Abigail laughed. She did enjoy his stuffy sense of humor, even after all these years. And his command of language. He may not have been the financial superstar spouse that other women possessed, but his manners and charm occasionally won the day.

Her time in California had convinced her of one thing: She had to come clean with George about everything, from her fear about their financial future to the truth about her gig at the senior center, a job that she discovered she loved once she was away from it for a few days. After watching how the Widows connected with one another and how quickly Sarah and Lloyd had bonded, Abigail was inspired to be more open in her relationships. Full disclosure was her new personal motto. Tiny resentments had compounded to create major stumbling blocks in Abigail’s life. But no more! She wanted to make their next few decades a model marriage and vowed to recommit to her George. Balding, bridge-playing George. Maybe she’d even reintroduce the scented candles.

Staring at him now, she even felt a touch of warmth throughout her whole body. How could that be? Spontaneous desire rarely made an appearance these days. Maybe the wine on the plane, she thought. She hoped Sarah would head straight to bed with her heartache and headphones. Maybe she and George could do the same minus the heartache. “Apology accepted.” She gave his thigh a light squeeze while tossing him her sauciest look. He took his eyes off the road for a few seconds to take her in with enthusiasm.

All of a sudden, Alexa popped into her head. Strong, lonely Alexa. Abigail knew in that instant that she wouldn’t trade George for all the independence in the world. (If there was such a metric.) She couldn’t imagine navigating the last third of her time on this earth on her own, and she certainly didn’t want to face her remaining days as a singleton. He wasn’t perfect, but he was hers. She thought back to the conversation she’d had with Alexa in Ming’s living room about schedules and obligations. Sure, she loved it when George went away, but she should have added that she loved when he came home. Or, in this case, when she came home. They might not have known the essence of each other when they married, but they did now.