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weathered the addition of a baby before deciding.
    The couple had only dated for eight months before the pregnancy stick showed two blue lines. Lily, twenty-three at the time, worried about supporting a baby on her own. Tom was financially stable and had professed his love for their soon-to-be family, something he claimed to have also always longed for. But in the end, her best friend had been right. Love hadn’t sustained the marriage. It hadn’t been enough to hold the already-splintered relationship together.
    When’s the last time I spoke to Emma?
    The two girls had grown up together. They were the kind of close that can only be achieved by sharing childhood experiences. Emma had always been Lily’s partner in crime. The person Lily leaned on when life got hard. They had only lived a couple of houses apart from each other, in Brandon, Florida. Just fifteen miles from where Lily now lived.
    I really should let Emma know what’s going on with Maddy. After all, she is her godmother.
    Lily missed her friend and thought talking to her about Maddy might be the something good that could come out of this whole situation. Maybe it could be the way back into Emma’s life. Lily strained to keep her feet soaking in the water while reaching for her purse on the floor. She hooked the strap with her finger and pulled the large bag up onto her lap. Her hands pushed aside wadded-up tissues and a near-empty prescription bottle and dug until they found her cell phone. Before she changed her mind, Lily dialed Emma’s number from memory.
    “Hello?” asked a confident but quizzical voice.
    “Emma . . . Emma, this is Lily Eastin.”
    Silence.
    “Emma, are you there?”
    “I’m here.”
    “I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to, but Maddy needs you.”
    “What’s wrong?” Immediate concern broke through the coldness in Emma’s voice.
    “Some guys . . . they tried to kidnap her.” Lily broke down crying, finally relieved to someone to open up to. She was no longer worried about appearances, or that she was gushing to a woman she hadn’t spoken to in over four years. Lily let it all out in a rush.
    Emma’s voice broke through. “Lily. Lily. Back up. Tell me what happened.”
    Through long pauses and more tears, Lily managed to get the story out.
    “I’m so sorry, Lily. No one told me. How is Maddy holding up?”
    “She’s putting on a brave face, but it’s anger that’s really fueling her, probably the only thing keeping her from falling apart. Most of the anger’s directed toward me. She’s furious because Tom walked out, and she blames me.”
    “Yes, I heard about the split.”
    “How?” Lily asked.
    “Maddy’s good about keeping in touch. She usually calls every couple of weeks.”
    “Oh yeah, right.” Lily knew her daughter still kept in contact with Emma, but Maddy never talked about it.
    “I haven’t heard from Maddy in a month, though,” Emma said. “I figured she was busy with the new school year starting. I’ve been meaning to call her, but work’s been crazy.”
    “I know how that is.” Lily let out a forced laugh. “We may not be close anymore, Emma, but I’d appreciate it if you could come over to see Maddy. She might open up to you. She needs someone she can confide in. I’m worried about her. Tom won’t return her calls, and she won’t talk to me. I’m public enemy number one.”
    In the silence that followed, Lily thought about all the things she wanted to say to Emma but couldn’t find the courage to speak out loud. How when she was really down, memories of their friendship had helped get her through. Lily thought about all the times she would run over to her friend’s house and hide out on Emma’s lanai building forts, and how an afternoon together would often stretch into a weekend-long sleepover. Those nights were always such a welcome adventure for her. Lily and Emma would paint each other’s nails and take turns trying out new makeup styles into the