“Want to talk about it?” her roommate asked.

  “Not really.” Luna got up, brushed her teeth, put on her pajamas, and crawled into bed.

  The next morning, she phoned the professor who taught the class she and Brendan were in and explained she had gotten food poisoning over the weekend and wouldn’t be attending his lecture. He gave her the assignment and told her to “feel better.” As if . . .

  Two days later, she knew she had to show her face, but decided to sit in the back row instead of her usual seat next to Brendan. There were almost two hundred students in the large room, and she was comfortable sitting behind all of them. She saw Brendan crane his neck and look in her direction, but she pretended not to notice. The minute the bell rang, she was out the door like lightning. She heard him calling her name and moved as fast as possible to get to her next class. The one he wasn’t in. She was grateful they only shared one class this semester. It made it much easier for her to avoid him. He texted her a few times, but she kept replying with, Please leave me alone. Finally, he did.

  Christmas break was only a few weeks away, and it was a good opportunity for Luna to regroup. The last day, she finally reached out to him. She texted, Enjoy the holiday. He replied, You too.

  Once she was home with her family, she began to feel more like herself. Her brother was in the Air Force and planned on coming home for a few days. Luna knew it would be the elixir she needed before she returned to school in the new year.

  After several hilarious conversations with her brother, she realized how uplifted she felt. Then it hit her like a brick. It was the endorphins. Laughter triggers endorphins. Endorphins cause the levels of cortisol to go down, and cortisol is considered a “stress hormone.” It made perfect sense. All the laughter she experienced with Brendan gave her surges of endorphins. No wonder she felt so good when she was around him and was so devastated at the thought of losing him. Laughter was the best medicine, and she vowed to include it in her daily routine and never again let one person ruin her mood, her day, or her life. At the very least, she would try.

  * * *

  Luna snapped to attention when Wylie rested his head on her knee. She was in the exact same position she’d fallen into that fateful night, with her head cradled in her arms on her desk. Had she been dreaming? Was she reliving her past, channeling those same emotions? It was a flashback that felt all too real. It was as if she’d stepped into another realm. A fugue state. A different dimension. The dried tears on her face confirmed it. What was going on? She hoped it was hormones. It was loony, even for her. She leaned over and placed her head on top of Wylie’s. “What is wrong with me, pal?” He bumped her chin lightly with his nose. “Nothing? You mean I’m normal?” Wylie cocked his head. “Okay, not normal-normal.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank goodness you understand me.”

  She looked at the clock. It was past midnight. “Come on, buddy. Time for your last visit to the doggie bathroom.” She walked to the kitchen and let him out to run around the fenced-in yard one more time before they both hit the sheets. She made a cup of herbal tea, let him back in, and gave him a treat. “This is literally a midnight snack, pal.” He looked up at her with his big brown eyes. He knew. Dogs knew. They were often smarter than people.

  Luna tossed and turned all night. She was drawing similarities between the way her relationship had developed with Chris and with Brendan. They were friends first. Pals. Was there something ominous in the phone call earlier? What was on Chris’s mind? She hadn’t seen him for almost three weeks. Was the impending conversation going to be a repeat of Brendan’s rejection of her love and affection? Chris hadn’t said “love you” when they hung up after the call. Why not? Did she say it to him? No. Had he said it before? Yes. But how long had it been?

  Luna could read people like a book. Except when it came to her own romantic relationships. She presumed the universe wanted her to learn lessons in life, particularly her own. And if you don’t learn it the first time, you were likely to repeat it. One lesson she had to constantly remind herself of was that love came in all shapes and sizes and, at its root, it was pure. It should not come with restraints or conditions. She recalled the Richard Bach platitude about setting something free if you love it—but who has that kind of power, anyway? She thought again. It was about releasing and letting go. But one could only do that in one’s own mind. One thing was certain: love could be very painful, and right now, she was suffering the pain of losing a friend. She’d lost him once to another love, then ultimately released her pain. But this feeling was something entirely different and much, much sadder.

  Her thoughts returned to Chris. Intellectually, she knew her relationship with Chris was solid. It was her emotional insecurity that was speaking much too loudly.

  Luna kept punching the pillow, trying to find a comfortable position. It was impossible. Her brain was in overdrive. Wylie was at the foot of the bed, eyeing her every move. “I know, I know. Sorry, pal. My mind is not cooperating.”

  She flung herself back against the pile of pillows and remembered how she and Brendan had reconciled their friendship. They hadn’t been in another class together during the final semester, so she saw very little of him. Several weeks before graduation, Brendan sent her a text congratulating her on her award for her extracurricular work with underprivileged children. When she read the text, she realized her heart no longer felt heavy. She still loved him, but the emotion had morphed into fondness. She replied with her thanks and wished him all the best in his future endeavors.

  She wasn’t surprised when he told her he was moving to Minnesota. He and Eileen were getting married. Again, she wished him “all the best,” and she meant it. They vowed to keep in touch, but she figured he wouldn’t. Much to her surprise, he did. For the next fifteen years, he sent her birthday wishes, and she did the same; occasionally, they checked in with each other about world events.

