I sat on the edge of the hotel bed, staring at the thermostat set at seventy-two degrees, and tapped my thumb against my index finger in three fast sets.

My second call went straight to Colleen’s cell phone.

She picked up on the very first ring, her clipped, scolding voice sharp as a steel edge drawn across glass.

“Valerie, Trevor is trying to eat his dinner in peace,” Colleen said.

“You really don’t need to run our household from a hotel room in Europe.”

“Colleen, is my daughter inside that house?”

“Sadie is learning to respect private grown-up boundaries,” Colleen said.