“You didn’t have to bring a thing, but thank you.” Tootsie put them on the dessert table with the chocolate sheet cake Smokey had made that afternoon. “First thing you’ll learn about me is that I don’t cook. Well, maybe I should revise that statement. When Smokey was off to God knows where, doing what only God and the government knew about, I didn’t starve to death. I can survive, but Smokey loves to cook.”

“You may be the luckiest woman among us all,” Diana whispered.

“Hey, is this where the party is?” Carmen called out as she came through the gate with a box from the same pastry shop in her hands. She laughed when she saw one just like it on the table. “Maybe we should’ve had a committee meeting so we didn’t all bring the same thing.”

“What don’t get eaten tonight will be good for breakfast,” Tootsie said as she took the box from Carmen.

Eli went straight to the grill. He and Smokey were about the same height, which would put him just under six feet. He didn’t quite have the swagger or the good looks that Gerald had. His light-brown hair was cut military-style, and his green eyes set in a round face gave him a boyish, almost shy look. The way he looked over his shoulder at his daughter, Natalie, endeared him to Tootsie.

Before Tootsie could carry the box to the table, the gate opened, and Brett, Joanie, and their daughter, Zoe, brought in a third box from the pastry shop.

“I hope that those don’t have a lemon pie in them,” Joanie said as she handed the box off to Tootsie. “Looks like we’ve all been to the same place.”

“Which is fine by me,” Tootsie said. “It’s my favorite shop, and within walking distance. Maybe we can all four go for coffee and a girls’ morning out once y’all get settled.”

“Sounds good,” Joanie said.

She wasn’t as tall as Diana but certainly not as short as Carmen. They all kind of reminded her of a singing group she’d seen somewhere in her travels. Diana was the tall redhead. Carmen was the short brunette. And Joanie was the blonde that stood between them if they were lined up by height. She had brown eyes and was a little on the curvy side. Brett was between Gerald and Eli in height and had dark hair and the clearest blue eyes she’d ever seen on a man.

A good mixed group, Tootsie thought as she watched the little girls playing with the bean-toss game. Even the kids. Rebecca was all skinny legs at this age and constantly humming while she played. Natalie was a little shorter and heavier. Zoe was the prissy one. Tootsie predicted that Rebecca would be musical when she was a little older. Natalie was a tomboy type, so she’d play basketball. And Zoe, no doubt about it, she’d be a cheerleader.

But it didn’t matter what they did or didn’t do; Tootsie was glad to have them all living on her block.

Later that night, Joanie read Zoe a book about living in a new house, tucked her into bed, and stayed with her until she fell asleep. Then she went into her new bedroom to sleep with Brett for the first time in their new home, and the last time for at least three months. He was team leader of a Special Forces group of five people that included Gerald and Eli. They had a mission, and right after that, they were scheduled to teach a class in desert survival.

She curled up beside him and laid her head on his chest. She’d known what she was getting into when she married Brett, and for the most part she’d accepted their lifestyle. But what she’d give right then for at least a week with him in this new place—well, that couldn’t be measured in dollars and cents.

“I like Tootsie and Smokey.” She bit back tears. A good army wife didn’t cry and throw fits. She held down the fort while her husband was gone.

“Me, too, and I feel better knowing you girls have a good neighbor.” Brett pulled her even closer to his side. “But I don’t want to talk about neighbors tonight. I want to hold you and make memories to last me for the next three months.”

Diana awoke the next morning, and it took several seconds before she remembered that they’d moved the day before. She eased out of bed and went straight to the kitchen, where she stirred up pancakes. When the guys were leaving on a mission, she always sent Gerald away with his favorite breakfast.

Rebecca came wandering into the room and crawled up on a barstool. “Pancakes? No, Mama, not Daddy’s pancakes.” Her little chin began to quiver. “I don’t want him to go. He’s supposed to stay with us now that we gots a house.”

“He’s got to go away for a little while and make some money to pay for this house,” Diana explained.

Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest and blew her dark hair away from her face. “Then give it back. I don’t want him to leave.”

Gerald appeared at that moment, swept her off the barstool, and spun her around. “It’s only for a little while, and you’ve got all of your friends right here on the same block. Y’all can play all day, every day, and not just have playdates.”

“I’d rather have you,” she said. “Don’t go, Daddy. Stay home with us.”

“I wish I could. I promise, after a few more years, I’ll be here so much that you’ll want me to leave.” He chuckled.

Rebecca did pretty well during breakfast, but when the knock came at the door and she knew that it was time for her daddy to leave, she burst into tears. “I hate goodbyes,” she said as she ran to her room.

Diana opened the door to find both Eli and Brett standing there. Their expressions said that they hadn’t had any easier a time at their houses. “He’s giving Rebecca one more hug.”

The sound of Gerald’s footsteps on the hardwood floor preceded him to the door. “I did the best I could, darlin’.”

“She’ll be fine. Call me when you can, and come home in one piece.” She raised her head for that final kiss.

“Do my best,” Gerald said, and then they were gone.

She slid down the back of the door in a house that wasn’t familiar yet, that had days of unpacking to do, and waited. In less than a minute, someone knocked again. She got up and opened the door for Carmen and Joanie. Natalie and Zoe went straight back to Rebecca’s room.

Carmen carried a box of tissues. Joanie had a bottle of orange juice. The usual fare for the mornings when their husbands left for an extended time. They made it to the kitchen before the tears started. Diana pulled a bottle of champagne from the cabinet and mixed mimosas. Carmen passed out tissues, and Joanie got out three glasses.