  During the pandemic, he reached out to her to see if she was okay, which began a weekly banter of one-liners from Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. She could finally share laughter with her old friend again. But then several months passed with no contact. It was also odd that he hadn’t responded to any of her emails. She thought perhaps Eileen was jealous and had put a stop to the communication, but Luna decided she was going to make one more attempt to reach out once she got past the event at the center and the weekend ahead.

  Chapter Eight

  Thursday Morning

  Law Offices of Evan Houston, Esq.

  And So It Begins . . .

  Lucinda sat in the reception area, sending dagger looks at everyone who walked into the office. She was fuming, and she didn’t care who knew or what they thought. It wasn’t as if people had any right to judge her or her situation. Most people waiting in a lawyer’s office were probably there because there was a problem. Evan dealt with family law, so there was a good chance every person in the office had something major going on in their lives. But Lucinda was self-centered. Whatever their problems were didn’t matter to her. The only thing that mattered was how this situation was going to affect her plans. She was ready for a battle, especially after she heard Chris’s voicemail informing her Monica was going to call to set up an appointment. She kept checking her watch, anticipating Chris would be late due to his job. His job. Everything had to do with his job.

  Chris walked in exactly on time and was totally prepared for her ire. What did she expect? That she could take his kid halfway across the country without a fight? Did she not know him after all this time? Chris was an easygoing guy when it came to many things, but not when it came to his job or his son.

  “Lucinda,” Chris greeted her. She ignored him and turned her back. “Great,” he muttered. He caught the eye of another man sitting across the room. The man gave Chris a sympathetic look. The brotherhood of divorced men, especially those dealing with an angry ex-wife. Chris had paid his dues to this particular club. He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his legs. He was ready for a fight.

  Chris spotted Monica walking in his direction. She told them Evan was ready and then escorted Lucinda and Chris into Evan’s office. As Chris rose from his chair, the man sitting across the room gave him a thumbs-up. Chris nodded and smiled. Then he chuckled to himself, thinking there should be some kind of secret handshake among this club of exes.

  Monica opened the door to Evan’s office. “I’ll be at my desk if you need me.” She turned and left.

  Evan stood as the two entered the room. “Lucinda,” he said cordially. She nodded but said nothing, sat, placed her purse on her lap, and waited. “Chris.” The men shook hands. It wasn’t a secret handshake, but it might as well have been. Evan was going to win this case for his friend.

  Evan began. “I understand you have plans to move out of state,” he said to Lucinda.

  “Yes, I do.” A curt answer.

  “When is this going to take place?”

  “In six months.” Another curt answer.

  Evan pushed ahead. “Do you have an exact date?”

  “Not yet.”

  “When do you think you will know?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “And is it your intention to take Carter with you?”

  “I’m his mother.”

  “True. But as of now, you have joint custody, and you need to get a court order to take him out of state.”

  “Not if Chris will agree to it. I don’t understand why we have to go through all of this.”

  “Because you . . .” Chris’s voice trailed off. He wanted to say, “Because you can’t be trusted,” but stopped short. No point in starting an argument on top of a disagreement.

  Lucinda shot him a nasty look. “Because I what?” Her voice was shrill.

  “Nothing.” He leaned back in his chair, letting Evan take the wheel.

  “Lucinda, you have to understand that you signed a legal document regarding custody. If you take Carter out of state, you could be charged with kidnapping.”

  “That is ridiculous!” This time a louder shrill.

  “No, it’s the law.” Evan paused to give her time to digest what the ramifications of such an action would be.

  “I would not be kidnapping my son. He’s my son.” Lucinda spat out the words.

  Chris couldn’t hold back any longer. “He is our son. Plural. Yours and mine.”

  She folded her arms and looked away.

  Evan was quite familiar with situations like this one. Everyone thought they were right, and the other person was wrong.

  “You are going to need a court order, Lucinda. That’s all there is to it.”

  “We’ll just see about that.” With that, she got up and stormed out of the office.

  Chris looked up at Evan. “Now what?”

  “Now we file for full custody. She has been put on notice that she simply cannot do what she wants.”

  Chris smirked. “That’ll be a first. She is not going to take it well.”

  “Not your problem. She can have all the tantrums she wants, but unless a judge decrees that she can move Carter out of state, she doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”

  “But what if she just packs him up and leaves?”

  “Chris. Are you forgetting you are a U.S. Marshal? Kidnapping is your area of jurisdiction.”

  Chris laughed for the first time. “That woman makes me nuts, although I doubt they would let me take the case. Conflict of interest.” He paused. “But did you know that there are over 875,000 abductions every year? And ninety percent are family members, sixty percent of which are women.”

  “Interesting stats, but I doubt she’ll become one of them. Do you think Carter would go willingly without telling you?”

  “I would hope not.”

  “Good. When do you plan on speaking with him?”

  “He has practice on Thursday, and I’ll be there coaching. Then we usually go to Jack’s Bar-B-Que. Sometimes one or two of his friends will join us.”

  “Good. Glad to hear you have a lot of interaction with Carter and his friends. Does Bruce?”

  “Who?” Chris joked.

