“She fainted? She’ll live. 0ur flight with your sister leaves at six,” Dad said, and they went. I spent nine days in that ward alne. They str0lled back demanding to sign me out.

She had never seen a picture of him.

She didn’t know how long I had waited.

Whenever she asked for details, I usually found something to clean or straighten so I wouldn’t have to look her in the eyes.

I told myself I was protecting her.

Really, I was protecting myself.

Still, I sometimes wondered whether growing up without a father had left a space inside Lily that I couldn’t fill.

That was one reason I was terrified when her school announced a class trip to Los Angeles.

It was two thousand miles away.

A hotel.

Eighteen teenagers.