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not speak badly of his mother. That woman loves them more than life itself. Not to mention that she watches your children without pay.” Unleashed, my bitterness spread through my body, saturating every word. “You have no idea how lucky you have it.”
    Violet’s mouth fell open. “What in the world has gotten into you?”
    “I think you should count your blessings because a lot of people have sacrificed to let you keep them.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    I couldn’t believe I’d let myself say so much. “Nothing.” I walked into the other room to get away from her.
    Violet acted hurt until it was time to go trick-or-treating, and then she announced that she’d decided to stay home and hand out candy. Mike and I left with the kids, Muffy trotting next to me on her leash. Ashley and Mike had coerced her into wear her antennae while I was in the kitchen with Violet, but the look of indignation on her face told me that it hadn’t been consensual. We walked down the street, Ashley not as excited as she was before we left. It felt awkward and sad without Violet, as if one leg of a three-legged stool was missing. The three of us had always taken Ashley and Mikey out together.
    Mike and I stood at the end of a driveway and watched the kids walk up to a neighbor’s front door. I held Muffy’s leash, trying to keep her from flopping onto her back again. One of her wings was already dented and had a small hole in it.
    “I was sorry to hear about you and Joe breaking up,” Mike said, keeping his gaze on the kids. “I hope Violet didn’t have anything to do with it.”
    I sighed and mumbled, “Not how you think.”
    He spun to face me. “What?”
    “No. She didn’t.”
    He relaxed and stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “I miss seeing you, Rose. You’ve been like a little sister to me. I should have called to check on you, but I wasn’t sure…with Violet.” He cleared his throat. “How are you handling everything?”
    “I’m better.” I wrapped my arms around my chest, my heart aching. I’d lost so much in my life recently and I just kept losing more. “I miss you too, Mike. I hope you’re doing well.”
    “I’ve been better,” he sighed as the kids ran back to us. “I’ve been a helluva lot better.”
    Ashley held up her pink pumpkin. “I got M&Ms, Daddy!”
    “That’s awesome, my little princess!”
    Melancholy hung over me the rest of the evening, seasoned with my dread of facing Joe the next day. Mike and I took the kids back to the house and went inside, stopping in the entryway. Violet was sitting on the sofa with a bottle of wine and two glasses, one partially full.
    “I’m going to go ahead and head home, Vi. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “Oh!” she exclaimed, jumping off the sofa and walking over to me, disappointment in her eyes. “I thought maybe you could stay and have a glass of wine with me and we could talk. We haven’t really had a chance to for weeks.”
    I glanced at Mike, who awkwardly stood to the side.
    “I’m really tired and I want to get plenty of rest for tomorrow. What time do I need to be there?”
    “The presentation is at one, but we should both be there by twelve. I think it’ll take the whole afternoon.”
    No way could I handle that. “Once my part is done, I’m out of there.”
    “Okay.” She nodded.
    “Aunt Rose?” Ashley tugged on the hem of my sweater. “Can Muffy sleep over with me?”
    “I don’t know…” I hadn’t had any run-ins with Thomas in over a month, but I was still worried that he and his friends might try to prank my house. If Muffy was there, at least she’d be some kind of alarm system. “I kind of want Muffy to spend the night with me tonight. How about tomorrow night? If it’s okay with your mommy.”
    “Can she, Mommy?” Ashley spun to face her mother. “I miss Muffy.”
    “Okay, maybe Aunt Rose can bring Muffy to the shop tomorrow. She should be there for the press