“Who was it, Dad?” David said.

“It was Brian.”

“What?” David said.

Shawn took a step forward. “What did he say?”

“He’s agreed to meet with David. With us, I guess. He’s available tomorrow. Said he wants you to come to his house. Melissa, you have his address.”

Shawn smiled broadly, his eyes crinkling. “I’ll write the address down for you. I know a shortcut.”

David could hardly believe it. After the messages back and forth with Azure and all the talk of Brian “processing” things, he’d assumed they wouldn’t meet.

“Wow, talk about two birds with one stone,” Nate said. “I mean, two parents with one train trip.”

Courtney touched David on his arm and he looked down at her.

“Sorry, Courtney. Let’s just go out to the car together.”

“Wait, let me get in front of you,” Nate said. When he was outside near the car, he yelled, “Action!”

David shook his head and opened the door and ushered Courtney to the driveway. They stood at the back of the minivan and Courtney tried to see inside.

“No, no, she has to close her eyes and keep them closed until you show her,” Nate said.

“He’s the director,” David said. “Okay, close your eyes. Dad, can you pop the back door?”

The latch clicked open and David reached inside to pull out his present. He looked at Melissa and there was something about her face he couldn’t read. She was crying now and whispered through her tears, “How did you know?”

David shrugged and knelt in front of Courtney. “Keep them closed, Courtney. Before you open them, like I said, I’ve missed a lot of birthdays and I don’t know if you’ll like this or not, but . . .”

Courtney’s knees knocked and she couldn’t contain her smile or her excitement, her body shaking in anticipation.

“I guess you can open them now,” David said.

She took her hands away and opened her eyes. David put the horse on the ground in front her. A big stuffed stallion with a flowing mane. Reese, Nate’s sister, had suggested it because she had loved playing with horses when she was Courtney’s age.

Courtney looked up at David, then at Melissa, and burst into tears. Huge, racking sobs that surprised him and made him think he had done something wrong, something unkind. Melissa knelt on the driveway and hugged her, and David stood and moved back a few steps.

“Didn’t expect that,” Nate whispered. “Maybe you should have gone with the jump rope.”

“It’s okay, honey,” David’s mom said, kneeling beside Courtney and Melissa and trying to comfort the girl.

Shawn came up to David and put an arm around him. He whispered, “She’s been asking us to get her a horse. Did you know that?”

David shrugged. “I had no idea.”

Shawn shook his head. “Best present ever.”

CHAPTER 29