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porte-cochère as Ryan called it. These days, Riley chose to park on the street instead of pulling into the driveway and under the shelter.
    She had never felt at home here. Somehow, living in a respectable suburban neighborhood had never suited her. Her marriage, the house, the neighborhood, all had represented so many expectations that she’d never felt able to fulfill.
    Over the years Riley had realized that she was better at her job than she would ever be at living a normal life. Finally she had left the marriage, house, and neighborhood, and that made her all the more determined to live up to the expectations of being a mother to a teenage daughter.
    As April started to open the car door, Riley said, “Wait.”
    April turned and looked at her expectantly.
    Without so much as stopping to think, Riley said, “I get it. I understand.”
    April stared at her with a stunned expression. For a moment, she seemed on the verge of tears. Riley felt almost as surprised as her daughter. She didn’t know quite what had come over her. She only knew that now was no time for parental lectures, even if she had time to deliver one, which she didn’t. She also felt in her gut that she’d said exactly the right thing.
    Riley and April got out of the car and walked together to the house. She didn’t know whether to hope Ryan would be at home or not. She didn’t want to get into an argument with him, and she’d already decided not to tell him about the marijuana incident. She knew she ought to, but there simply wasn’t time to deal with his reactions. Still, she really did have to explain to him that she was going to be gone for a few days.
    Gabriela, the stout, middle-aged Guatemalan woman who had worked as the family’s housekeeper for years, greeted Riley and April at the door. Gabriela’s eyes were wide with worry.
    “ Hija , where have you been?” she asked in her heavy accent.
    “I’m sorry, Gabriela,” April said meekly.
    Gabriela looked closely at April’s face. Riley saw by her expression that she detected that April had been smoking pot.
    “ Tonta! ” Gabriela said sharply.
    “ Lo siento mucho, ” April said, sounding genuinely repentant.
    “ Vente conmigo, ” Gabriela said. As she led April away, she turned and gave Riley a look of bitter disapproval.
    Riley withered under that look. Gabriela was one of the few people in the world who truly daunted her. The woman also had a wonderful way with April, and at the moment, she seemed to be doing a better job of parenting than Riley was.
    Riley called after Gabriela, “Is Ryan here?”
    As she walked away, Gabriela replied, “ Sí. ” Then she called into the house, “Señor Paige, your daughter is back.”
    Ryan appeared in the hallway, dressed and coiffed to leave. He looked surprised to see Riley.
    “What are you doing here?” he asked. “Where was April?”
    “She was at my house.”
    “What? After everything that happened last night, you took her home?” 
    Riley’s jaw clenched with exasperation.
    “I didn’t take her anywhere,” she said. “Ask her, if you want to know how she got there. I can’t help it if she doesn’t want to live with you. You’re the only one who can fix that.”
    “This is all your fault, Riley. You’ve let her get completely out of control.”
    For a split second, Riley was furious. But her fury gave way to a sinking feeling that he might be right. It wasn’t fair, but he really did know how to push her buttons that way.
    Riley took a long, deep breath and said, “Look, I’m leaving town for a few days. I’ve got a case in Upstate New York. April has got to stay here, and she’s got to stay put. Please explain the situation to Gabriela.”
    “You explain the situation to Gabriela,” Ryan snapped. “I’ve got a client to meet. Right now.”
    “And I’ve got a plane to catch. Right now.”
    They stood staring at each other for a moment. Their argument had reached a stalemate. As she looked into his eyes,