“Apparently, April is looking for some help with event planning. Coco and I used to run an event planning business in Detroit together, and she took it over and ran it on her own before they moved up here. She’s a total pro. She’s only looking for part-time work, but when Chloe called and asked if I knew anyone, I thought of her right away.”

“Sounds perfect,” I said as we entered the kitchen, a large airy space full of natural stone and wood.

Lucas stood at the marble-topped island chopping carrots, but when he saw me, he put down the knife and came forward to shake my hand. “Hey, stranger. How are you?”

“Good.”

“Thanks for coming. Can I get you something to drink? Beer? Glass of wine? Cocktail?” Lucas spoke perfect English, but still retained the slight accent of someone who’d grown up speaking two languages.

“Wine’s good.”

Mia reached for the knife. “Why don’t you guys open a bottle, pour me a glass, and go sit in the library? I can handle things in here for a bit.”

Lucas looked at me and wrapped an arm around his wife, getting her in a headlock. “She’s trying to get rid of me. I’m probably not chopping the carrots to her precise specifications.”

“Stop it,” Mia protested, laughing and swatting at his arm. “I’m not trying to get rid of you. I just know you guys haven’t seen each other in a while.”

Lucas kissed the top of her head and let her go. “Thanks, love.” To me, he said, “I’ve got a bottle of Burgundy I’ve been dying to open.”

“Perfect,” I said, tamping down another jolt of jealousy at the easy affection Lucas enjoyed with his wife. Had Renee and I ever had that? If so, I couldn’t remember.

In the library, Lucas and I sat in leather chairs drinking Burgundy and discussing last season’s harvest and what we thought we might see this winter.

Eventually, the other guests arrived, and we moved into the kitchen, everyone pitching in with the meal preparations, and then into the dining room, turning the kitchen over to the kids for eating.

Coco and Nick had four kids—three dark-haired, dark-eyed, school-age boys and one tiny, doe-eyed girl still unsteady on her feet. She stumbled once on the stone floor, and Nick picked her up and hugged her close, drying her tears.