Kelly gave a slight bow. “Thanks. This dress might be old, but it still fits pretty well. Daniel said I’ve got you to thank for suggesting this dinner.” She offered her the platter, rows of charred eggplant and salami and radish creations waiting for admiration as much as tasting. “So what are you two talking about out here?”

Daniel’s eyes rolled skyward. See?

The edges of Kelly’s mouth crinkled into a downward turn at the lack of an instant response, but then Peter barged onto the deck and into the gap where the conversation should have been. “So this is where the party is! Daniel, could I have a look at that camera now?”

“Sure, I think Milly might have it.”

“Where is she?”

Daniel scanned the kitchen for signs of his daughter. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her all afternoon . . .”

His sentence ran out of puff when he realized he was making the same mistake he’d made at her birthday party. “I’ll find her.”

Daniel charged into the house, Peter in tow, leaving Anna and Kelly with a platter and silence between them. He walked into the living room and a wall of soaring operatic strings and plaintive saxophone. No sign of Milly.

He felt a tug at his arm. Jade swayed as she clutched a glass of wine, not her first, and she excused herself from a discussion with Cameron. “You’ve got a wonderful home, Daniel. You deserve to live in a million-dollar house like this.”

Behind Daniel’s embarrassed smile, the buzz of anxiety tickled through him as Jade unknowingly pried open the lid on his financial situation.

Peter leaned into the conversation with a wink. “You’re right about the million-dollar bit!”

Jade laughed. “Well, you deserve it, and I’m grateful for your insight.”

Daniel smiled. “How is your father?”

“Touch and go. But your words last week were perfectly timed. I still don’t know how you noticed.”

Someone had noticed before him. The someone who took Jade’s photo. “It’s what we do at Crossroads, notice when people are struggling and do something about it. Didn’t anyone else see you upset?”

Peter’s face remained stony blank.

Jade furrowed her brow. “No.”

Someone must have. “Are you sure?”

Jade drained her glass. “No. Just you.”

Daniel set his jaw. “I hope your father is feeling better soon. Enjoy the evening.”

He headed toward his study as Peter’s question arrived over his shoulder. “I only knew about it when she told me. How did you know?”

Daniel stuck his head into his study. There was no sign of Milly, but Gramps’s camera sat on his desk, and he handed it to Peter. “Would you mind taking photos of the evening?”

“Sure, happy to.” He wandered back toward the noise.