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“Hey, you finally got rid of that ugly brown rug!” Julia exclaimed.

Erika nodded. “I felt bad because my dad picked it out, but I never really liked it. I’m happy it’s gone. This is more my style.”

Julia agreed, though not only because of the aesthetic improvement. She’d genuinely hated that old rug for reasons she couldn’t explain. That ugly brown rug unsettled her almost as much as Cormac’s steely gaze boring down from his gilded frame.

Even with the new, fancier floor covering, the room gave off a hunting cabin vibe. Several mounted deer heads, all Rick’s personal kills, decorated the walls. Julia put the heads in the same twisted category as a serial killer’s mementos.

“Oh my god, those things are awful,” Erika said, catching the disdainful look Julia directed at Rick’s majestic trophies.

“But Rick loves them. And everyone in his family is a hunter. He learned to shoot a gun before he could ride a bike.” She gestured to a gun rack mounted on the wall that showcased three hunting rifles.

“What about Rick? He must be pissed about the house. You might be meditating, but I have a hard time picturing your husband burning incense and ringing a singing bowl.”

The notion made them both chuckle. “It’s technically my family home, so he follows my lead when it comes to this place,” said Erika.

“David should be grateful for that.” Julia eyed the guns again. “Doesn’t look like any of those are locked up. Are you sure it’s safe?”

“Absolutely,” Erika confirmed. “The ammo is stored separately. My house, my rules. I’ll live with a couple deer heads on the wall, but that’s where I draw the line.

Besides, Rick is building me a bar.” Erika pointed to the future site of her in-house speakeasy, which would go right beneath a handsome buck with an elaborate crown of antlers.

“If I have to look at those hideous things forever, at least I’ll have a buzz on,” Erika quipped, setting her coffee down as she plopped herself into an armchair.

Julia found a seat on the couch. From her vantage point she couldn’t see the glass house, which felt like a minor reprieve, but she could still hear Lucas playing his guitar upstairs. He must have inherited some of his mother’s creativity.

“He sounds really good,” Julia commented, and it was true. “Is he planning to study music in college?”

Erika went still, like one of those poor frozen deer mounted to the wall. “I don’t think he wants to go anymore,” she said.

“What?” Julia did a double take.

“Yeah, he’s all about his band these days, doesn’t see the need for college, thinks it’s just a waste of time and money. I mean, kids these days.” She rolled her eyes.

“He was so happy to do the college tour with Taylor,” Julia said. “Any clue what happened?”

Erika kept a straight face, though Julia heard her sigh quietly.

“Not really. It took Rick and me both by surprise. I mean, his music has always been a priority, but we didn’t think he’d put off college for it.

But what are we supposed to do? We can’t force him.

That’s my take. Rick and I have been fighting about it quite a bit.

To be candid, we don’t see eye to eye on much.

We come from two different worlds. But I’m not forcing Lucas, or punishing him like Rick wants to do.

It’s not our life to live, so I guess he’ll need to get a job, and that’s that. ”

Erika slumped forward in her chair, nearly releasing a splash of coffee onto her new rug.

“I’m sure it will all work out,” said Julia, trying for empathy. She hadn’t shared anything about Taylor’s apparent issues with Lucas, not that Julia knew what to make of it herself.

When they were young, she and Erika told each other everything, but over the years, that happened less and less.

Julia couldn’t pinpoint exactly when that individuation began.

Was it college? Was it marriage? Perhaps that was just the normal evolution of childhood friendships, staying close, but not so enmeshed.

Erika knew about Christian’s infidelity, but not the heart-wrenching details or Julia’s revenge.

Many of her deeper struggles Julia had kept to herself, having difficulty sharing hard truths even with her therapist. Besides, they saw each other so infrequently these days, Julia didn’t feel right tainting their precious time with her negativity.

Erika cut into her thoughts. “Did Taylor say anything to you about Lucas? I wonder if he opened up to her.”

“Funny, I was going to ask you the same question about Taylor. She’s been hard to understand recently.

” Julia highly doubted their kids had had a heart-to-heart, considering her daughter didn’t want to see Lucas at all this summer.

Of course, she couldn’t say that to Erika.

“Look at us, guess we’re both clueless. Par for the course when you have a teenager. ”

“Right,” Erika laughed. “It would probably be weird if they did tell us what was going on.”

Julia grimaced. “I’m sure you’re right. But maybe we should pry a little more.”

Before they could hatch a plan of attack, the door flew open. David stepped in, looking like a man on a mission. He was dressed casually, but there was nothing relaxed about him.

“Hey,” he said, running a hand repeatedly through his hair, “has anybody seen Fiona? She seems to have disappeared.”