“Now a photo of all three of you?”

Kelly stepped into the frame, and Daniel squinted through the viewfinder, analyzing all three expressions for clues. His mother smiled broadly, Milly frowned, and Kelly looked past the camera and over his shoulder.

“Let’s at least try to look like a happy family!”

His mother’s smile grew, Milly’s frown etched deeper, and Kelly continued to look over his shoulder, a disinterested boredom building the longer he took. Daniel snuck a look with his free eye. Kelly now smiled at the camera.

Another satisfying clunk. There were no surprises here. This was looking more like a lawsuit every minute.

His mother shuffled toward him. “I have no recent photos of you three!”

Daniel’s grip on the camera tightened as he reached into his pocket. “Take one with my phone, and then I can email it to you.”

Three quizzical faces peered at him, and Kelly spoke for them all. “What’s wrong with the camera you’re holding?”

Warmth from the embarrassment of the knee-jerk reaction that had revealed a little too much crept up his neck. He had no idea why he’d done that. He tried to laugh off their suspicion. “Um, sure.”

Daniel handed the camera to his mother and then stood next to Milly.

His mother became flustered as she held her father’s camera. Tears welled behind her thick glasses. “This is the first time I’ve held this . . .” She wiped away the tears and pushed her glasses to her forehead. “Big smiles, everyone!”

Daniel grinned at the camera before flicking a glance at his daughter. She was smiling. At last.

His mother lowered the camera. “Lovely. When will I get to see these?”

“I’ll be at the film lab later today, so probably tomorrow.” Or never, depending on what Simon did with the film.

“I’ll drop you home, Charlotte.” Kelly reached for her handbag.

Daniel kissed his mother’s cheek in a good-bye and then stood in the foyer as the two women headed for Kelly’s car.

He turned to the kitchen, intent in his step. He had to know, and now he had a chance to find out.

“Hey, Mill, why don’t we have some ice cream?”

He moved to the kitchen as Milly made her wary way onto a tall wicker chair.

Daniel strode to the freezer under the guarded gaze of his daughter. “It’s been a while since we’ve talked.”

“Not a lot of talking goes on here at all, Dad.” She met his gaze.

He passed her a bowl filled way past Kelly’s usual limit of an appropriate amount of ice cream. “How about we trade questions. I’ll ask one, you ask one.”

“Okay.”

“What are you worried about most at the moment?”

Milly scooped ice cream into her mouth. “I’m worried you and Mom will break up.”

“What makes you think we might?”