“And I don’t want to forbid it or tell her it looks ridiculous, because that’s what her dad does. She’s not even allowed to wear makeup at his house.”

“Dickhead,” my sister muttered. “As if lipstick and eyeliner are more inappropriate than his pregnant girlfriend?”

“Exactly.” I slowly spun my wineglass around by the stem. “I want to be understanding of her age and what she’s going through, but also still a responsible parent. Like, what’s the balance?”

“Beats me.” Her expression was sympathetic. “You’re in a tough spot there, hon. I’m sorry. What about Keaton?”

I sipped my pinot noir. “Keaton’s coping mechanism is food. He’s been sneaking it.”

“Oh, no. Have you talked to him?”

“A little. But I don’t want to punish him, you know? I just sort of keep trying to encourage him to talk to me if he wants to.”

“He seems happy about the move.”

I nodded. “They both claim to be good with it. They’ve always loved our summer visits here, and Whit is already asking if they can have a horse. It also helps that Mack’s daughter Millie is about the same age as Whitney. They hung out a lot when we were here for the wedding, and they text all the time. Keaton seems to get along well with his daughter Felicity too—she’s kind of a science geek like he is, I guess.”

“That’s all good stuff.”

“Still . . .” I set my glass on the table. “There’s no way being deserted by their father isn’t going to cause lasting damage, and I worry it’s more than I can handle. He didn’t fight me on full custody, he didn’t fight me on this move, and I had to talk him into letting them come stay with him the second half of their winter vacation. He thought a weekend would be plenty.”

April gasped. “What a jerk! Do the kids know that?”

“No, and I hated covering for him. But what was the alternative? Let him crush my children’s feelings the way he crushed mine?”

She reached across the table and put a hand on mine. “You’re doing the right thing, even though he doesn’t deserve it. When do they go back to see him?”

“A week from today—the twenty-ninth. Then they’re back here on the fifth, the day before school starts.”

“And you’re going to stay at the house with Mom and Dad for a while?”

I nodded. “Until I find something to buy, but I probably have to wait for the Santa Barbara house to sell first. Brett practically emptied our joint accounts, so I don’t have a ton of extra cash lying around, and I’d rather die than ask him for money.”

“Mom and Dad would help you out, wouldn’t they?”