“I hope they come back,” said Touchstone. “It wouldn’t be the same without them.”

“I hope they come back, too,” I said, and I felt a sudden sense of urgency then: to see them, to apologize, to have us put everything back together again. There was some part of me that still believed we were fixable, that we could still be the Triumvirate, if all parties agreed.

“So what’s your plan?” said Touch.

“What do you mean?”

“What do you mean, what do I mean? I can’t believe you haven’t gone full Celia Gilbert on this already. I mean, like, what’s the plan for Ros? They obviously can’t stay here. What are you going to do to convince them to come home with us?”

It was the question I’d been asking myself over and over on the drive home, and then again on the drive back. When I couldn’t sleep last night, I wondered—how could I get them back there? What could I say, what could I do, that would make them change their mind?

Patience, my mother had said.

I took a deep breath.

“Well,” I said, and I said the thing that I’d been dreading. “I think the first thing to do is call Henry.”

“Do you want me to sit with you?”

“Oh my God,” I said. “Please.”

Henry was British. He was also on a beach in Croatia, where, he said, it was difficult to be too bent out of shape about anything.

I wouldn’t say he was thrilled that I’d destroyed the Lily Pad, though I wouldn’t say he was expressly mad, either. He was more upset about his plants than he was the window, and he gave a little cry of “My beauties” when I told him about the ones we’d let die. He told me he’d send me the name of some construction guys he liked; told me to call them, get them out to the house; and keep him in the loop. I told him I wanted to pay for the repairs, and he said the damage was probably out of my price range, but he was sure I’d find a way to make it up to him.

“I stayed at Audrey’s last night,” Touch said, when I hung up with Henry. “She’s got plenty of room. I’m sure you’re welcome there, too.”

“I kind of want to be here,” I said.

“By yourself?” he said. “Are you sure it’s safe?”

“I mean, I think I was the biggest threat to our safety.”

“I know, but what about bats or bears or pumas or—”

“I’ll sleep with a tennis racket by my bed,” I said.

“Maybe a pie tin would be better,” he said.