She felt a familiar pinch of regret, one that had haunted her all of Julie’s life. How different everything would have been if Jace had survived. Would he have been calm and compassionate, like Papa? Fierce and protective? Loving and affectionate? Camille didn’t know how he might have dealt with a teenager, though in her mind, he did a spectacular job.

Could he have protected Julie from falling victim to bullies? Was there something Camille could have done? She felt horrible, knowing her precious daughter left the house each day to enter a lion’s den at school. The thing about being a parent was that there were a million ways to go wrong. Camille sometimes felt as if she were driving in the dark, only able to see as far as the beam of the headlights. She never knew what lay ahead until it was staring her in the face.

At six o’clock the next morning, she met Drake at the portside park in town, wanting to catch him before he went on his daily run. The portside featured running and bike paths, playgrounds, shade trees, water views, and a decent chance of a private conversation. In a town the size of Bethany Bay, that could be tricky. He arrived with two coffees on a tray from Brew-La-La, and a smile on his face.

She hadn’t told him the reason she wanted to meet.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.”

“I can’t believe another school year is over. Man, the days just fly by.” They took a seat on a bench overlooking the marina. He handed her a coffee—vanilla flat white, just the way she liked it.

She wondered if the year had flown by for Julie. More likely, the days had seemed endless.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Best coffee in town.”

She nodded, savoring the first lovely sip and wishing she felt the same spark of attraction he claimed to feel. One reason she had tried so hard to make things work with Drake was that he seemed like a great dad—high school principal, basketball coach, dog owner. She’d even fantasized, when they first got together, that their girls would be best friends.

“Thanks for meeting me,” she said.

He turned to her and looked intently into her eyes. “I miss you.”

“Drake—”

“I know, Camille. I just wanted to get that out of the way.”

The statement made her unbelievably sad. She didn’t miss him. Maybe she missed the sense of hope and possibility she had when they’d first started dating. “Drake, I’d give anything to not be having this conversation. Julie’s been bullied at school, and the school failed to protect her. And Vanessa seems to be the ringleader.” The words came out in a rush, she was so eager to get this over with.

“Whoa,” he said, scooting back on the bench. “Hang on a second. Where are you getting your information?”

“You should have seen the way Julie looked when she came home from school yesterday.”

He was quiet for a moment. Then he took out his phone and brought up a picture. “Was it anything like this?”