Page 53 of Chasing the Horizon

When they finished another coat of paint, Valerie and Alex went to their separate offices to finish some work. Now that Alex had secured another chunk of funding, Alex was editing bits and pieces of his documentary, and Valerie was working on another chapter for the book she was writing with her father. Of course, it had been over a month since she and Victor sat in a room and worked “together.” But miraculously, they were further into the manuscript than she’d ever dreamed of. Maybe it was better that they’d decided to keep working apart.

Suddenly, Valerie’s phone rang. To her surprise, it was Catherine.

“Catherine!” She hadn’t heard from her since the first week of the year, when Catherine explained that she and Max were still “discussing” options about getting back together or co-parenting. Valerie had listened without giving her two cents, and she’d texted now and again after that, wanting to make herself available. She’d seen how awful Catherine’s “real” friends were. But Catherine had kept to herself.

“Valerie! I’m so sorry I’m just reaching out to you now,” Catherine said. Her voice was sweet and beautiful and so different from how it had been on that day in December. “I wanted to call and tell you! I had my baby yesterday!”

Valerie’s heart exploded with happiness. Next came a million questions. How was she, and how was the baby, and who was there, and what was the process like? Catherine answered everything in dramatic detail, even down to how painful it had all been, “like giving birth to an elephant, to be honest with you,” and then said, “Max came after it all happened to meet the baby.It’s a girl, thank goodness, and I told Max I wanted to name her myself.”

Valerie was so glad that her friend had decided to take a stand.

“What’s her name?” Valerie asked.

“It’s Esme!” Catherine cried. “I know, I know, I only met your mother that one time. But your parents were so helpful that day at the baby shower. I’ll never forget it, not as long as I live. I wanted to find a way to honor them. Plus, I mean, gosh. Esme is such a gorgeous name. Once I thought of it, I couldn’t get it out of my head. And what you told me about your parents’ story is so touching, Valerie. Getting back together after all those years takes real guts. And…” She hesitated. “Your father is someone special. He helped me a lot. I hope you’ll tell him thanks for me next time you see him.”

Valerie said she would. Her heart felt bruised.

She congratulated Catherine again, until Catherine admitted she had to get off the phone and tend to baby Esme. After they hung up, Catherine sent thirty-five photographs from Esme’s first hours, all of which Valerie perused with tears in her eyes. She sent along a photo to her mother, telling Esme #1 that there was a #2 in the mix.

MOM: She’s perfect! Tell Catherine I’m so honored!

MOM: Wow, wow, wow!

Valerie smiled and texted back.

VALERIE: Good thing my baby is a boy! Otherwise, I might have wanted to use Esme myself…

Her mother sent back ten red hearts.

Valerie spent the next few hours working hard on the manuscript, sending Victor notes, writing down her own memories, and trying to find the heart behind their story, even without talking to her father about it face-to-face—or even on the phone.

It was a bizarre way to work. But it felt easier this way. It was less stressful.

Valerie wasn’t permanently waiting for her father to fail her.

She was grateful her mother hadn’t brought it up. She was grateful her mother knew that Valerie needed to take some time.

She guessed that her mother, too, was trying to wage her own war with her feelings for Victor. Valerie wouldn’t be surprised if Esme decided to end their relationship soon—and move on with her life.

Maybe the Victor experience was just a blip.

March 2025: Three Months Before The Accident

But during the first week of March, Valerie met with Julia Copperfield at a little coffee shop in the Nantucket Historic District to go over the recent chapters that Victor and Valerie had both “okayed” for publication. When Valerie came in, Julia was sitting in the corner, marking a manuscript with a big red pen, her brow furrowed. Her smile was shaded with what Valerie read as alarm. But she greeted Valerie initially with a, “Goodness, you look gorgeous! When are you due again?”

“June,” Valerie said with a nervous smile.

Julia flashed a strained smile, one Valerie guessed was related to the fact that Julia needed the manuscript done before then. She needed her writers to get along; she needed something better than what she was getting.

“The book feels…” Julia said after they sat down, folding her hands, “a bit lost?”

Valerie’s heart pounded. She suddenly felt as though Julia could peer into her soul.

“Can you tell me why you think that?” Valerie asked, trying to be professional.

“The idea for the book was for you and your father to come together and tell a united story about your family, one that took both of your emotional arcs into account,” Julia said, removing her reading glasses and twirling them. “But the pages you’ve sent me are getting further and further away from your father’s, so much so that the work’s turning into two pieces again. I don’t fully know how to bring them together.” She pinched the skin along her eyebrow. “I know you and your father have your differences. I know that things are tricky. But is there any way you could come together—as professionals—and discuss this? I have a list of problems here.” Julia removed a printed-out list from under the manuscript and handed it over.

Valerie winced. The list was long. She started to read it and immediately felt her cheeks flush. Julia was a professional; she knew her way around a good book. It meant that Valerie had to trust her.

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