After Parker’s death two years ago, Chris became a permanent fixture at the Mortimers’. Not as Emma’s lover, he was not even courting her. He was just there, silently taking the role of the man of the house. He came early in the morning to make sure that everybody had woken up, showered, and had breakfast before taking the children to school.
He then went to work himself while from time-to-time calling to check on Emma. Chris also hired a helper to help cook, clean, and pick up the kids from school. After work, Chris would visit the Mortimers’ again, had dinner with them, checked on the kids’ homework, before going back to his own apartment that is also on Park Ave, two blocks from the Mortimers.
Emma had decided to stay in Manhattan since the apartment was much easier to handle compar
