a borderline agoraphobic. Getting her out of the house was an unbelievable task. Funny thing was, those who booked her into concert halls all over the world thought her reluctance to travel was a negotiation tactic. It wasn’t, but her agoraphobia at the very least paid well.

Still, if Cherise wanted to try managing their siblings, Toni wouldn’t stop her. The way to learn was to do. Toni knew getting everyone handled today with little to no drama would not be easy, but she was ready and alert.

“Morning, sis,” Coop said as he fell into step beside her.

“Hey, Coop. Did you get any sleep?”

“A little. Jet lag is kicking my butt. But you know me. I do love a nap, so I’ll just sleep later.”

“Great rooms, though, right?” Toni asked. “I love my bed.”

Together they headed down the second-floor hallway to the last set of stairs.

“Me, too. But I have to admit,” Coop continued, “I expected to find Livy asleep under my bed last night. I think I was a little disappointed when she wasn’t.”

Toni stopped in the middle of the hallway and focused on her brother. “Why would Livy be under your bed?”

It wasn’t a question Toni asked because she was concerned that her best friend, Olivia Kowalski, was found under her brother’s bed. Livy was nearly as close to Coop as she was to Toni. So Toni didn’t care if Livy was asleep under Coop’s bed or hers or Cherise’s. It wouldn’t be the first time that happened, and it wouldn’t be the last. No. That wasn’t why Toni was asking the question.

“Is that little bitch in Manhattan?” Toni demanded.

“You know,” Coop said, turning to face her, “she’d probably be more likely to keep you up to date on her current locations if you didn’t call her ‘that little bitch.’ ”

“I only call her that when she’s clearly avoiding me. I texted her last night and told her what was going on. She didn’t even call me back.”

“Livy hates talking on the phone. You know she’s not good at it.”

“Of course I know that. I know all of her quirks and foibles better than anyone else. But if she’s in Manhattan—”

“She won’t tell you that if you’re just going to yell at her for not having an actual place to live while she’s here.”

Toni stamped her foot. Three times. “It is not okay to just crash at someone’s house because they make the mistake of leaving the window cracked when they leave for a vacation. Who does that?”

“Livy does that. Livy’s mother does that. Livy’s entire family does that. All of Livy’s kind does that. If there’s one thing we can all agree on, sis, it’s that her people are not like our people. So instead of ranting about it—”

“Oh, forget it! I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Toni pushed past her brother and continued down the hallway. Coop, taller than Toni, quickly caught up.

“Are you pissed at me now?” he asked.

“I’m pissed at the world right now. I should be back in Washington, starting a boring office job while I worry about what temporarily abandoned home my best friend has recently placed her camera bag in. I should not be stuck in Manhattan hoping to beg a job off the cousin off my mother’s best friend’s mate.”

“Come on now, you know Ulrich loves you.”

“Shut up, Coop.”

Her brother laughed and the sound of it made Toni smile despite the fact she didn’t really want to.

“Speaking of which, did you see Mom and Dad yet?” she asked him.

“Nope. They were sleeping by the time I went to bed.”

“I haven’t seen Mom since before I took Freddy to Aunt Irene’s hotel room yesterday . . . which makes me nervous.”

“Why?”

“Don’t know. Just feels like she’s up to something. She wanted me out of the house for a reason last night. I mean, she’d normally take Freddy over to see Aunt Irene herself.”

“You have a point.” Hearing the latest argument from their siblings, Coop’s head cocked to the side as they hit the top of those last stairs and started down. “Kyle and Oriana?”

“Of course. But Cherise is going to handle it.”

“She is?”

“She needs to try,” Toni reminded him.

“I wish her luck.”

“Look, it could be worse—” Toni began as she and Coop reached the last step, but Toni’s words were cut off when she saw her mother. Dressed comfortably in loose jeans, a B-52s T-shirt that was older than Toni, and her favorite battered “rehearsal” tennis shoes, Jackie headed toward the front door. Normally this was nothing for Toni to notice or remotely worry about . . . normally. But now Toni understood why her mother had avoided her and Coop last night—because her mother wasn’t alone.