Flora had never been sure of anyone’s love except her mother’s, and she could barely even remember how that felt now. The yearning was so powerful her insides felt hollowed out. It wasn’t only that she missed her mother, she missed the possibilities and the promise of the life they might have shared, the laughs, the trips, the confidences. She’d missed out on so many special moments.

Half a dozen photos were clustered on the nightstand and without thinking Flora picked one of them up.

“That’s my mother on top of Mount Kilimanjaro,” Izzy said. “She climbed it to raise money for charity.”

Of course she did. “That’s—impressive.”

“She loved a challenge. There was nothing she couldn’t do.” Izzy snatched up another photo, gripping it until her fingers whitened. “This is her crossing the finishing line of the New York Marathon. And here—” she grabbed another one “—this was taken after she’d rowed the Atlantic with five other women. One of the TV stations filmed a documentary on it. It was an insane adventure and a huge achievement. She believed very strongly that it was important to live a meaningful life.” She laid out her mother’s qualities like tiny stones, presumably hoping they’d become stuck in Flora’s feet.

“So impressive.” Flora was out of adjectives. Her vocabulary wasn’t expansive enough to acknowledge Becca’s many qualities with any degree of originality. She was starting to wonder why Jack was with her. She couldn’t row her way out of a bath.

“Do you run, Flora?”

Flora wanted to run now, down the stairs, through the door and back to her underwater apartment. Instead she put the photo back carefully, placing it a safe distance from the edge. It wouldn’t do to drop Becca. “I’ve never run a marathon, but I’ve always wanted to.” She had no idea what made her say it. Pride? The desire to connect with Izzy? An insecure need to demonstrate that there was at least one thing that Becca had done that she could do, too?

Izzy’s eyes narrowed an instant before she gave a sweet smile. “That’s great. We can run together while you’re staying here. I’d love the company.”

Stupid, stupid. How had she allowed herself to be trapped? She wasn’t sure she was capable of running to the end of the street, let alone a decent distance. She’d probably drop dead, which would be a win for Izzy. It might be the only chance Flora had of winning her approval.

“I’d love that, too. Great.”

“It will be fun.”

It would be torture. “I agree.”

“Early mornings are better for me because then Dad is still in the house to watch Molly.” Izzy put the photographs back carefully. “If we leave at 5:00 a.m. we should be back by 6:30.”

“Did you say 5:00 a.m.?”