The hairs on the back of my neck stood up again as I wondered who I had moved my child in with. But this is temporary, I reminded myself. I could go home any time.

Iris, board in tow, paddled through the water, then stood and slogged the rest of the way toward us. “I am exhausted!” she said, flopping down beside me on the sand. I scooted close to her and put my arm around her wet shoulders, planting a kiss on her temple. “You were great out there!”

She looked at me skeptically. “Mom. I was fair at best.”

I laughed. “No, I mean it. You were great. I am so proud of you for trying something new.” I paused. “No, I’m proud of you for diving into this new life. I’m proud of you for not even complaining about not having your cell phone!”

She laughed and rested her head on my shoulder. “It’s not so bad.”

I took a deep breath, wrapping my arms around her, smelling the saltwater on her skin, savoring this moment of my girl being just a girl, softening around the edges. It was bliss.

One of the best things about living on this beach was the way the sunset was just a little different every single day. Tonight, the sky was the palest pink, a soft baby blanket dotted with fluffy clouds. It was a lullaby sky that could soothe me into believing that everything was going to be okay.

As Merit popped up on his board and rode a wave all the way to shore, I thought about Bill, about what an athlete he was, how important his physical shape was to him, how disciplined he was in what he loved. Grace’s earlier question seeped into the corners of my mind. But no. Bill was strict and sure, and his moral compass was strongly intact now. As Iris cheered for Merit, I thought about bringing her here, about the situation I had put her in. And that unsettled feeling returned with the echo of Julie’s words: I’m not really sure even Alice knows Alice. But my teeny, tiny doubt about Bill made me wonder: How well did we ever really know anyone?

Alice Eligible Bachelor

I met my second husband, Glen, in the ordinary way: at the eligible bachelor auction to support Juniper Shores Elementary. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t ordinary. I didn’t even want to go to the auction, but it had been nearly two years since Jeremy’s death and, while I wouldn’t say my friends were still rallying around me in quite the same way, they were still conscious of making sure I got out and about. “Come on!” my friend Kate begged. “It will be fun. You don’t have to bid on anyone.”