  Evan chuckled. “Keep everything on a routine schedule, so Carter doesn’t feel any disruption.” Evan checked his notes. “We don’t want him to start to experience anxiety over this. I’m not saying he won’t, because he probably will, but maintaining a sense of normalcy will help. If they plan on leaving in six months, that will put the date sometime after the school year begins. Is she aware of how unsettling that can be?”

  Chris huffed. “Is she aware of anything other than herself? You know her as well as I do.”

  Evan nodded. “I’m acting as your lawyer now. She will be her own worst enemy if she continues to be combative. I was relieved you controlled your emotions. The two main things we need to focus on are winning over the psychologist and winning over the judge. As I mentioned the other night, keep a journal of everything pertaining to Carter: how much time you spend with him, homework, baseball, anything and everything. Evidence of your ability to parent him singularly will be key.”

  “Understood. So, what’s next?”

  “Monica should have the paperwork ready.” He picked up the phone and buzzed her. “Do you have the papers for Mr. Gaines?” There was a pause as he listened and then said, “Great. Thanks.”

  A few minutes later, Monica appeared with a file. She sat in the chair that had been occupied earlier by Lucinda. The top of the form said MODIFICATION OF CUSTODY AGREEMENT. Chris looked it over. “Do you want me to fill this out now?”

  “The sooner, the better. It’s going to take some time to get all our ducks in a row. Once the initial paperwork is filed, then we can get a court-appointed psychiatrist or psychologist so there will be no issues with favoritism.”

  Chris went to work on the forms. “What should I put down for the ‘AS OF’ date?”

  “I suggest September first. That will keep Carter in the same school district.”

  “Do you think this will be resolved in the next few months?”

  “That, I cannot guarantee. But often, when a parent is attempting to violate an agreement, the court gives the case priority treatment. Remember, we’re heading into the summer, and people take vacations.”

  “Speaking of vacations, I wanted to take Carter to the Grand Canyon, but I doubt Lucinda will go for that, especially if I’m filing for full custody.”

  “Correct. Keep things local and uncomplicated.”

  Gaines let out a huge sigh. “Plus, with the new job, I may not be able to get much time off.”

  “Don’t let anyone hear you say that. Your stance is that you are available to your son twenty-four-seven.”

  “Roger that.” Chris completed the forms and handed them back to Monica. “Thanks.”

  Chapter Nine

  Stillwell Center

  Thursday

  The Big Event

  Ellie, Luna, and Chi-Chi were accustomed to putting events together, but those were their own events, not someone else’s. Still, so far, things were going along as planned. Ellie made sure via social media that people were informed the center would be closed to the public on Thursday beginning at six p.m. for a private function.

  Ellie had always considered renting out the space for private occasions, but there was already enough going on all the time. Adding more tasks to the existing workload might put everyone over the top, especially her. But this was an emergency. She remembered when she was in college, many years ago, when a prom or a dance was on the calendar. You spent weeks getting ready. The dress. The shoes. The accessories. Testing various hairstyles. What kind of corsage? Did they still do that, she wondered? Corsages? Today, many went to the events solo, or with a friend. Having a date was not the norm anymore, much to the relief of many. No pressure. Just get yourself dolled up and have a good time with your friends.

  Ellie was the first one at the center that morning, with Ziggy and Marley in tow. She opened the large patio doors and let them run to the doggie park. Alex would be along shortly to take care of any messes they might create.

  Luna was the next to arrive with Wylie, who immediately headed for the patio to see his buddies. She fired up the coffee machine and walked to The Flakey Tart to meet up with Heidi Dugan. Heidi prepared orders of scones and croissants for The Namaste Café, and Luna sold them. Luna had a placard next to the basket stating where the baked goods came from, hoping to prompt people to buy more. It was that type of camaraderie that made the center extra special, in addition to the unique art and specialties it offered.

  Luna always added four extra scones to her order, for Chi-Chi, Cullen, Ellie, and herself. It had become part of their morning ritual. The three women would meet at Luna’s while Cullen was banished to his workshop. He didn’t mind one bit. He’d rather be whittling at something or replacing hinges.

  Ellie gave Luna a look of concern. “Are you alright, dear? You look a bit weary.”

  “Not enough sleep.”

  Chi-Chi floated in like a colorful sunrise, her hair wrapped in a matching scarf that secured the braids down her back. She pulled out a chair and plopped herself down, a very un-Chi-Chi-like move.

  “Whoa. What’s up?” Luna asked.

  “My brother. He is coming to town this weekend.”

  Everyone groaned at the same time. Just the mention of his name conjured thoughts of him with Jennine May. “She is going to be all over you,” Luna said.

  “I know,” Chi-Chi moaned. Then she sat up straight. “I have a wonderful idea. I will tell her Abeo is coming, and would she have dinner with him on Saturday.”

  “Well, that would get him out of your hair.”

  “And we have dinner plans, do we not?” Chi-Chi reminded Luna.

  “True. I thought you would invite him to join us,” Luna said evenly.

  “Oh, please. I am certain Jennine would be a better option.” Chi-Chi sipped her coffee and eyed the other women over her cup.

  Luna burst out laughing. “I couldn’t agree more!”