"Where are we going?" Leo asked. They were waiting for Travis at Madison Square Park before going shopping for school clothes for Leo. It was late August, and back-to-school sale signs had popped up all over the place.

"Macy's, Bloomingdale's, maybe a few smaller places," Mouse replied. It was cloudy, but warm, the kind of muggy day that made her just want to stay inside. But this needed to get done. She and Henry hadn't discussed when her job as Leo's nanny would end, but he'd told her that Leo went back to pre-school the week after Labor Day week, and he needed new clothes.

"And Travis is going to come with us?" Leo asked, looking around.

"Yeah. He's a boy, and we could use his advice, I thought," Mouse replied with a smile.

The truth was that she and Travis had been spending more time together, texting, and even the odd evening out, when Leo was at home with his father. Mouse was very careful to keep things on a platonic footing, but she knew that her actions were making Travis hopeful that maybe something could be rekindled between them.

"Hey, guys," Travis hailed as he crossed from the subway. "You ready to tear it up at the stores?"

Leo nodded happily, grasping Travis' hand with his free one, and the three of them headed uptown in the steamy morning. And, unpleasant weather aside, it was fun to spend time with Leo and Travis, picking out clothes in a money-no-object situation. Mouse realized that most of the people around them assumed that she, Travis and Leo were a family doing some back to school shopping. Under different circumstances, they could've been, she supposed. Twenty-three and twenty-one weren't unreasonable ages to be parents to a four-year-old, and Leo certainly resembled Travis, at least superficially.

"So, what are your plans for Labor Day?" Travis asked as they sat down in a diner for lunch.

"Me? Or Leo?" Mouse asked, taking a big drink of her iced tea.

"Either? Or both, I guess," Travis answered with a smile.

Mouse shrugged. "I don't really know. I haven't heard anything from Henry, so I don't know if he needs me or not. I don't have any specific plans, though."

"Me either," Leo added, mimicking Mouse's shrug. "Daddy and I usually go to the beach sometimes, but I think it's with people from his work, and Madeleine's magazine, so maybe not this year." He picked up his grilled cheese sandwich and took a bite, obviously considering the matter closed.

"Remember last year?" Travis asked Mouse. "We were trying to rent the house in the Hamptons? From my cousin? And it fell through? Well, I think we can get it this year, so a bunch of us were thinking of going." He looked at Mouse to see the effect of his words. "You interested?"

"Well, like I said, I have to find out what's going on," Mouse said. "Usually sometimes" as heard from Leo wasn't very reliable, so obviously she'd have to ask Henry.

"I think we're going to need Mouse with us," Leo said firmly. He put his hand on her arm where it lay on the table. "She's going to be not available for going to the Hamptons with you, Travis, I'm very sorry to tell you," he added, shaking his head.

Travis and Mouse looked at each other. "I'll let you know," Mouse mouthed at him after Leo looked back at his sandwich.

Later that evening, after Leo had put on a little fashion show so his father could inspect their purchases, Mouse asked him about Labor Day, which was the following week.

"Yeah, I was going to talk to you about that," Henry answered. "Normally we, that is to say Leo and I, take the whole week and go to our little cottage in the Hamptons. It's very low key, not very exciting, but we like it well enough." He gave Mouse a small, measured smile. "I usually had a few people at a time out from work, or friends of Josie's, in the past, would come to stay for a day or two. I won't be working at all, so you don't have to come if you don't want to, but I know Leo would love to have you."

Leo was in his room when this conversation occurred, but Mouse knew he could come out at any time. She wished she'd waited until he was asleep to bring it up. She wasn't sure if Henry really didn't mind Mouse's presence, or if she'd be in the way of their father-son bonding time.

"And you know, while we're on the subject," Henry went on, turning his wine glass in his hands, "I've been meaning to talk to you about what will happen after the end of this month." He gave Mouse a direct look, and she could feel herself teetering on the depths of his deep blue eyes.

She swallowed and nodded back at him.

"When I hired you, it was only for the summer, as you know, to help Leo with some very specific things." Henry took a deep breath. "Well, as far as I'm concerned, you've delivered on all of that, you've gone well above and beyond what I'd hoped for, so thank you very much for that."

"You really don't have to thank me," Mouse replied. "Leo is a wonderful little boy, I love him so much. I don't know how I'm going to say good bye to him, to tell you the truth."

"I was kind of hoping you wouldn't actually say good bye," Henry said, looking at Mouse. "I don't know what's involved with housing at NYU, with the dorm fees and all that, but I was hoping that you hadn't done anything that couldn't be undone." At Mouse's look of confusion, Henry continued talking. "What I'm trying to say, very inarticulately, is that I was hoping you'd agree to stay on here, with us? Even on a part-time basis? As Leo's nanny. While you do your senior year."

Mouse could only stare at him.

"I can't imagine things have changed too much in the fifteen years since I went to college," Henry continued with a smile. "I assume most of your classes are during the day, which is when Leo would be in school, you know? And you'll need a part-time job anyway, won't you? So couldn't looking after Leo be it?" He looked at Mouse hopefully. "I'll be around most evenings, so you'll have time to work on homework or go out with your friends or whatever.

