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And he threw it all away. For what? Charlotte? It doesn’t make any sense.

And I hate him. After all the pain and humiliation he already put me through, now he has to make my son sleep on a couch in a strange apartment too. It’s too much!

I lay on my back, my arm covering my eyes. I can’t stand it. I want to hurt him. But that’s childish. And I wouldn’t know how.

Sleeping with his best friend would probably do it.

The thought flits through my mind from out of nowhere.

No.

I want Ethan to hurt, yes. But I don’t want to worsen our relationship. It’s bad enough as it is. I don’t want to make it worse for Chase’s sake. I want one day for the three of us to be able to be in the same room together.

But…

I’ll bend you over this counter right now.

Something explodes in my belly, leaving expanding ripples in its wake.

He was probably joking.

Whenever you want.

The ripples travel down to my core.

The sound of sheets rustling from Chase turning over rips me out of the memory.

I can’t think about this. It’s inappropriate on too many levels. He was kidding. Move on!

I pull out my phone and turn on my reading app.

The picture of a topless man flashes and the romance novel opens to the last page I read.

Nope. Can’t read that.

I go back and choose a non-fiction book for small business owners instead, and let the boredom put me to sleep.

It’s Dogwood Clean-Up Day.

Chase and I have an early breakfast, I chug down a quick coffee, and we’re out of the house by eight.

First, I have to pick up three boxes of T-shirts from the office, then we stop by Avery’s bakery, and she helps me load a giant coffee urn into my car, and ten boxes of donuts.

Ethan promised he’d be there to set up the table for the shirts, coffee, and donuts. And sure enough, when we get to the big parking lot where everyone is meeting, he’s there with Scarlett and Penny, putting the table together. Charlotte is nowhere to be seen.

Thank goodness.

I pull up next to them, and after a quick greeting, Ethan and I set up the table in silence. We’ve done this eight years in a row now. And this’ll be the last time that we do it together.

People start to gather. The coffee and donuts are self-serve. I hand out the T-shirts. They’re white with a beautiful print of a blooming dogwood on the front and the words Dogwood Clean-up Day on the back. And they’re free for all volunteers, courtesy of the mayor’s office.

Avery arrives with her three daughters, and Sophia takes all the kids to the park behind the big parking lot. It’s gated, so they’re safe inside, and we can see them from the parking lot. Their job is to clean up the park. And play around, of course. They’re kids. And Sophia said a few of her friends would come too, to help her supervise.

“She’s really grown up,” I tell Avery.

“I know. And she’s very responsible and reliable. But man! She is all about the money. She actually tried to get me to pay her for coming today. And when I refused, she said she’d ask you or the mayor for compensation for babysitting the kids. She actually used that word, compensation. It took me half an hour of arguing to finally get it through her head that today is a volunteer day. No one is getting paid.”

I smile as I watch Sophia gather all the kids in the middle of the playground. She’s wearing her volunteer T-shirt, which she tied in a knot on one side so it ends at her waist. Chase listens, enraptured, his focus entirely on Sophia as she makes hand motions indicating different areas of the park.