“I would, but I have a date, and if I don’t leave now I’ll be late.”

“Already?”

“Of course already.” Adele reached for the door. “I’m not getting any younger.”

“Wait—Dan’s gone?” Phil asked. “I liked that guy. What in the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m sorry?” Adele looked back at him over her shoulder. “Did you expect me to keep fucking him because you like him?”

“No. I expected you to keep fucking him because he was a good guy and he was in love with you.”

“Well, I wasn’t in love with him.”

“What time do we have to be there tomorrow?” Phil asked. He was sitting on the side of the bed, looking at the alarm on his cell phone.

“The baccalaureate ceremony starts at ten.”

“I’ll get up at seven so I can work out in the morning.” He set the phone on his nightstand before disappearing into the bathroom.

Phil’s phone began to vibrate as Lina turned off her bedside lamp. Her heart dropped when she saw the name “Kim” on the display. Why was Kim calling him at eleven thirty at night? She didn’t normally answer his phone but decided to make an exception. “Yes?”

“May I speak to Phil?”

“In reference to what?”

“I’m sorry. This is Kim Ryan. I work with him.”

Lina looked up as Phil emerged from the bathroom. “Kim.” She held out the phone.

“I think you’ve lost track of the time. I’m sure whatever you have to say can wait until tomorrow.” He ran his hand over the back of his head as he turned away from Lina. “No…No…I’ll call you tomorrow and you can tell me whatever you need then…No, it’s late and it can wait.” He hung up.

Lina watched him. “What was that?”

“She’s one of the associates. She’s working late and not considering the time or the urgency of what she needs.” He set his phone on the nightstand before stretching out on the mattress beside her.

“Do I know her?”

“You may have met her at the holiday party. I don’t know.” He kissed her briefly on the lips. “Good night.”

Long after Phil’s breathing deepened in sleep, Lina continued to stare up at the ceiling, her mind swirling between thoughts of Shiloh and Julian and the woman on the other end of the call.

6

The weather couldn’t have been better for an outside graduation, with temperatures in the upper sixties and just enough puffy clouds in the otherwise clear sky to offer an occasional reprieve from the June sun. As Lina left the baccalaureate ceremony with Phil, Alice and his parents, she was surprised by how emotional she felt. Halfway through the ceremony, the realization that her baby was graduating from high school had become almost overwhelming as visions of Megan throughout the years played in her mind like a video: the day she was born, her first birthday, her smile without her front teeth, her first soccer game. The video went on and, until Phil slipped a handkerchief into her hand, she was unaware she was crying.