Ted pressed his lips together and nodded his head. “Okay,” he said. “Talk to the doctor and see what she says. But I don’t want to start any of this until we have the house back on track. It’s just too much. If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right. Can we wait until the fall?”

“We can wait a few months,” Maja agreed, feeling giddy with renewed hope. She was anxious to get started, but she knew by the time she set up all of the specialists appointments she would need, it wasn’t actually that long to wait.

“Let’s go home,” Maja said, and Ted followed her out of the bar, slipping his hand into hers as they went.

They were in a rough patch right now, Maja thought, but they were going to come out of it. Soon the house construction would be back on track, and the markets would eventually calm down—they always did. And most important, they were going to have another chance at having a baby. It would be expensive, but that was one of the upsides of Ted’s job. It was stressful, and demanding, and it meant that she sometimes had to play second fiddle to his work. But it also meant that they had the resources to weather these storms. She and Ted were in this together, and they were going to be okay.

23

On Tuesday afternoon, Will picked Hunter up after school and they stopped by Wawa for cigarettes and snacks before heading into town to meet June and Rosie. On the way, Will texted Maddie, asking her to come. She hadn’t been at school again today, and she hadn’t answered his text that morning asking how she was doing.

When they showed up at the park, June and Rosie were already there, sitting on a bench and tossing stale bread over the fence to the ducks who waited expectantly along the river’s edge below. June, as always, got straight to the point.

“I heard my parents talking about what happened at the school board meeting,” June said. “I’m sorry about what my mom said to your mom. You know how she is.”

“Your mom kind of threw Trip under the bus,” Will said.

June shrugged. “She only said what’s true. Trip was arrested for dealing pot.”

“You know he wasn’t dealing it,” Will said, surprised at how annoyed he felt. “Besides, you’re always the first person to volunteer me or Trip to buy the booze when you want it. Just tell your mom to leave him out of it, okay?”

“I said I was sorry,” June said.

“What did the police say to you on Friday?” Will asked. “I heard they talked to a couple of kids.”