Contents
Chapter 13
Overview
Laurel, freshly styled, meets Floyd in a café, shares carrot cake, and receives his phone number, stirring cautious hope after years of grief. Later, she visits Hanna unannounced, probing her daughter’s life and their distance. Their tense conversation ends with mutual acknowledgment that Ellie is gone and they must move forward.
Summary
After a hair appointment, Laurel stops at a nearby café for a quick bite. A man, Floyd, enters and sits beside her. He compliments Laurel’s hair and coaxes her to try his carrot cake. Despite instinctive caution born from Ellie’s disappearance, Laurel is disarmed by his warmth and humor.
They talk: Floyd describes a peripatetic American upbringing and long residence in the U.K., with a British ex-wife and two daughters. He flirts gently and, before Laurel leaves, writes his number on a scrap of newspaper, inviting her to dinner. Laurel hedges with “maybe,” but pockets the number, feeling a tentative spark of hope.
That evening, Laurel visits her older daughter, Hanna, unannounced. The interaction is awkward; Hanna is wary and brisk, and Laurel struggles to connect. Laurel reveals a man gave her his number, using it to raise the broader issue of their family drifting apart.
The conversation turns tense as Laurel questions Hanna’s one-dimensional routine and hints at absence-filled nights. Hanna denies having a boyfriend, claims late nights are parties and friends’ sofas, and resists deeper engagement. Laurel backs off but presses her desire for happiness and reconnection.
Hanna bluntly names the core wound: Laurel wants Ellie back. They agree Ellie is gone and that they must move on, even if it hurts. Laurel leaves still conflicted but clutching Floyd’s number, the possibility of change lingering.
Who Appears
- Laurel MackGrieving mother; meets Floyd, accepts his number, then seeks connection with Hanna and confronts moving on.
- Floyd DunnCharming stranger; chats with Laurel in a café, shares cake, and gives her his phone number.
- Hanna MackLaurel’s older daughter; guarded during an unannounced visit, urges acceptance that Ellie is gone.
- DoraYoung assistant at the salon who washes Laurel’s hair.
- TaniaHairstylist who gives Laurel a flattering blow-dry.