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Riley shook her head affectionately at the display.

“Do you really think something is going on between them?” Fallon asked.

“If you’re asking me if they’ve slept together, I doubt it. I don’t think they’ve had the space to cross that bridge.”

“I don’t want to see anyone get hurt,” Fallon said.

“Don’t project doom,” Riley advised. “They’re good for each other. Pete loves Beth.”

Fallon sighed.

“And he loves the kids.”

“Yeah.”

“I think the pieceyou’vemissed is that theyalllove Pete. That’s why Evan wants to go to the hospital. Evan and Hope have spent more time with Pete, Marge, and Dale the last few months than they have with us,” Riley said.

Hope smiled at Fallon and placed her hands on Fallon’s cheeks.

“I haven’t been a great auntie, have I?” Fallon asked the baby.

Hope smiled wider.

“Don’t do that,” Riley told Fallon.

“I know I’ve been caught up with the house,” Fallon said. “I haven’t made enough effort to spend time with Beth and the kids.”

“I think Beth deliberately stepped away from everyone, even Barb.”

“Come on, Barb is her best friend.”

“Yes,” Riley agreed. “And that won’t change. But don’t you think they’ve all needed to carve out a new path?”

“Not away from each other.”

“Maybe a little distance is healthy for everyone. Barb and Beth both need to find their footing, Fallon—they’re both single moms now. And there’s a lot of baggage, not only for them, but for the kids.”

Riley’s observations were insightful and made sense. Loss inevitably triggered transformation. Grief had a way of making someone examine their priorities. But transformation manifested differently for everyone. Fallon left behind a lucrative career to buy a dilapidated pub, while Riley relocated from the warmth and bustling life of San Diego to a tiny town in rural Vermont. Fallon had lost count of how often people remarked that her grief drove her back home, and as for Riley? She endured her sister’s constant chatter about how she was simply escaping home. Losing someone important prompted everyone to seek stability. Death pulled the rug out from under you. It was like the ground shifting beneath you as the tide comes in, leaving you to fight for your balance. In the end, everyone desired to find a place where they felt steady—a place to call home.

Despite her best efforts to be there for everyone, Fallon continued to struggle with unresolved emotions. Her anger towards Dean, along with the confusion and sadness over Liv’s death, clouded her recognition of the shared loss that Barb and Beth experienced. Both women had imagined a future with someone who was now unexpectedly gone, albeit in different ways. The sting of betrayal heightened the pain of their grief. Liv and Dean’s secrets, coupled with Dean’s misguided loyalty to Liv, had fractured the trust of all three women. Fallon had something neither Barb nor Beth could claim; she had Riley to ground her—she had found her place to callhome.

“Fallon?” Riley asked.

“Have you talked to Barb lately? I just realized I haven’t seen her in a few weeks.”

“The other day. Why? I think she’s just trying to adjust. She needs to find something more suitable for her housing needs. My place worked for this semester. The girls need more space, and I think Barb would like to be closer to the university. It’sanother inevitable change. I think it’s a little overwhelming. You know? Beth is in the same boat. We both know your mom loves having Beth and the kids at the house. Beth needs space, too.”

“Maybe she’ll move in with Pete.”

Riley sighed.

“What? Why not?”

“She hasn’t said anything to me,” Riley said. “And it wouldn’t surprise me if that happens one day. I doubt Beth will rush into living with Pete.”

“Whatdoyou think?”

“I think she’d like to have the space to figure out what is next for them—her own space, Fallon. I also know she wants to stay in Whiskey Springs. It’s not as if there are dozens of houses for sale.”