But Libby had been determined to be friends. At first it was Libby’s physical generosity Jess found attractive, but it was her emotional generosity that tempted Jess to let her in. It opened her to a form of friendship she’d never known before and she cautiously gave some of herself, waiting for it to come back to bite her. It didn’t. It was a shock to realize that being open actually made her feel better about herself. For the first time in her life, she’d thought beyond herself. She’d been generous and giving in her friendships with Libby and Will, caring for them both and going the extra mile every time.

And now, after years of them happily accepting her love, support and loyalty, they said it counted for nothing?

What the hell did people expect from her?

Chapter Sixteen

August

Karen scanned the park, wondering if Jess would show up as arranged. According to Libby, getting to this point had been rocky.

“The bitch isn’t happy about it,” Libby had said when she’d outlined the terms and conditions of Karen’s offer to be Leo’s conduit.

Karen flinched. “Sweetheart, don’t you think that term demeans you?”

“If you knew the BS that woman’s been pulling over the last few weeks, you’d be calling her a bitch too! She’s leaving vitriolic voicemails at 2:00 a.m. Her emails are horrible. You won’t believe this, but she thinks she should be able to drop him off at Burrunan!”

Of course Jess was railing at having all the access arrangements for her son taken out of her hands. If Libby was in a similar situation, she’d be fighting tooth and nail too, but the red haze of her daughter’s anger clouded everything.

“What if Jess dropped Leo off at Pelican House?” Karen suggested, looking for a work-around that might diminish Jess’s blocking behavior without raising Libby’s hackles.

“No. Nick and I agreed it has to be somewhere neutral. The park works because if it’s wet, the library’s next door. Not that she agrees. When we wouldn’t budge on the drop-off, she started trying to change the day and time.”

“Sometimes things come up.”

“Mom! We’ve talked about this. She doesn’t get to set the boundaries. The only reason she’s trying to change everything is because she wants access to Nick. That’s never going to happen. She’s deluded if she thinks she can be part of the visit and play happy families.”

“Darling, I’m sure if Jess felt more involved she’d be less antagonistic. Perhaps if you compromised on some of the arrangements, things would be a lot less fraught for all of you.”

Libby’s eyes flashed. “Whose side are you on? You know I’ve made the biggest compromise in allowing the access visits.”