Her heart dropped when she saw Julian’s black Jeep in Alice’s driveway. “What’s going on?” she asked Shiloh, who was smoking a cigarette on Alice’s front porch.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you back with him?”

“Yes.” She avoided Lina’s eyes.

“He threw all of your things on your front lawn,” Lina said. “You called us crying at one a.m.”

“He was drinking. He feels awful about it.”

“He always feels awful about it. You were doing so well. Why would you go back?”

“Because I love him, and I wasn’t doing well. You just saw what you wanted to believe. I missed him. Every day without him was awful.”

“He makes you miserable, Shi.”

“I’m more miserable without him, and he’s my husband, so I would appreciate if you would keep your negative opinions to yourself.”

“Hey.” Julian nodded at Lina as he stepped out onto the porch. “You ready, babe?” He slapped Shiloh’s butt. “We should get on the road before traffic gets bad.”

“Megan’s graduating tomorrow,” Lina reminded Shiloh. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Sorry, I completely forgot,” Shiloh answered, slipping her arm around Julian’s waist as they left the porch. “We’re going to the beach for the weekend. Tell her congratulations for us.”

“Did you get Gatorade?” Logan was on his feet as soon as Lina and Katie entered the kitchen, relieving Lina of a couple of grocery bags.

“In the back of the car. Would you bring in the rest of the groceries?” As soon as he was out of the house Lina turned to Katie. “Your grandparents are going to be here within the hour. Would you make sure your room is presentable?”

“I don’t want them in my room.”

“Well just the same, I’d like to make sure it’s picked up.”

“Dr. Drayton said it’s my sanctuary—that you’re not supposed to comment on it.”

“Fine,” Lina sighed. “Just make sure the door’s closed.” With Phil’s parents’ impending arrival, the graduation the following day and learning Shiloh was back with Julian, Lina couldn’t handle the stress of an argument with Katie, which, as Dr. Drayton predicted, was now a daily occurrence.

“Need me to do anything else?” Logan asked after bringing in the rest of the groceries.

“Just make sure your room is clean.”

Lina was on her second glass of white wine when Phil’s parents arrived. Bruce and Susan Hunter were what Lina’s mother referred to as “country club” people, but to Lina they were family and had been since they took her into their home when she was sixteen and treated her like the daughter they never had. Ultraconservative, wealthy by most standards, Phil’s father was a retired judge, and his mother had served on the boards of numerous charitable foundations until they retired three years earlier to Palm Beach.

“You look stunning,” Mrs. Hunter said after releasing Lina from a warm embrace. “Doesn’t she look stunning, Bruce? Are you having skin treatments or is your skin naturally keeping that porcelain look?”