“Me! Mine!” Leo’s voice drifted into the mix and then Nick was on the line. “Hey.” The word was infused with wariness.

“Hi.” The distance between them seemed so much farther than the actual two and a half miles separating them.

“Lucy’s saying it’s yellow day at school, but I thought it was next week. Can you check for me?”

“Wear a color” days at school were the bane of their lives, especially yellow and orange. Neither color suited the girls so there was little in their closet to use as an emergency backup when they forgot.

Libby read the note on the fridge. “Oh hell, she’s right.” Her mind raced, canvassing various options like dropping a scarf at school so Lucy could tie it around her waist, but Nick was already saying, “I’ll drop the littlies at daycare and then take Lucy to Target before school. I might just buy a polo shirt in every possible color so we’re not caught short again.”

“Good idea. Did the girls sleep okay?”

“The girls and Leo slept like logs. I was the one left staring at the deckhead half the night.”

His criticism of her was clear, but she refused to apologize. They had an agreement and he’d tried to change the rules without warning. “Hopefully, you’ll sleep better tonight.”

“I have to go or Lucy will be late for school.”

The line went dead. Libby felt like the bricks were back, stacking up fast between them.

Despite a busy clinic, she hadn’t been able to shift the feeling all day. She’d half-listened to the abusive message from Jess before deleting it and she’d been checking the email account each hour, but there’d been no new messages since Jess’s reply to Nick seeking more information.

Had Jess finally tracked down Nick’s new number? If she had, surely Nick would have told her? A dormant doubt niggled and her fingers itched to call him and ask, but instead she texted, Can you bring chai latte in thirty?

As she completed a standard insurance medical report for Felicity Longmuir, the words of their counselors, Teresa and Chris, came back to her: Do you commit to revisiting this when you’re stronger as a couple? The “this” being Leo.

Right up until the previous evening, Libby was convinced they were strong again—stronger than they’d ever been. But that didn’t mean she was anywhere near ready to deal with that child beyond knowing he existed and keeping her side of the agreement that Nick spend time with him once a week. This time, she wasn’t waiting for the cement to dry on the wall between them before seeking help. Even though it involved babysitting and a trip to Melbourne, she booked an emergency session for them to meet with Teresa and Chris.