He should have. Maggie had listened to his side of the conversation and thought the same. But why was Sam stuck parenting Kate alone? If there was ever a kid who could use two parents, it was Kate. That little kid could use, like, a dozen parents. “I don’t get how you can criticize Sam’s parenting. At least he’s…”

“Parenting?”

“All I’m saying is, there’s such a thing as personal responsibility. Why don’t you—”

“Go get a job? Pursue a career? With my nonexistent college diploma? With my nonexistent high school diploma? With my nonexistent car and money? With the nonexistent support of a nonexistent family?”

“Now who’s the dictionary example? I’d look for you under E for excuses. You have support. If you don’t want it from Sam, you could get it from his dad or even my aunt. Why don’t you see a therapist?”

“Please. Their drugs aren’t any different from mine.” She made a face. “And look who’s talking. Why don’t you?”

“I’m trying to…” What was she trying to do? Hide? Disappear? Erase what had happened? Erase herself? She cleared her throat. “I’m trying to get better on my own.”

“And how’s that working out for you?”

Maggie bristled. “At least I’m trying. You don’t look like you’re trying.” Don’t you want to be a better person? Don’t you want to get your GED, find a job, fight your addictions, whatever they are, and overcome your past? Don’t you want to be a good parent, instead of a crappy one like your own apparently were? Don’t you care about your daughter, how you’re scaring and neglecting her? Maggie struggled to contain these questions, all of them judgments. Linnie wasn’t easy to like. But she wasn’t easy to hate, either. And Linnie was dealing with years of troubles, probably with the kinds of abuse Maggie couldn’t even begin to fathom. What right did she have to judge? She finally just asked, “Don’t you want to get a life?”

“That’s it. That is it precisely.” Linnie fell back against the seat and closed her eyes again. “I’m not sure.”

10

THE NEXT MORNING, when Wren asked what happened the previous night, Maggie just said, “Linnie was stranded. I tracked her down and gave her a lift to her boyfriend’s.” She didn’t want to get into her conversation with Linnie. And she really didn’t want to discuss her near-breakdown.

“That girl…” Wren picked up her coffee cup. “She’s heading straight for disaster.”

“Yeah, well, I think that’s her plan.”

“Oh, man, I could tell you some Linnie stories. Like when she got pregnant … it couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”