"Honey, open up, please," Emma begged her daughter a few minutes later. Abby had refused to have dinner with the rest of the family. She chose instead to do her math homework while she chatted with Jake about it.
"I am busy right now, mom." She replied.
"I know, but you have not had your dinner yet; are you okay?"
"Yes, Mom, why wouldn’t I be, okay? I am just finishing up my assignment, and I am discussing it with Jake. "Can I talk to you after twenty minutes?"
"Yes, sure, I will be in the living room if you need me." Emma sighed a heave of relief, brushing away her earlier thoughts about her daughter being mad at her.
Abby quickly finalized her assignment and joined her mom in the living room. Stephanie was in her room as always, and Carl was in his study.
"I thought you were mad at
