“Mom, can we call Dad on video?” the older girl asked, looking up at Claire. “We could wish him a happy birthday!”
“Yes, Mommy, please!” her little sister joined in, clapping her hands. “We learned a poem for him… And Daddy said he would bring us presents from his business trip!”
The girls adored their father. They had been terribly upset when he suddenly had to leave—not merely for the weekend, but on his own birthday.
“Yes, my loves. I’ll call him a little later, and we’ll congratulate him together. He’s probably busy right now. He’s working…”
Claire had already tried Daniel’s number several times. For some reason, he refused to answer. Then, without warning, her phone began to ring.
Daniel was calling her himself—on video, of all things. He almost never did that.
“Girls, Daddy is calling us! Maybe he somehow knew we wanted to wish him a happy birthday…”
The older child grabbed the phone before her mother could reach it. She pressed the answer button, stared at the screen for one stunned second, and immediately handed the phone to Claire.
Three days earlier
Claire had planned her husband’s birthday well in advance.
Every year, she arranged a small surprise for him. She knew exactly what Daniel loved: a noisy evening with friends, conversations that lasted until dawn, wine poured freely, and, at the end of it all, a strawberry pie instead of an ordinary frosted cake.
This year, she intended to keep the tradition alive. She had reserved a table at a newly opened restaurant and invited their closest friends. She had also spoken to her mother, who agreed to take the children for the night so the celebration could continue after dinner.
After seven years of marriage, the first fiery intensity between them had faded a little. Claire understood that love sometimes needed to be tended deliberately, like a fire that would die without fresh wood. That was why the pie was meant to appear after the official celebration, when the two of them were finally alone. She had even spent an entire month learning a sensual dance, determined to surprise her husband.
Everything had been arranged perfectly. Then, three days before his birthday, Daniel came home looking as though he had carried a storm in with him.
“Is something wrong?” Claire asked anxiously.
“Yes.” He sat beside her and rubbed his hands together, as if searching for the right way to begin. “I know you always prepare something for my birthday, but this time we’ll have to postpone it. If you’ve already planned anything, that is.”
Claire stared at him.
“Of course I’ve planned something. Almost everything is ready,” she said, suddenly uncertain.
“I’m sorry, but I won’t be here that day. My managers are panicking. I have to leave for several days because a new project has appeared—completely unexpected, but extremely profitable. If I don’t go, the whole thing could fall apart. I’m the most experienced person on the team, and you know how these things are. I tried to find someone to replace me. I really did. But it’s vacation season, and this came up at the last minute. There’s simply no one else.”
He paused before adding, “Unless you and the girls want to come with me.”
“Come with you where?” Claire asked quietly. “The little one has only just recovered. Are we supposed to drag her from train to train? No, that’s impossible. And Mom still hasn’t recovered from losing Dad. I’m afraid to leave the children with her for too long. What if something happens?”
“I understand,” Daniel said quickly.
He let out a heavy sigh. His expression made it seem as though canceling their plans caused him genuine pain.
“I arranged for the trip to be as short as possible. Three days, no more. I’ll come back, and then we’ll celebrate properly. I promise. No guests—just our little family. Only the people closest to me.”
“Of course,” Claire murmured. “We’ll celebrate later. I’ll call the restaurant and cancel the reservation.”
She tried to sound calm, but disappointment showed plainly in her voice. The deposit had already been paid and was nonrefundable. Having to apologize to all the friends she had invited was embarrassing too. Still, what else could she do? There was no point in holding a birthday party without the birthday man.
“Thank you.” Daniel pulled her into his arms, and for a while they sat in silence.
Then he cleared his throat.
“There’s one more thing, Claire. If you can, take your mother to the vehicle office and submit the paperwork for the SUV. You still have power of attorney from me, don’t you? It expires soon, and I never have time to deal with it. Besides…” He hesitated. “Your mother isn’t exactly in the best condition to handle everything herself after what happened.”
Claire nodded without speaking.
Her father had died six months earlier. Her mother had taken the loss terribly. Her heart problems had worsened so badly that she had spent time in the hospital. Only recently had she completed the inheritance process. She had received her late husband’s apartment, country house, and an expensive brand-new SUV—the vehicle he had bought but never had the chance to drive.