Chapter 2

My wife, Tamsin Whitlock, came over and lowered her voice. "Honey, stop making a scene."

"Like I said, there's plenty of room. We've still got three empty chairs." I glanced around the table. "What, are we saving those seats for ghosts?"

I'd made three separate trips to the restaurant to arrange this birthday dinner. I'd even handled the seating plan myself and ordered a special three-tier birthday cake. I'd paid for the whole dinner, and I had every right to sit at the table.

Marlowe leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed and sneered. "Trent, do you even know how much this meal costs? It's 680 dollars a table. If you and Elsie eat with us, there'll be less food for everyone else."

I shot her an amused glance.

"Less food?" I repeated with a laugh, refusing to back down. "You bring yourself and Milo over to my house for free meals every day, and whenever we have to squeeze in two extra chairs, you say it's fine because we're family. You've got some nerve complaining about it now."

Marlowe's face turned bright red.

Karen slammed her hand on the table. "Enough!"

Her chest heaved as she pointed at me. "Trent, when are you going to stop this nonsense? It's not like we're letting you go hungry! Kids love junk food anyway!

"Didn't Elsie say she wanted a kids' meal the other day? I was being nice by suggesting you take her there, and this is the thanks I get!"

Tamsin chimed in, "Mom's right. Elsie likes that stuff anyway. I don't know why you're so desperate to sit here and pretend you're too good for fast food."

I could hardly believe she was lecturing me about appearances when her own mother was trying to send her son-in-law and granddaughter away for fast food in the middle of her birthday celebration.

I took a deep breath, ready to respond, when I felt a gentle tug on my sleeve.

I looked down. Elsie was gazing up at me, her eyes pleading. "Daddy, can we just go?"

She sniffled. "I don't want you fighting with Grandma."

My heart ached. Elsie was such a thoughtful girl, and it hurt to see her like this. She probably couldn't understand why she wasn't even allowed to sit at the table for her own grandmother's birthday.

I looked over at Tamsin. She was watching me impatiently, clearly waiting for me to get up and leave.

"Fine," I said. "We'll go."

I couldn't bear to see Elsie upset any longer. I stood up and lifted her out of her chair. She wrapped her little arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder.

"Don't be mad, Daddy," she mumbled.

"I'm not mad, sweetheart." I gently patted her back.

With Elsie in my arms, I headed for the door.

Behind me, Karen spoke up. "Finally. Now can we get the food out here?"

Marlowe laughed. "Mom, you should've sent them to Popeyes ages ago. All that arguing was just a waste of time."

Just as we reached the door, Elsie whispered, "Daddy, does Grandma hate me? And Aunt Marlowe and Mommy, too?"

My throat tightened. I held her a little closer. "Elsie, sweetheart, they're the ones who don't deserve your love."

I opened my banking app. For the past six years, I'd given Tamsin and her mother access to my accounts, with a monthly spending limit of two thousand dollars each.

Tamsin only earned 400 dollars a month, barely enough to cover her own expenses. I'd been paying for practically everything she and her mother spent money on.

I revoked their access and canceled every supplementary credit card I'd given them.

If they couldn't even let my daughter and me have dinner, I certainly wasn't going to pay for theirs.

I took Elsie to the revolving restaurant on the top floor of the building next door.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Elsie gasped in amazement. She let go of my hand and ran straight to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The entire city glittered beneath us, its streets lined with streams of headlights that looked like glowing rivers.

"Daddy, look!" she exclaimed. "The cars look like fireflies!"