The teens looked almost identical, with brown hair and brown eyes. They looked at her, then looked at

their feet. "Hi," they mumbled.

"Hello, Todd and Trisha."

"Let's go to the kitchen," Ben said.

Earlier he had asked if she minded that he wanted to use the kitchen when the kids arrived.

"Nice to meet you," Julia said, then returned to her office.

She finished up some calls and e-mail, then curiosity got the better of her. She made her way down the

hall to the kitchen. Ben, who still wasn't allowed to drive, had ordered groceries and had had them

delivered.

She was stunned. The entire counter was covered with every sort of ice cream known to man, along with every topping, every nut.

The beeper on the microwave went off.

"This is going to be great," he enthused, waving an oven-mitted hand.

He pulled out what could only be hot fudge. Her mouth salivated at the smell.

"Hey," he asked her, "do you want a sundae?"

"Well, I really shouldn't. I don't eat ice cream."

"Worry about that hot-" He cut himself off and looked at the kids. "Worry about your girlish figure

another time."

"Like we don't know what you were going to say, Uncle Ben," Trisha said, rolling her eyes.

Todd laughed and dug into a container of ice cream.

Julia relented and pulled a stool up to the middle island in the kitchen she loved so much. They each

made their own sundae. Julia went for one scoop of vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and pecans, and

another scoop of chocolate with toffee chunks and plain Hershey's chocolate. She put plenty of whipped

cream over the whole thing, with a cherry smack dab in the middle.

When she was done and looked up, Ben, Trisha, and Todd were staring at her.

"What?"

They burst out laughing, then dug into their own creations, none of which had the photo-op quality of hers. Though from the looks on their faces, she knew they tasted great.

"So tell me, Uncle Ben," Julia said, forcing herself not to sigh in decadent delight over her first bite, "how are you related to these fabulous ice-cream professionals?"

Todd laughed, though Trisha did the eye roll thing again. Instantly, Julia pegged Todd for a nerd. Trisha,

on the other hand, had cool-girl-wannabe written all over her.

"Our dad was a good friend with Ben, so he's not really our uncle," Trisha said disdainfully. "And the only

reason he wants us over here is because he feels obligated."

"Trish!" Todd said.

"Trisha," Ben said, his tone both caring and forceful, "that's not true."

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes, and Julia felt horrible for having stepped into it. "I'm sorry, Trisha."

"So am I," she noted bitterly. "My mom is making him see us. I know it."

"Trisha," Ben stated like a commander in the army, "that isn't true."

Every ounce of the man who was trying too hard vanished. He turned into a Terminator type who

would scare a Green Beret.

"Listen, you two, your mom came over here, and she asked me to talk to you. No question. But it sounds to me like you both need talkin' to."

He might have started out on the right foot by serving up ice cream, but he was fast turning into a stern adult.

Trisha got a stubborn look on her face, and Todd looked really uncomfortable.

"Ben," Julia said kindly.

"Not now," he said with an autocratic snap.

Julia had to force herself not to snap right back. But she managed to swallow hard, and then felt foolishly pleased that she hadn't given in to the knee-jerk old Julia reaction.

More progress. She mentally congratulated herself.

"But whether your mom talked to me or not, once I found out what you two had done, I would have been knocking at your door."

Now Todd really looked uncomfortable, and while Trisha still appeared belligerent, she seemed a tad

on the scared side, too. Julia wondered what in the world they had done.

"I hate like hell that your dad's gone. But you're doing a disservice to his memory when you start doing stupid things."

She realized that their mother must be Rita, and that their father was the deceased Henry. Her heart

went out to them.

Julia opened her mouth to protest Ben's exacting approach. But he didn't give her a chance.

"You can't go around stealing cars or money and not end up in juvie or worse."

Stealing cars and money?

Julia couldn't believe it. Trisha might not look like a Goody Two-shoes, but she also didn't look like a

thief. And neither did Todd.

Trisha's chin jutted out. "You don't know anything, Ben. I didn't steal the car. I borrowed it."

"You don't borrow cars when you don't have a license. Did it ever occur to you what could have

happened?"

"Nothing happened!"

"Like hell it didn't. You wrecked the car!" He turned his glower on the boy. "And you! What the hell

were you thinking stealing money out of your mother's purse?"

Todd planted his elbows on the countertop and hunched over the melting ice cream.

"No answer, huh?"

Okay, that was it.

"Ben-"

"Julia, I'm in the middle of something."

"Yes, I can see that. Regardless, could I speak to you a moment? It's an emergency."

"Like I said-"

"Ben. Like I said, it's an emergency."