She was cold. Cold clear through and worried about keeping Hope warm. As she faced the end of her meager money, the reality of homelessness finally an... frighteningly sank in. The diner was a stopgap. She knew she could take a rear booth, keep the baby warm, and maybe, just maybe, get a tiny bit of sleep. She must rest to gain the strength to take on tomorrow when nothing would have changed except the date.The tiny child was so preciously good-natured that Holly still couldn’t believe she was. If it’s okay with everyone, including Autumn, I think that Autumn should have two husbands, and the second one should be Ryan. Her stepfather. She clearly wants him, but she also wants me and we both want her. Let me guess, you tried to pass those lessons down to Autumn, but she didn’t go for it?”“No, she called it bullshit, in fact. I tried to make her understand, but maybe it was me that was wrong. Me and Mom. I guess that, at least for me, I’m the one who needs a firm hand. Not Ryan. Sorry,. That's better, good girl. -- "Oh! VERY good girl!"The other Marks I déjà vu'd with over the next few days were pretty happy too. I didn't encounter any of the unlucky Risk Takers, but I didn't expect to with the odds being 1-in-7,776. I met one Mark who'd rolled a "1" for his first roll, and he'd confessed that it'd given him a fright. Doing one of the risky things didn't scare us as most of the ideas we'd had were quite easy to do, it was how the baddies would react next that was scary. One. " All right. What about tonight? We have a private get-together planned for the party room. All those who enter must be nekkid. I don't think Pop will join the festivities." I grinned. "You're welcome, though." Wicked, Nicole, that's what you are," she said with a grin. "I'm sorely tempted, I am, but... uh-uh. I've been true blue, and that'll never change. That's the way Marcus wants it." He relented regarding my mother and me." True. For you, though, not for your mother." Really? I didn't know.