Damon looked at her. “And you?”

Cassandra was silent for a long time. “You’re earning the chance to ask me that.”

Chapter 9 — A Thousand Ordinary Choices

In June, Luke and Violet turned three. They asked for dinosaur pancakes, a backyard party, and a cake decorated with an airplane. At six that morning, Damon got a call from Singapore: a financing agreement worth $300 million was about to collapse, and the investors demanded he fly out immediately.

The company jet could have taken off within an hour.

Cassandra stood in the kitchen while Damon listened. Luke and Violet waited at the table in matching pajamas. They knew enough now to recognize his business voice.

Luke looked at the half-finished pancake batter. “Do you have to go?”