Light piano music flows within the Chateau as a sparse number of patrons sit to dine, mostly due to it being early in the afternoon. A handful of others stand around the bar, waiting for his takeout order to be finished—among them is Sean Lockhart. The farm manager is on the phone with Louise Saunders Lockhart.

 

"Yes, I told them to put extra sauce on the side. Shoot, as much as they charge here, they need to sell it in a bottle," he says amusingly.

 

As he hears Louise respond on the other line, he lifts his head and notices Tricia Lockhart making her way to the head of the line, placing a to-go order with the bartender. His attention shifts from his first ex-wife on the phone to his second ex-wife. 

 

"Lou, I'll call you back when I leave. Bye," he says, ending the call and casually approaching the other woman.

 

"Hey, welcome back," he tells her. "Were you successful in getting your mother out of there?"

 

He had been apprised that Tricia had gone to her hometown of Bakersfield, California, to hopefully talk some sense into her mother, Jolene, and convince her to leave the abusive situation with her husband, Wade, who had put her in the hospital yet again.

 

Tricia, wearing a sleeveless white button-down shirt and light blue jeans, clutching her handbag, sighs and runs a hand through her shoulder-length brown hair before responding.

 

"Barely," she answers. "But she did get on that plane with me, which is why I came here to get both of us some food and get some air for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she’s far away from that SOB, but you know even an hour with my mother can drive anyone up the wall."

 

"Well, I’m sure deep-down Jolene’s grateful to be thousands of miles away from Wade," Sean says, reassuringly.

 

Tricia maneuvers her shoulders in a way that conveys her limited optimism. "Anyway," she says, wanting to change the subject completely. "I hear congratulations are in order. I heard from Courtney that Lenny and Elijah tied the knot."

 

Sean doesn’t hide his joy at the mention. 

 

"Yeah, one of my little girls is now a married woman—it’s still taking some getting used to. But after everything she’s been through, she deserves every bit of happiness."

 

Despite not being close to either of Sean’s children, Tricia knows how fearful he had been about whether or not Lenny would survive, though thankfully, a bone marrow transplant had been found.

 

A male bartender calls out a customer's name before either of them can say anything else.

 

"You alright?" Sean asks. He had been involved with Tricia too long not to notice that particular look on her face. "And before you say it isn’t anything, let me remind you that we used to be married."

 

She exhales deeply. "I guess I’m just preparing myself for the inevitable."

 

"Which is?" he asks curiously.

 

"That the cycle will happen again. She gets away from him. Wade decides to grow a temporary bout of conscience, which he uses to plead for forgiveness for the two-hundredth time. She feels guilty. After a few months, he gets upset over something and starts yelling and beating on her again... but this time, I don’t think she’s going to survive it."

 

Sean resists the urge to put his hands on her arms to calm her down. He’s now involved with Louise and isn’t sure if

Tricia would accept that gesture after everything they’ve been through.

 

"Look," he says gently, "I know that’s going to be on your mind but just focus on the important thing right now—that your mother is here, and Wade hasn’t caught up to her yet."

 

Tricia looks up at her former husband and gives a small nod.

 

The bartender’s voice rings out: "Orders for Sean and Tricia!"

 

The pair heads over to the bar to separately collect their orders. Sean turns to her. "I’m just a phone call away if you need someone to talk to."

 

Tricia grips the burgundy takeout bag in her hand and says, "Thanks."

 

The two of them walk in silence toward the exit of the restaurant.