Catching Annie under the arms, I pick her up and hold her face close to mine. “I’m sorry, but you’re just not old enough. I’ll stay with you tomorrow, and Rusty will keep us up to date by hook or by crook.”

As she rolls her eyes with theatrical exaggeration, female voices drift down the stairs. A few seconds later, Mia and my mother walk into the den together.

“Well,” Mom says to Annie, “have you had any more little episodes like you did this morning?”

Annie’s cheeks turn apple red. “I wouldn’t have had any episode if you and Daddy had taken me to court with you.”

“Oh, now, come on.” Mom reaches out and pulls Annie to her. “Let’s go in the kitchen and get some ice cream. Your father’s had a monopoly on you long enough.”

As they head into the kitchen, I give Mia a questioning glance. “Didn’t she go visit Dad earlier?”

“She did.”

“Usually she comes back feeling low.”

Mia shrugs. “I perked her up a little.”

“How did you manage that?”

“Mad skills.” She gives me a self-deprecating smile.

Two years ago, Mia and I went through a series of events that rocked the whole town. People lost their lives, and reputations were damaged beyond repair. Mia Burke forever changed my view of high school girls, and with that change came a melancholy realization that my own daughter will likely lose her innocence sooner than I hope, and probably in ways I could never foresee.

Mia walks over to the sofa against the wall and tucks her legs beneath her. She’s left room for me, but I sit in the chair opposite the TV.

“Are you holding up okay?” she asks.

“It’s harder than I thought it would be.”

She looks over toward the kitchen door. “Can I ask you something about Caitlin?”

“Sure.”

Almost inaudibly, she says, “Is it true that she was pregnant when she died?”

Why is she asking me this now? “Yes. How did you know that?”

“It was in a story I read in a Jackson paper. About the autopsy report.”

I nod in silence.

“Your mom just mentioned it to me, though. A few minutes ago.”

This surprises me. “Really?”

Mia nods, her eyes still on the kitchen door. “Did Annie ever find out?”

“Not so far, thank God.”

“Okay. So . . . your mother also told me your father’s not handling this very well. That he’s pulled inside himself. That he’s not telling you guys anything. Only Quentin.”

“I’m surprised Mom told you that much. By her law, nothing is ever mentioned outside the family circle.”

Mia’s eyes flicker with something I can’t interpret. “Maybe I’m inside the circle now. How much faith do you have in Quentin?”

“It comes and goes.”

“Options?”

“Annie thinks I need to be defending Dad.”

“From the mouths of babes—”

“Comes baby talk.”