“And then what?”
“I don’t know. I’m not going to pretend I can decide our whole future in an hour. But I know Liz is coming home tonight, and when she does, you won’t be here.”
“So you’re choosing her over me. Your daughter or your wife.”
“I think your ‘trying’ is doing more harm than good.”
“No. Liz didn’t make this problem. You did. You promised you’d stop, then went after her harder because you thought I wasn’t around to see it.”
She looked at me for a long moment, waiting for me to blink.
I didn’t.
Jenna went upstairs. I heard drawers open and close and a suitcase zipper. When she came back down, her face was blotchy.
“You promised you’d stop,”
She picked up the key card and left without another word.
The door shut.
I put the lemon cookies on the counter, where Liz would see them, and waited.
***
Carol brought her home around seven. Liz climbed out slowly, hugging her elbows. I took her into the living room and closed the door.
She picked up the key card and left without another word.
“Jenna’s staying somewhere else for a while,” I said.
Liz looked at her shoes. “Because of me?”
