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“Calvin,” Mom said in a hushed tone.

“No, this is the last straw, Violet,” Dad continued, though his tone softened as he looked at Maisie again. “She can’t leave you out there alone, Zi-Zi. She should’ve tried harder to stay with you.”

“She obviously didn’t make the decision lightly, sweetheart,” Mom soothed. Then she faced Maisie, too. “But…Dad’s mostly right. It really wasn’t fair for her to leave you alone, honey.”

Maisie nodded. “I know. I’m no stranger to how Daphne is. I was kinda upset about it at first, but really, I’m completely fine with her going. I promise I’ll be super safe and come home in one piece.” She hesitated, guilt pulling her spirits back down to earth. Maybe Mom and Dad could help with that, too? “The only problem is…I’m having a hard time being okay with that fact that I’m okay.”

She could see Dad trying to settle his frustrations. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Maisie began, watching the fog roll over the ocean, “I just kinda feel guilty for not going back with her.”

“You’re already going back to Boston at the end of the trip instead of coming home, aren’t you?” Dad asked.

Maisie nodded regretfully. She would love to return to North Dakota, see her parents and her home, visit the hogs and the chickens and the cows. But she had to help Daphne look over the restaurant to figure out the logistics of the building so they could start construction.

Dad frowned. “Is that not enough to satisfy the⁠—”

Mom put a settling hand on his shoulder, ending his words and producing a smile from Maisie. She loved Dad’s temper. It only ever came out in defense of his family.

“So why the guilt?” Mom asked gently.

Dad nodded, signaling he wanted to hear her reasoning, too.

“This whole trip was paid for by her,” Maisie explained. “I just feel like I should be working as hard as she is. And I’m basically a terrible person because, while I love Aunt Daphne so much, I’m completely relieved that…” She broke off with a sigh. “I’m just so relieved that she’s not with me so I can actually relax and enjoy myself. Not that I didn’t all over Europe. It was just…a lot being with her. So yeah. Basically I’m selfish. That’s all.”

Dad’s brow looked significantly less furrowed, but Mom spoke first. “Did Daph tell you that you have to work as hard as she’s working?”

“No, she actually told me to relax and have fun while she was gone.”

“Oh, so she’s not all bad,” Mom said, giving a pointed look at Dad.

He relaxed farther onto their brown, leather couch, a little smile playing on his lips. Clearly, he was pleased with what Maisie had said about being with Daphne.

“Well, first off, honey,” Mom said, “you’re not a terrible person, nor are you selfish. Look at what you’ve just done over the last four months. Any sane person would need a break after that. I know it can be so hard to relax when someone else is working their tail off, but you need to remember that Daphne is choosing for herself to work that hard. You don’t have to make that same choice just to avoid disappointing her.”

“Yeah, just because she’s a workaholic doesn’t mean you need to be, too,” Dad piped in.

“Thank you, Calvin,” Mom said with a look of longsuffering. “We all know my sister can be the salt of the earth⁠—”

“A really big, hard-to-crack chunk of salt,” Dad added.

Mom sighed. “Just don’t feel bad for enjoying time away from her. Everyone needs a little break from everyone at some point or another…”

She gave Dad a sidelong glance, and he responded with a double take of his own. “I trust you’re not speaking of your wonderful and supportive husband, Violet King.”

“I would never,” Mom said, then she gave Maisie another look.

Maisie laughed, watching them both as Dad kissed Mom’s temple. Another ache sliced through her heart, this time, not solely due to her missing them.

“Love just isn’t in the cards for some people,” Daphne had said when speaking of her past engagement. “Luckily, I’m more than happy with that.”

Maisie had told herself she was fine with that for her own life, too. But now…

“Your aunt’s life isn’t your own, honey,” Mom said, clearly seeing where her thoughts had strayed. “And her happiness isn’t your responsibility. I know you’ve got this restaurant together, and it’s amazing and so special that you get to work with Daphne.” Her voice softened. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be like her in every other regard. Don’t be afraid to live your own life. After all, she is.”

Maisie nodded, allowing the words to resonate within her. Mom never had an unkind word to say about her older sister, but that didn’t mean she was unaware of Daphne’s power of persuasion—even if it was used unintentionally. Daphne had even tried to convince Mom not to marry Dad at one point because it would “change their sisterhood and friendship.”

Fortunately, Mom had stood up for herself.