Deirdre knew she was demanding, but Brendan might start accepting Emily into his trusted circle if she did nothing. "You can think of this as me being unreasonable and juvenile. You can suspect me of picking a bone with her, too. I don't care. I just don't want to see you and Emily getting closer.

"And! I don't want the two of you texting each other, either. I want the two of you to be strangers to one another. If you're talking to her because you're wondering how my recovery is going, ask me i