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last year. Law school could be brutal, and it looked like Jen had been having a rough time of it, although her grades had been nothing but stellar.
    “Can I have a hug?”
    Emma tried to push past the wall she felt building between them. Who knew when she’d see Jen again?
    Her daughter stepped into her arms and surprised Emma with a strong hug. When they stepped back, she looked up at her little girl who was at least two inches taller and gave her a warm smile. Jen surprised her with a quick smile and then she was gone.
    Emma sat at her kitchen table after Jen left with another coffee and ate three croissants, not caring if she put on weight.
    Who do I have to look good for anymore?
    Her daughter’s reaction had surprised her. Standing up to Jen could have produced a storm Emma felt ill equipped to weather. Instead, it seemed she might have gained a notch of respect, which meant Connie had been right after all.
    Emma picked up the last croissant, considered, and then ate it while thinking about Alan being unfaithful. Not only did he have a girlfriend, but she would be having a baby. Emma had always loved the fact that she and Alan were each other’s first and only spouses in an age when blended families were common. There were no children from another relationship. She’d been so proud to be the mother of his only children.
    Now he has taken that from me, too.
    Before Emma could search out something else to eat, she made her way back to bed. She had nowhere to be and no one to see. She might as well enjoy a few more hours of oblivion.

Chapter 6

    Jen sat in her black VW Jetta, a graduation present from her parents, outside of her childhood home and wondered how she would cope with the world crashing around her and no one there to pick up the pieces. She’d always relied on her mother to sort things out. Jen respected her mother for standing up and saying no, even though it had been difficult to hear. She’d constantly urged her to stand up to Daddy, but Jen hadn’t been prepared for having her own advice turned around on herself.  
    She started the car and headed back to the university.
    I wasted a day I could have spent studying for finals.
    Jen slapped her hand on the steering wheel. She was lying to herself and she knew it. Sure, she needed to see her mother since they weren’t getting anywhere on the phone, but she’d gotten up this morning and left with barely a second thought to her exams and studying. She was sick of law school, and had no one to blame but herself.
    She’d grown up with a “soft” older brother, as Daddy called him, and so quickly learned to fill in the gap as the male of the family. When Brad came out to her, the pieces fell into place. The trouble was she didn’t really want to be a boy, but she became more and more of a tomboy in order to secure her place in Daddy’s heart. But it had never been enough. He could never see past her feminine features, especially as she began to develop into a woman. No matter how much she succeeded at all the things he wanted for his son, he wasn’t satisfied. Going to law school had been the final attempt to secure her place as his replacement son. It hadn’t worked. Daddy still didn’t know about Brad’s sexual orientation. She’d been tempted many times to tell him, thinking that would finally accomplish her goal, but then she was ashamed of herself for even considering it.  
    Brad was a kind, gentle man. He was older, but she’d always felt like the older of the two since she’d always looked out for him. She loved him deeply and grew fierce if anyone tried to hurt him. She couldn’t use her brother for her own gain no matter how the desperation grew inside her. She didn’t understand it. Her father loved her, of that she had no doubt, but he never truly saw her. She’d made the mistake of being born female and therefore had less value in his eyes.
    Her parents both thought she went to law school because she dreamed of being a lawyer.