“Different?” Rachel frowned. “What kind of different?”

“I don’t know,” Emma said, shaking her head. “It’s not your smell. It’s… someone else’s.”

David chuckled, a smooth, easy sound. “Must be the new shampoo I’m using, honey. Or maybe the hair product I keep at the office.”

Rachel nodded, accepting the simple, logical explanation. But the image of her daughter’s puzzled face lingered. As if to break the strange tension, David put a hand to his forehead, groaning softly. “Another headache. I just can’t seem to shake this fatigue.”

“You’ve had so many business trips,” Rachel said, her concern immediate as she retrieved the aspirin. “Don’t push yourself so hard.”