Mulligans

38. House of Cards

Birdy rested the jack of hearts on the shoulders of the queen of diamonds and the two of spades. She pulled her hand away cautiously and then mime-clapped with excitement as the jack remained perched in his place in the house of cards. She sat cross-legged on the living room floor with Tyler and Bre, carefully crafting these unstable homes, doomed to crumble with the smallest tremor.

"What's going to happen, Tyler?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Tyler looked at his sister while selecting another card from the deck.

"Will I ever see you again? After the summer?"

Tyler carefully set the nine of clubs in a teepee with the six of diamonds and winked at Bre conspiratorially. "Of course you will."

"But I never see Chase anymore. Since you guys broke up as friends, I never see him. If Mom and Dad break up, I'm scared I'll never see them again either."

Tyler rested a hand on Birdy's knee. "Mom and Dad might not split up. They might stay together. They don't know yet. They're talking it through."

Birdy drew another card from the deck and spun it thoughtfully between her fingers. "I think that's what you should do with Chase."

Bre looked from Birdy to Tyler and raised her eyebrows. She didn't have to say anything; the message was coming through loud and clear.

Stacey and Nathan sat side by side on the wooden bench on the dock. Stacey turned and saw that her husband was silently crying. "You need to go, don't you?"

He looked at her and nodded, unable to bring himself to say it.

"I know...."

Nathan gritted his teeth and looked up at the sky as if another answer might be waiting there. "But Birdy...."

"She'll see you. We all will," Stacey assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I just need to find this piece of me...."

"And you need space to do it, I know." Stacey took a deep breath. "I guess we have to tell the kids."

They looked at each other, knowing it was the right answer, but knowing didn't make it any easier. Their gaze drifted to the lake house, taking in what was.