Absolutely, Positively

“Do you think that Dr. Trevelyan might be milking the foundation with outrageous consulting fees?”

    “I'm not making any accusations,” Cutter said.

    Molly's fingers tightened on her fork. “I should hope not. Besides, Harry's fees aren't outrageous.”

    Venicia and Cutter both looked at her.

    “Okay, they're on the high side,” Molly admitted. “But they're within reason. Especially given his qualifications.”

    Cutter snorted politely and went back to his steak.

    Venicia glanced at him and then turned to Molly with an uneasy expression. “I do hope you haven't gotten yourself tangled up with someone like that dreadful Gordon Brooke again, dear.”

    Molly winced. “Trust me, Harry Trevelyan has nothing in common with Gordon Brooke.”

    Cutter cleared his throat to draw Molly's and Venicia's full attention. “As I said, administrative costs are difficult to control in any organization, especially a nonprofit foundation. A trustee in Molly's position must be on her guard.”

    “Harry Trevelyan is not a thief or a swindler,” Molly said fiercely.

    Cutter sighed. “I never said he was. I'm merely suggesting that a charitable trust is very vulnerable to abuse. Anyone can call himself a consultant, after all.”

    Venicia nodded sagely. “Cutter is quite right. One reads about charities and foundations being defrauded all the time. You will be cautious with your Dr. Trevelyan, won't you, Molly?”

    Molly stabbed her fork into a heap of pasta. She'd been forced to be cautious all of her adult life. She'd had too many responsibilities weighing on her to allow her the luxury of taking a few chances. She was nearly thirty years old, and there was finally a glimmer of excitement on the horizon. What's more, she was free to explore that glimmer.

    Molly smiled blandly. “You know me, Aunt Venicia. I'm the soul of caution. I'll be careful.”

    Molly scrutinized Kelsey one last time as the passengers began to file on board the plane. “Are you sure you have everything you're going to need?”

    Kelsey rolled her eyes. “If I've forgotten anything, you can send it down to me.”

    “I'm fussing, aren't I?”

    “Yes, you are.” Kelsey chuckled. “I'm only going to be gone for a month.”

    “I know.” Molly gave her sister a misty smile. “But this is a sort of trial run for me. A taste of what it's going to be like when you leave for college in the fall.”

    Kelsey's expression grew serious. “I've been giving that some thought. I talked to Aunt Venicia. We both think you should sell the house, Molly.”

    Molly stared at her in amazement. “Are you kidding?”

    “No, I'm not. The mansion is too big for you to live in all by yourself.”

    “It's no trouble to keep up, thanks to Dad's cleaning robots. I know how to maintain them.”

    “That's not the point,” Kelsey insisted. “The Abberwick mansion will be just too much house for you when you're there all alone. And it's filled with the past, if you know what I mean.”

    “I understand, Kelsey, but I don't mind that part.”

    “I think you will when you're rattling around in that big old house all by yourself. Promise me you'll at least consider selling it. You could get yourself a modern downtown condo.”

    “But it's our home. It's always been our home.”

    “Things will change when I leave for college.”

    Molly looked at the sister she had raised to womanhood and saw the future in Kelsey's intelligent eyes. “Believe me, I realize that.”

    Of course things would change. Molly told herself she had always known that this moment would arrive. Kelsey was about to start her own life. Her talent and brains would take her far from the crazy old ramshackle Abberwick mansion. It was the way of the world.

    “Please, Molly, don't cry.”

    “Wouldn't think of it.” Molly blinked very rapidly to clear the moisture from her eyes. “Listen, have a great time at the workshop.”

    “I will.” Kelsey shifted her backpack and started toward the gate. She looked back once. “Promise me you'll think about selling the house, okay?”

    “I'll think about it.”

    Molly waved good-bye until Kelsey disappeared from view down the ramp. Then she reached for a tissue. When she realized that a single tissue wasn't going to be sufficient for the task at hand, she headed for the women's room.

    It wasn't her promise to her sister that was on Molly's mind later that afternoon as she and Harry drove toward Hidden Springs. It was the