“Mom, I don’t have my head in the clouds. I started a business over from scratch. A successful business. I’ve almost doubled my savings in the last three years. I’ve picked up and rebuilt in just a few weeks since the break-in. I have valuable relationships.”

The doorbell rang and both Naomi and Mary jumped. The two women froze, eyeing one another.

A flash of guilt crossed Naomi’s face.

“Who’s at the door?” Mary asked suspiciously.

“I asked you to keep an open mind. Please, Mary.”

“Mom. Who. Is. At. The. Door.”

“I’ll get it!” her father yelled as he came up the basement steps, oblivious to the civil war that was breaking out in his own home.

“Mom—”

“Carver!” her father said in surprise at the front door, two rooms over. “What a surprise! Come in!”

“Sorry,” said a familiar voice that made Mary’s stomach plummet. “I didn’t mean for this to be a surprise. Naomi invited me for lunch.”

Mary took her mother by the elbow and dragged her up the second-floor stairs to the room where Mary was staying.

“Carver Reinhardt? Carver Reinhardt? Is this a joke? You invited my high school boyfriend here as a setup?”

“Open mind,” Naomi replied in a voice that was significantly less sure of herself than it had been for the last few minutes.

Maybe that was because Mary was actually letting her fury and outrage show on her face. She was done holding it back. She turned to her overnight bag and began stuffing her belongings back into it.

“What are you doing?” Naomi asked. “You’re packing?”

“I’m leaving. I’m going out the back door, and I’m getting on the train, and I’m going home.”

“Mary, you have a guest! You can’t just—”

“No. You have a guest. And I suddenly understand everything. I see exactly how little you think of me, Mom. How little I matter to you. I’m nothing because I don’t have a man or children. To you, I’ll always be half a person until I have those things.”

“Mary—”

“No. Don’t tell me that I’m wrong. I know I’m right. Otherwise you wouldn’t have invited Carver Reinhardt into my childhood home in some sort of sick setup.”

“Oh, forgive me for setting you up with a handsome, successful man.”