A black Anthropologie dress with tights and matching jewelry. Walking boots, a knitted sweater, and sports socks. Makeup bag, phone charger. A scarf. Helen went through the contents of her suitcase and ticked the items off her list. Then checked that the lids of her shampoo and conditioner were properly fastened before packing them in separate bags for safety’s sake. Hotel toiletries were all very well, but if she didn’t use her own shampoo, she would look like she’d been electrocuted or was wearing a party wig. In a drawer, she found a lace lingerie set that still had the price tag on it, snipped off the label, then laid the underwear in her case. On top of it, she laid an extra cardigan and a woolly hat. She probably wouldn’t need them, but it was fall and the English coast could get very windy.

Werner walked into the bedroom. He was already wearing his coat. “Hey, we’re only going for two nights!”

She smiled apologetically. “I know.”

“What do you think—should we get going?”

“Good idea.” She zipped up her case.

Werner picked it up and walked back down the hall. She watched him from where she was kneeling, her hands on her thighs. Last night, she had crept into the house and headed straight to the bedroom. Sara and her friends had still been in the living room, laughing and chattering. Once in bed, she had sent her daughter a message saying she was back and that she didn’t want to disturb them. Luckily, she had fallen asleep before Werner got home. He hadn’t seen her tear-stained eyes, was oblivious to all her emotions.

What she had done last night was wrong. And unbelievably stupid. It had been a date, plain and simple, and it could so easily have gotten out of hand. Lex’s mother had been right in her assertion that there was no such thing as a platonic friendship between a man and a woman because one of the two always wanted more. In this case, it was even worse: both of them wanted more. That made everything a thousand times more complicated. She resolved to keep Lex at arm’s length from now on.

Helen entered Sara’s room. Jackie and Naomi were sprawled on the air mattress, fast asleep. She tiptoed around them and squatted down next to Sara. “Honey, your father and I are leaving now.”

Sara rolled over drowsily. “What about Grandma and Grandpa?”

“They’re coming this afternoon. Sophie’s father will bring Emma home soon, and Thom will be back as soon as he wakes up.”

Sara held out her arms toward her. “I’ll miss you.”

Helen gave her daughter a hug. “I’ll miss you too,” she whispered. “But we’ll be back on Tuesday night.”