On A Night Like This (Callaways #1)

help, just condemnation."
    "I've got to go," Burke said. "I don't have time for this." As he finished speaking, he glanced toward Sara and Emma, his gaze widening as he appeared to realize for the first time that they had an audience. "Sara Davidson, right?"
    She nodded, not sure what to say in the midst of so much tension. She'd always felt a little out of step in the Callaway house. They loved and fought with a tremendous amount of passion, which had been hugely different from the quiet stillness of her home where conflict was fought in cold, angry silence.
    "Nice to see you," Burke said politely, but it was clear his thoughts were elsewhere.
    "You, too," she said.
    "I'll walk you out," Jack told his son. "We need to talk."
    When the men had left, Emma said, "What was with the full frontal attack on Aiden, Mom?"
    "They're worried," Lynda replied. "And sometimes there's a little too much testosterone in this house."
    "Sometimes?" Emma echoed.
    "Sara, your food is in the oven," Lynda said. "I'm sorry for all the yelling, but I'm really glad you came over. How is your father?"
    "He's resting. He'll have some healing to do, but he should make a full recovery."
    "I'm so happy to hear that." She paused. "If you'll excuse me, I need to speak to Jack. There's pasta in the oven and salad in the fridge. Emma will take care of you."
    "Thanks," Sara said.
    "Well, that was a crazy scene," Emma commented. "Never a dull moment in the Callaway house." She grabbed a hot pad and pulled a plate out of the oven. "I hope you're hungry. Mom is always very generous in her portions."
    As Emma pulled off the foil, Sara could see that she wasn't kidding. There was enough lasagna on the plate for three people.
    "Are you going to eat, too?"
    "Already did. You're on your own, but don't worry about finishing it all. Have a seat. I'll get the salad."
    She sat down as Emma pulled out a bowl of greens and a bottle of dressing.
    Picking up her fork, she took a bite of pasta and was immediately reminded of how hungry she was. Setting politeness aside, she dug into her meal and had finished half the plate before Emma set a glass of red wine in front of her and joined her at the table.
    "I guess you were hungry after all," Emma said.
    "I'd forgotten what a good cook your mom is. It's been a while since I had a home- cooked meal."
    Emma sipped her wine. "That's true. One of the benefits of moving back to the old homestead. Although, that benefit is often outweighed by a lack of privacy."
    "So give me the rundown on your brothers and sisters," Sara said, as she took another bite. "Who's doing what?"
    "Well, Burke was just promoted to chief, one of the youngest in the city, and he works out of a firehouse in the Russian Hill neighborhood. Aiden has been smokejumping for the forest service the past three years. He's based up in Redding, about four hours north of here. Nicole is a teacher at a private high school, but she only works part-time since her son, Brandon, was diagnosed with autism two years ago."
    "Her son?" Sara asked in surprise.
    "Yes, Brandon is five years old now. Around age three he started withdrawing, not making eye contact, losing his verbal skills. Nicole has become a warrior mom through it all. She works nonstop with Brandon and has investigated every therapy known to man. Unfortunately, Brandon still hasn't shown much improvement."
    "I'm so sorry," Sara said. "That must be incredibly difficult."
    "It is. And it's so unfair, because if anyone was meant to be a mother, it was Nicole. That's all she ever really wanted to be."
    "How is Ryan handling the situation?"
    "I'm not sure. I haven't seen either of them much lately."
    "So what's going on with Drew?" she asked, moving down the Callaway line-up.
    "Drew flies helicopters for the Coast Guard."
    "Ah, another hero type," she said with a laugh.
    "It's the Callaway way," Emma replied, grinning back at her. "Until you get to Sean. He's a musician, plays in a band, and waits tables on the side. My father continues to be horrified by his choices. Sean lets everything roll right off of him. He has a studio apartment off the Great Highway, and when he's not working he's usually on a surf board."
    "Sounds like a nice life. And the twins?" Sara asked. "I think they were about thirteen when I last saw them." The twins were the biological children of both Jack and Lynda Callaway, making their family truly yours, mine and ours.
    "They're twenty-three now. Shayla turned out to be a genius. She