Absolutely, Positively

Parker. Olivia was dropping dark hints that Harry and Molly should seek couples counseling before they got married. Yesterday she had called to give him the names of two more psychologists.

    On the Trevelyan side, Evangeline had begun a campaign to convince Harry to help her find financing for a new thrill ride. Josh had been calling in regular reports of Leon's progress. Raleigh had let it be known that he was out of money again and the baby was due at any moment.

    No question about it, Harry thought, the private line phone should have rung sometime during the day. He leaned back in his chair, steepled his fingers, and contemplated the unnaturally silent telephone.

    His gaze settled on the phone cord that was discreetly draped over the side of the desk. He followed it with his eye to the point where it disappeared behind a reading chair.

    After a moment he got to his feet and walked to the chair. He looked behind it and saw that the phone cord was lying on the floor. Someone had disconnected it from the telephone jack on the wall.

    Harry was very certain that he had not accidentally unplugged the phone. He was equally sure that Ginny would not have made such a mistake while cleaning.

    It did not take long to narrow the range of possibilities.

    Harry reconnected the phone cord to the wall jack. Then he went back to his desk, picked up the receiver, and dialed the number of his business line.

    He waited for his own prerecorded message to come on the line. He was not unduly surprised when he heard Molly's voice instead of his own.

    You have reached the office of Dr. Harry Stratton Trevelyan. If you are calling on a business matter, please stay on the line and leave a message after the beep. If you are a member of his family on either the Stratton or the Trevelyan side, and you are calling this number because you cannot get through on his private line, please dial the following number immediately. You will receive extremely urgent and vital information which will directly impact your life.

    Harry listened to the phone number that Molly rattled off at the end of the message. He recognized it at once. It belonged to the Abberwick Tea & Spice Company.

    Molly had found a way to reroute all of his family calls to her shop.

    Harry stood quietly for a long time, phone in hand, and wondered what the hell was going on. Life with the daughter of a genius inventor was definitely not going to be dull.

    The phone on the desk in Molly's office warbled loudly. She ignored the insistent summons while she finished ringing up a sale. The customer was a writer who lived near Seattle. She came in regularly to buy great quantities of the special blend of tea that Molly had created for her.

    “Thanks, Ann.” Molly handed over the packet of tea. “See you next month.”

    Ann smiled. “I'll be back. Can't sit down in front of the word processor without a pot of my special blend.”

    Tessa leaned through the doorway of the office. “Phone for you, Molly.”

    “Thanks, Tessa.”

    Molly hurried into her office and took the receiver from Tessa's hand. “This is Molly Abberwick. How can I help you?”

    There was a short, charged silence on the other end of the line.

    “Molly?” Olivia's voice reverberated with outrage. “What on earth do you think you're doing? Where's Harry?”

    “Harry is busy at the moment.”

    “Put him on the line. I want to speak with him. This is a family matter.”

    “Sorry. Harry is not available.”

    Molly perched on the edge of her desk and idly swung one leg. This was the fourth family call that she had taken since she had unplugged Harry's private line and inserted her own message into the answering machine attached to his business line.

    She knew that he had intended to turn off the business line that morning in order to work. But he never turned off the private line. She had, therefore, disconnected it so that any Stratton or Trevelyan seeking to get through to Harry would be forced to try his business line. Whereupon said caller would get her message and call her, instead.

    Word was spreading quickly through the Stratton and Trevelyan clans. Thus far she had dealt with Brandon, Evangeline, and Danielle.

    “This is ridiculous,” Olivia snapped. “What's going on?”

    “I'll tell you exactly what I have told the others who called. I'm giving the Strattons and Trevelyans a small sample of the power I shall wield once Harry is married to