Making a Comeback. Kristina Mathews

can’t invite Cooper?” Her daughters were almost as smitten with the man as she was.

      “No, sweetie. He’s been great. I just don’t want him to feel like we’re imposing on him too much.”

      “Oh.” Olivia’s expression was one of mock understanding. Then she tilted her head to the side. “What’s ‘imposing’?”

      “It means getting in his way, disrupting his life.”

      “Were we imposing on Daddy?” Sophie asked. “Is that why he moved to Florida? Did we erupt his life?”

      “Oh honey. No.” Annabelle pulled her daughter into a hug. They were quickly joined by Olivia. “No, you girls had absolutely nothing to do with your father and I getting a divorce.”

      They may have been the reason they’d gotten married in the first place, but they had nothing to do with the divorce. If anything, they were the reason she’d stayed as long as she had.

      “Sometimes he’d get mad when we erupted his work.” Sophie needed more assurance.

      “Interrupted.” Olivia corrected her sister. “A volcano erupts, like the one that killed the dinosaurs.”

      “A steroid killed the dinosaurs.” Sophie argued. “Not a volcano. It was a big rock from outer space that crashed into the ocean making them all drown.”

      “Girls. Do you want to go to the beach or do you want to argue about why the dinosaurs became extinct?” Annabelle loved the way they each stood their ground, like two little scientists arguing over theories. They were already smarter than she was. Or at least, they were smarter than she’d ever been encouraged to be.

      “The beach!” Both girls stopped their argument and rushed upstairs to get their swimsuits on. It still amused her to think they could wear swimsuits in January. There was only about a ten to fifteen degree difference in temperature, but it felt so much warmer down here than in San Francisco. They often wore fleece sweatshirts to the beach in San Francisco even in the summer. And they didn’t swim in the ocean. Sure they’d dip their toes in the water, explore tide pools, and fly kites at the beach. Swimming was something they did at the tennis club.

      Still, she grabbed the girls’ sweaters. Just in case.

      The excitement on her daughters’ faces was reassuring. Moving down here had been the right thing to do. Even if her modeling career wasn’t going to take off. The change had been just what they’d all needed to be happy, healthy, and healing.