The next morning, Lyn receives an earful from Cat and is discussing the situation with her husband, Michael. The two are simultaneously attempting to feed Maddie. Kara overhears Michael declare that Lyn is infinitely better than Georgina, and the girl storms off after this insult directed at her birth mother. Lyn is feeling frazzled by holiday pressure and the nature of her life in general. Her heavy schedule is beginning to take a toll: “Lyn wondered what it would be like to be a little less effective, with nothing more to worry about than when to sleep with a new boyfriend” (81). She briefly envies Gemma’s vagueness.

Lyn recalls the time in her life when everything changed, and she first became so driven. She was 22, carefree, and vacationing in Spain with her boyfriend Hank when she received word that Gemma’s fiancé had been run over by a car while crossing the street. Instead of attending a wedding, Lyn flies home to attend a funeral. On the plane, she meets Michael for the first time. She’s instantly attracted to his ability to listen. She thinks, “It was why she fell in love with him, the pure, almost physical pleasure of their conversation—listening to him and having him listen to her” (84).