My sister kissed my husband in front of thirty people at her own anniversary party and called it a joke. kertati Her husband had a wrapped present in his hands and an envelope she had never opened.

For the first time in years, I stopped worrying about the way she looked at my husband.

Then came their anniversary weekend.

We drove over on Friday afternoon.

Dinner that evening.

A garden party on Saturday.

Thirty people expected.

Family everywhere.

Music.

Children.

Food.

Drinks. kertati

The sort of weekend that was supposed to become one of those family memories people talked about for years.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

That was what I thought.

At dinner, Callan pulled Sasha’s chair out for her.

He did that for everybody.

He was polite like that.

Sasha sat down.

She looked at him.

Then she smiled.

“If I’d met you first,” she said, “I’d have picked differently.”

I had a mouthful of water and nearly choked.

Bram went scarlet.

Callan laughed.

I looked at him.

I waited.

I wanted him to say something that made it clear there was a line.

Instead, he smiled into his glass.

“Sasha,” I said quietly.

She turned toward me.

“What?”

“Don’t.”

She laughed.

“Oh, relax. You know I’m joking.”

But she wasn’t joking.

Not really.

She spent the entire evening at his elbow.

She asked him questions she could have asked me.

She touched his arm when she laughed.