Chapter 1
Series 1 Chapter 1
On my thirty-fifth birthday, my husband stood at the gate for our family vacation with his mistress.
She was carrying our navy weekender.
The side pocket was half open. Inside, I could see the corner of the little map Poppy had drawn of the three of us.
Mom, Dad, Me.
Claire had bent down to Poppy’s level.
“Do you want to see the dolphins first,” she asked, “or ride the glass-bottom boat?”
Poppy hugged her sun hat to her chest and gave it serious thought.
“The boat. Dad said I can sit right in the front.”
Miles stood behind them with three boarding passes in his hand.
When he saw me, the easy look on his face slipped for a second.
“Lena. You made it.”
I stopped my suitcase in front of him.
“Obviously.”
Claire straightened and held out her hand as if we had never met.
“Hi. Miles said you planned everything. It looks amazing.”
Her nails were painted the same coral color as Poppy’s sun hat.
I had bought that weekender last month.
After Poppy finished her map, I tucked it into the side pocket.
I had planned to let her pull it out herself when we got to the beach.
Miles did not take my hand.
He handed one of the boarding passes to Claire.
“She’s been having a hard time lately. I didn’t want her alone in the city.”
I looked at the pass that should have been mine.
“So you brought her on the birthday trip I planned for our family.”
“Don’t say it like that.” Miles lowered his voice and glanced at the people waiting nearby. “Poppy has been looking forward to this trip for weeks. Claire is just coming with us. You don’t have to make this ugly.”
Poppy finally noticed that neither of us was moving.
“Mom, what’s wrong? We’re going to miss boarding.”
I crouched and straightened the collar of her jacket, which had twisted under her backpack strap.
“We’re not going today.”
Her eyes widened.
“Why?”
“Miles,” he warned.
I kept my eyes on Poppy.
“Because your dad changed our travel plans without talking to me first.”
She looked at him.
“Claire can’t come with us?”
Claire gave her a small smile.
“Honey, I’m not here to get in the way of you and your mom and dad.”
She said it softly, like she was the one being treated unfairly.
Miles stepped in before I could answer.
“No one said you were in the way. Lena is just upset today.”
My hand was still on Poppy’s shoulder.
He had not denied a thing.
He had not apologized.
He had simply turned me into the woman making a scene in front of our daughter.
I stood and took my passport from my coat pocket, then slid it back into my bag.
“Poppy is coming home with me.”
Miles grabbed my wrist.
“You can’t ruin her vacation because we have a problem.”
I looked down at his hand.
“Let go.”
He did not.
The second boarding call came over the speakers.
Claire stood a few feet away, still holding my weekender, waiting for me to make the final decision for all of them.
I looked up at Miles.
“You can take her.”
“Poppy and I are going home.”
His hand fell away.
“You’ll regret this.”
“Maybe.”
I took Poppy’s hand and pulled my suitcase toward the elevator.
After a few steps, she looked back.
“Is Dad coming?”
I did not answer for him.
Miles called my name behind us.
I did not turn around.
Just before the elevator doors closed, Poppy looked up at me.
“Is it still your birthday today?”
“Yes.”
“What do you want for your birthday?”
The elevator started down.
My phone lit up with a message from Miles.
Don’t do anything dramatic while I’m gone.
I turned off the screen.
“I already know.”
“Tonight, I’m sending your dad my birthday wish.”