Should Thomas drive Ethan's car? No. Ethan was sober enough to drive, and Thomas could follow him.
Did Claire want the food packed? She did not care. Should they cancel brunch the next morning? Yes.
Should they call anyone? No. Then Natalie asked a question no one else had considered. "What do we do with the cake?"
Everyone looked at the enormous birthday cake in the center of the small round table. Claire stared at it.
The white frosting was flawless. Thirty-three small gold candles waited in a box beside it. The bakery had piped Ethan's name across the top in dark chocolate script.
For a few seconds, no one knew whether the question was ridiculous or devastating. Then Claire laughed. The laugh turned into a sob so abruptly that she covered her face. Margaret reached for her, but Claire shook her head, trying to breathe.
"I'm sorry," Natalie said. "That was stupid."
"No," Claire managed. "No, it's... it's just a cake."
But it was not just a cake. Nothing in the room was just what it had been an hour earlier. Ethan came downstairs carrying the duffel bag. The laughter vanished.
He stopped on the bottom step. His eyes were red. The wedding ring remained on his hand.
"I packed for a week," he said. Claire nodded. He looked around at everyone, then at her. "Can I talk to you for five minutes alone?"
Mason immediately said, "No." Claire raised one hand. "It's my decision." Mason looked at her, then stood and moved back.
Claire considered Ethan's request. Part of her wanted to refuse. Another part knew that if she did not hear him now, she might spend the night imagining what he would have said.
"Five minutes," she said. "In the dining room. Door stays open."
They moved no more than twelve feet away from the others. There was no real privacy, only a symbolic border. Ethan set the duffel bag down. "I am sorry," he said.
Claire looked at him. "I know that doesn't fix anything." "No." "I don't want to lose you."
Her face changed with quiet disbelief. "You risked me every day for six months." "I didn't think of it that way." "That's the problem."