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Back Where I Left Her Save as PDF
Chapters (47)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. About the Author
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  47. Booklist

Whitney knew what a manipulator looked like. She saw right through Karen from the very beginning. And she’d been right. Karen quit her teaching job right after marrying Dan, confirming Whitney’s gold-digging theory. And as much as Karen doted on Amelia when she and Dan were dating, Dan saw Amelia considerably less once he got married. Not only that, but a year into their marriage, Dan tried to get the amount of his child support lowered. As adamantly as he swore Karen wasn’t the one who’d instigated that, Whitney knew better.

Unsure of how to respond to Amelia and certain she’d end up saying the wrong thing, Whitney kept her lips glued shut. Busying herself, she snatched up a sponge and wiped down the counter.

“I wonder what their kid’ll be like,” Amelia mused aloud. She said it in a nonchalant way, but the words felt charged, alive. “Anyway, I’m just glad I’ll be visiting before the baby comes. Then I’ll have Dad all to myself.”

“I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. Nothing’s been decided.”

“What do you mean?” Amelia cocked her head to the side. “Dad and I talked. He said I could come visit.”

Whitney set down the sponge. “Honey, I’m sorry but I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with you traveling all the way to Amsterdam alone.” It wasn’t just the traveling either. Dan’s parenting style was vastly different than Whitney’s. When Amelia was with him, he let her do things Whitney never would. Amelia wouldn’t be properly looked after. Who knew what kind of trouble she could get into, a naive girl in a foreign country? Dan didn’t know Amelia the way Whitney did. She acted tough. Strong. But she was sheltered. Innocent. Not street-smart at all.

The perfect prey.

Amelia crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t care what you think. I’m going.”

“Excuse me?”

“Dad said you might do this, but you can’t keep me from going.”

“Oh, yes, I can.”

She shook her head. “Nope. Dad said it’s in your divorce agreement. By law I get time with him. He can go to his attorney.”

Was her own daughter threatening her with legal action?

It seemed unfathomable.

As she stared at the teenager standing in the middle of the kitchen, arms crossed, knees locked, eyes narrowed, she realized her own daughter had become a stranger to her.

7

I NEVER HAD a best friend before Millie.

I mean, yeah, sure I had friends. When I was young, I played with the kids my parents’ friends would bring over. And later, I would go to the occasional sleepover. But, usually, I was the girl who got left out, no matter how hard I tried.