“You were even cuter. You were so cute and innocent, and Leo just didn’t want to ruin your life.”

Lily shut her eyes. “I didn’t mean what I said, Joey. It’s Mom’s fault and Dad’s fault and Rand’s fault. None of this is your or Leo’s fault.”

“Thanks for saying that. And Lil? Rand can be your plus-one.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance. “Thanks,” said Lily. “I told Dad I invited him.”

“You called Dad?”

“No, he called me five million times.”

“He called me too. I haven’t answered yet.”

“Well, I did. I told him I wasn’t coming home. I told him I moved in with you.”

Joey smiled and inwardly cringed.

“He said Mom left.”

“She did?”

“Yeah. He said they need space to figure things out. That he understood why I’d want to meet Rand.”

“Wow. Okay.” Joey watched a column of rain far out over the sea.

“Joey.” Lily rested her wet, sandy head on Joey’s shoulder. “Do you think Dad loves me less than you? You know, because you’re really his?”

Joey swallowed hard. “No. I really, really don’t, Lil.”

“But…I don’t have his blood. I’m the daughter of the man…the man his wife was having an affair with.”

“Dad loves you so much. He always has. And he’s known from the start that you weren’t his.” Joey felt her sister shake. “It’s okay to cry, Lil.”

For a few minutes, her sister wept quietly on her shoulder.

“Joey,” said Lily after a while.

“Yeah?”

“Do we hate Dad?”

“Oh, Lil. I think we want to hate Dad. But no. We don’t hate him.”

“Do we hate Mom then? We must hate Mom! I hate her! I really do!”

Joey pressed her hand against her sister’s cheek. It was wet and soft. Joey wanted skin that soft again. “Take it from your big sister. I’ve only had a week of it, but it’s a lot of work to hate.”

“I hate them,” shouted Lily. “I haaaaaaate them!”

Her little admirer ran up to them from the shore. “My mom says you’re not s’posed to hate.” Her eyes bobbed between them. “Got it?” She darted back to her shovel.

Joey giggled. “PSA, Lil. You’re not s’posed to hate. A message from your three-year-old self.”

Lily shoved her sunglasses up over her hair, unveiling splotchy red cheeks. “Did you resent me a little, Jo? After you found out the secret?”

Joey felt her sister’s heartbeat against her arm. It was such an un-Lily-like question. “I guess I did a little,” she finally said. “I’m really sorry, Lil. It just came as such a shock. None of it was your fault, but I realized it had changed my whole life. Leo broke up with me, and we stopped going to Corfu, and—”