"We--we--I mean, Leo loves you," Henry said. "I really didn't know how much he missed having a woman in his life who loved him, whom he could love." He took a sip of his wine. "The other people I hired, they looked after him, but they didn't love him, and he didn't love them." Henry leaned forward, and Mouse had to resist the urge to reach out and stroke his stubbly, handsome face. "Leo loves you," Henry repeated. "And I know you love him. He needs you in his life."

Henry sat back, swallowing, looking down. "I know that I behaved appallingly when we were in Greece," he said in a soft voice. "And I can never apologize enough for that, but I hope you won't hold that against my son when you consider my offer." He made eye contact with Mouse again, and Mouse could see sincere apology in his eyes. She longed to tell him he didn't have to apologize for anything, except for how things ended.

"Please, Mouse, say you'll think about it?" he asked.

Leo came out of his room and heard his father's last words.

"Yeah, please, Mouse, say you'll come with us?" he asked, running and leaping on her where she sat on the couch. "We want you at our beach house, not at Travis', okay? Please?" he kissed her, a noisy smack on her cheek.

"Leo, don't, Mouse isn't a trampoline," Henry scolded, trying to pull his son off.

"No, it's okay, it's okay," Mouse insisted, hugging Leo and laughing. "But Leo, maybe your daddy wants to spend time with you when it's just the two of you, have you thought of that?" Mouse asked, putting her forehead against Leo's and looking seriously into his eyes, which were so much like his fathers.

"Why?" Leo countered. "Everything's so much more fun when you're there." He turned around. "Right, daddy?"

Henry nodded, smiling. "Definitely." He, too, looked at Mouse. "Please, Mouse, come to our beach house, not Travis'." He grinned at her, dark hair falling adorably across his forehead. He widened his eyes, as if to ask why he hadn't been told about Travis' beach house?

"Okay, okay, I'll go," Mouse agreed.

"Yay!" Leo shouted, jumping on the couch as if were, indeed, a trampoline, making Henry and Mouse laugh.

"I think I can get my housing deposit back," Mouse told Henry over Leo's laughing, jumping form.

"Wonderful," Henry said, nodding.

****************

Labor Day was a little late that year, due to the way the dates fell on the calendar, but eventually the first Saturday of September rolled around, and the car that Henry had rented for the week was loaded up and ready to go.

Travis had been disappointed that Mouse would be going with Henry and Leo, and not with him and their school friends, though he'd taken it in stride. Mouse even figured they might be able to see each other during their week in the Hamptons. It turned out that the beach houses owned by Henry and rented by Travis weren't too far apart geographically speaking, though they were galaxies apart in value.

However, Mouse woke up that Saturday morning feeling feverish and ill. She was not looking forward to spending the morning in the car, especially when she saw that she'd gotten her period on top of everything else. She didn't want to be the reason Leo missed his time with his father, however.

Shit.

She found Henry in his room and told him she wasn't feeling well. "I think you guys should just head up without me," she said. "I probably just ate something off last night off the food truck, you know?" she fibbed. "I'll just stay here tonight, and I can catch the jitney tomorrow, or whenever I'm feeling better, okay?"

Henry looked concerned. "No, I don't think that's a good idea, and I don't think Leo's going to want to do that, either. We'll just wait until you feel better." He reached out and rubbed her arm, and even though Mouse was really feeling sick, she liked feeling his touch.

"I don't want you guys to miss starting on your week at the beach because of me, though," Mouse said, sitting on the edge of Henry's bed. "Leo wanted to spend the afternoon looking for shells, you know?"

"Leo just had ten days on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world six weeks ago," Henry responded with a smile. "He won't mind waiting a day or two for you to feel better."

Mouse didn't want to tell him that she might not feel better in a day or two. "Oh, I know!" she said. "Travis isn't going until this evening! I can catch a ride with him and join you guys tonight! Perfect!" She smiled at Henry, hoping he'd just agree. She was really starting to feel bad, and wanted a hot bath and bed.

Henry was looking at her, brows drawn. Just then, though, Leo came running in, all of his beach gear in his backpack, declaring, "I'm ready, you guys, I'm ready to go!"

Henry grinned at his son. "Okay. Slight change of plans, though, Mouse has an errand to run this afternoon, so she's coming up tonight with Travis. He's going to drop her off at our house, okay?"

Leo looked suspiciously between Henry and Mouse. "For real? She's not going to sneak to his house, is she?"

Mouse shook her head. "Promise."

Leo nodded, satisfied, and he and Henry left twenty minutes later. Mouse was in the tub thirty seconds after they left, but got out after a few minutes, because it didn't help her chills.

She took some pain relievers, hoping it would help with the low grade fever and chills. Her headache did seem to abate a little, but her period had really gotten going, and she was having terrible cramps, and the bleeding was very heavy.

Strange.

Finally, around three o'clock, she called Travis.

"Mouse? What's up? You never call me," he said when he picked up. "Aren't you supposed to be on your way to the mansion in the Hamptons, anyway?"

"Travis? Listen, I'm really sick, I need your help," Mouse said. Her grip on the phone was really tight. She felt lightheaded, and time was slipping away from her some weird way.

He met her downstairs in a cab, and ten minutes later they were at the emergency room. By the time they were finally able to get in to see someone, hours later, the worst was over, and the very nice doctor told Mouse that she had had a miscarriage.