Daniel grimaced as his shoulders sank. He had thrown away not only the last of Gramps but the chance to deal with something in his life that wasn’t just hidden but eating away at him under the surface.

Why was it so hard to be honest about the book? He encouraged people to open up—hold no secrets—while handing them a book that hid his own. He remembered the prices on the cameras in Simon’s Film Lab. Not “Or Best Offer” but “Whatever Is Needed.” Was that what this was about?

Daniel thought long and hard about the price he would have to pay for the mistake he’d made. Claiming Howard’s manuscript as his own when the bank warned they would close the practice if they couldn’t make their payments had seemed so simple. And the price of omission seemed worth paying if it saved the practice. But then he’d discounted it each time he’d drifted into a lie. When the publisher queried his credentials. When the TV morning show asked about his inspiration. When couples flooded into his practice because of the wisdom on pages he hadn’t written. Edited, yes. Written, no. And the price had sat in the background, compounding with the interest of each lie, waiting to be paid.

A gust of wind buffeted him from the path. He turned for home as the sun broke through a seam in the clouds, spotlighting the price of honesty. His house would go. Unanswered questions spiraled into a numbing dread. What had Simon said to Kelly? She had seen his photos on the wall—she’d even said the camera was special. And what would the impact be on Milly if they separated?

Daniel weighed his options, a tried-and-true reflex. On one side, confessing his secrets, leading to a failed practice, a ruined reputation, and a broken family. On the other, keeping his silence and bearing the regret at severing his last connection to Gramps. The scales dipped down on the side of a broken future. The price was too high.

He looked again over the waters below, the pounding ocean retreating from rocks strewn with seagrass. His pride curled its finger and enticed him down a familiar, well-trodden path. He would draw a line in the sand and deal with this himself.

The control flooded back with the relief. His pace quickened along the path as strategies danced in his head. First his marriage and family. He had agreed to talk with Kelly about speaking to another counselor, and while Kelly wouldn’t see Anna because of a truth she refused to accept, another option would allow him to keep this in-house—Peter. Anna could talk to Milly just as she had already reached out to do.

Confidence surged through him as he placed his hands back on the wheel of his life. He strode along the path, oblivious to the grass whipping his shins.