“I’m okay. We’ve been busy.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “I bought a car. Our house in California sold. And I put in an offer on a house here.”

“Really? That fast, huh?”

“It’s perfect for us, and the kids love it. It’s not really even officially on the market yet, but our agent knew it was coming on and had a feeling it would be the right one. We went to see it a few days ago and offered this morning.”

“Wow.” I adjusted my hat. “Where is it?”

“Not far from here. Outside of town on about two and a half acres. So not a ton of land to manage, but enough for a couple horses and some animals. And it already has a barn.”

“The kids must be happy.”

“They are. They are.” She looked down at her boots. The snow fell slowly and softly around us.

“What about you?” I asked. “Are you happy?”

She smiled at me, but her eyes were glossy with tears. “I’m . . . I’m hopeful about the house. I’m glad my kids are excited. And I’m looking forward to moving out of my parents’ house, as much as I love them. But no, Henry. I’m not happy. I miss you.”

“I miss you too.”

She closed her eyes a second, took a breath. “But I have to put the kids first. And right now, they’re not ready for me to be in a relationship.”

“I understand.” I stared at the ground for a moment, letting the disappointment sink in. “So Whitney was that upset, huh?”

“Yes. A lot of it is my fault. The night she asked if we were dating, I could tell she was troubled by the idea of it. I could have spoken to her about it right then, been more open with her, but instead I lied to her to avoid a difficult conversation.” She shrugged and smiled sadly, a tear slipping down one cheek. “I didn’t want to face that what I was doing was wrong, because it felt too good. I was selfish.”

“That’s not being selfish, Sylvia. And you weren’t doing anything wrong.”

It was obvious she didn’t believe me. “Anyway, seeing us dancing and kissing made all her fears real, and she was very angry with me. She told me I was just like Brett.”

“You’re not,” I said firmly. “You know you’re not.”

She shook her head, fresh tears forming. “It doesn’t matter what the truth is, Henry. Her feelings are real. And scary. And she’s . . . she’s struggling to trust people right now.”