“Having you was the most exciting thing that happened to me. And I didn’t see it changing my life. Your dad and I decided New York could wait. And then Grandpa had a heart attack, and Uncle Nate came home. We all helped in the café so that Grandpa didn’t have to, and that was fine. I used to bring you to the café and you’d sit—”

“With Grandma, I remember.”

“Yes. Or any number of my friends from town. Mary-Lou. Rosa. Whenever I needed help, there was someone I could turn to. Life was easy here. Did I occasionally think about New York City, and how it might have felt to stride down Fifth Avenue with my heels tapping, wear a smart suit and maybe work in a fancy glass office with a view of the Empire State Building? Yes, I thought about it. I even interviewed for a job.”

Eden’s face changed. “I—you went to Manhattan? When? How old was I?”

“You would have been eighteen months old. I saw a job advertised—an entry-level position in a big creative agency. I didn’t even want to apply, but Nate insisted. He knew that living in New York was my dream. He wanted me to have my dream. He said he’d handle the café. Your grandparents took care of you for a few nights, Nate covered the café and Greg and I flew to New York. We stayed in a fancy hotel, we went to a show and had a romantic dinner in one of those restaurants that have a view of the city. And the next morning I wore my high heels, brand new, and a smart suit, also brand new, and I took a cab to the company offices on Seventh Avenue and I was interviewed in a glass office, so high in the building I felt as if I was looking down on the world. I’d never felt anything like it, the excitement and adrenaline.”

“But you didn’t get the job. I’m sorry, Mom.”

“What makes you think I didn’t get the job?”

Eden frowned. “Because we never lived in New York. You never worked there.”

“That’s right, we didn’t. I didn’t. But not because I didn’t get the job. They offered me the job right there and then, along with more money than I’d ever seen, although of course this was Manhattan so between accommodation and childcare the money would have been eaten up in a New York minute.”

“They offered you the job?” Eden looked confused. “So what happened?”

“I turned it down.”

“You—Mom?”