While she was stewing and trying to handle all the change in her life, none of which had been of her choosing, Richard was living his best life.

And it wasn’t as if she wanted him to be unhappy exactly— although the way she was feeling at the moment she might have wished the occasional bad day on him—but she didn’t see why his happiness should come at her and Zoe’s expense.

Something needed to change.

Grabbing her bag, Milly stalked out of her office.

She resisted the urge to vent her frustration by slamming the door, and instead she walked briskly along the path and even managed to offer a polite greeting to a couple of guests who were passing.

The sun was beating down, but here in the shade of the tall trees the heat was less intense. She heard birdsong and the soft lap of the water against the shore. Normally it calmed her, but today it didn’t seem to be working.

She unlocked the door of the boathouse, yelled “It’s only me,” and then slammed the door hard.

Tiger leaped up from his favorite position on the rug in a patch of sunlight, his back arched and his fur vertical as he prepared to defend his territory.

Nicole was sitting cross-legged on Milly’s yoga mat in the living room, her hand pressed to her chest and her eyes wide. She was wearing yoga pants and a bright blue tank top.

“You made me jump.”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have slammed the door. I might need anger management classes.” Milly kicked off her shoes and sent them skittering across the floor.

“You?” Nicole watched her. “You’re the calmest person I know. I’ve never seen you truly angry.”

“Well, take a good look, because you’re seeing it now.” Milly dropped her keys and bag onto the table. She could feel her heart racing.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Honestly? No, I want to break something.” She paced across the living room and back again. “But I don’t want to clean up the mess after, so I’m internalizing my fury.”

“That doesn’t sound healthy.” Nicole stood up in a single graceful movement. “I borrowed your mat. I hope you don’t mind. I always stretch in the mornings or I stiffen up. I should never have insisted on doing my own stunts in that superhero movie. I’ve been paying the price ever since.”

“No problem. I don’t use it anyway. I bought it the week Richard walked out because I was determined to get lean and toned, but every time I saw the mat I thought of Avery and it upset me, so it mostly lives in that spot by the cupboard.”

Just thinking of Avery sent her blood pressure soaring again.

Avery, who was struggling with the fact that Richard had responsibilities.