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Janice smiled, thinking that maybe her family would remain intact after all. The bath seemed to have helped, easing some of the discomfort. That, and the sight of her husband and their son laughing together made her feel a little more at ease.

Without a second thought, she flopped down in Jack's lap as she usually did, leaning into him as his arms tightened around her body. "Hey, handsome man" she murmured in his ear. "It doesn't look like your wife's around. How bout you and me... "

Jack gave out a mock groan and rolled his eyes. "What are you like, Janice Fleming? Always trying to entice me like this. How can I resist? You know, Mark" he added with a wink. "This lady in my lap is one helluva sexy... "

Suddenly it was as if she could hear a pin drop in the room. Janice hadn't thought about what she was doing or saying. Obviously Jack hadn't either. It was just something they had always done. Old habits and all that. Janice's heart climbed into her throat as she felt a flush of embarrassment spread across her face.

You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. What the hell had she been thinking? She hadn't been. That was the whole point. With just a few careless words Janice had undone all the good that they'd shared this evening. Now what?

"I think I'm going to take the dog out for a walk," Jack said, nudging her off his lap. "See you in the morning, Champ. You, too, Jan." He kissed her on the cheek and ruffled Mark's hair as he grabbed the lead and attached it to their dog's collar.

Janice and Mark just stood there, silently watching him go. She sighed. Might as well get the rest of this over with. It can't get any worse than it already is, she thought.

"I'm going up, Mark. Come when you're ready." Giving her son a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, Janice went upstairs to her room to wait. One more time, and tomorrow would bring a new day.