Chương 13
Daniel stopped near the fountain.
“I told Mother I won’t attend Thanksgiving,” he said.
Emily looked at him. “Because of me?”
“Because I don’t want to.”
“That may be the first boundary you’ve set without assigning me as its cause.”
“I was hoping for a parade.”
“The budget is tight.”
He smiled.
They continued walking.
Daniel said, “I’m thinking about leaving active duty.”
“That’s a large decision.”
“Yes.”
“Are you making it because you weren’t promoted?”
“Partly.”
“Because of the review?”
“Partly.”
“Because your mother wants you to stay?”
He looked at her. “Also partly.”
Emily slipped her hands into her coat pockets.
“What would you do?” she asked.
“I’ve been offered a position with a logistics company in Jacksonville.”
“Do you want it?”
“I don’t know. But I’m trying to learn the difference between not wanting something and wanting to disappoint Mother.”
“That seems expensive.”
“The salary is decent.”
Emily laughed.
At the edge of the park, they stopped beside her car.
Daniel looked toward the chain at her neck. The ring had shifted above her collar.
“I don’t expect you to put that back on,” he said.
“I know.”
“I also don’t want us to stay married because my life changed and you feel guilty.”
“I don’t.”
“That was quick.”
“I have other reasons to hesitate.”
“Do any involve love?”
Emily looked at him.
“Yes.”
The word did not repair anything. It made the damage harder to dismiss.
The fundraiser arrived in November.
The center had been operating for six months. More than four hundred families had used its services. Transportation vouchers brought spouses from rural counties. Children attended weekend support groups. Veterans met with counselors in rooms where no one asked them to speak before they were ready.
The budget gap remained, but it had narrowed.
A shipping company agreed to sponsor the fundraiser. Local businesses donated food and auction items. One restaurant offered a year of free appetizers, which Marlene described as a threat disguised as generosity.
The event was held in the recovery center courtyard.
There was no velvet.
Emily arrived through the front entrance.
Reporters waited near the rope barriers, fewer than before but enough to tighten her chest. She wore a dark blue dress rather than a uniform. Her hair was still arranged in a low bun. Daniel stood near the lobby doors in a civilian suit.
He had submitted his separation papers from active duty two weeks earlier.
Victoria had not spoken to him since.
Tyler attended alone. He had sent Nora three settlement proposals and one bouquet large enough to frighten her sister’s cat. Nora rejected the proposals and kept the flowers because, as she told Emily, “The roses didn’t sign the prenup.”
Colonel Whitmore greeted guests near the plaque.
When Emily approached, he glanced at her shoes.
“No polished black leather,” he said.
“I’m off duty.”
“You were never under my command.”
“You behaved as though everyone was.”
“That is unfair.”
“You sound like Daniel.”
Whitmore grimaced. “Then I withdraw the objection.”
Marlene crossed the lobby carrying a box of name tags. “Emily, table seven has decided the silent auction rules violate capitalism.”
“I’ll notify Congress.”
“Ask them to bring a lamp.”
The courtyard filled gradually.
Families who had used the center stood beside donors who had only read about it. Officers spoke with social workers. Children leaned over the fountain until volunteers redirected them. The brass band played softly near the flag, which moved in a colder wind than it had on dedication day.
Emily saw Victoria fifteen minutes before the program began.
She stood beyond the rope barrier in an ivory coat.
For a moment, Emily believed she had imagined her.
Victoria held no invitation.
Daniel noticed her at the same time.
His body became still.
Tyler moved toward the entrance, but Victoria lifted one hand. She did not cross the barrier.
Emily walked outside.
Daniel followed two steps behind, then stopped. The choice to let Emily reach Victoria alone was so different from the old pattern that she noticed it immediately.
Victoria’s face looked thinner. Her blonde hair was shorter, though still carefully styled. She held a small envelope.
“I did not come to create a scene,” she said.
“That is a promising start.”
Victoria accepted the remark without reaction.
“I heard the fundraiser had not reached its target.”
“We’re close.”
“I would like to contribute.”
Emily looked at the envelope. “Through the foundation?”
“Personally.”
“Anonymously?”
Victoria’s mouth tightened.
Emily waited.
“Yes,” Victoria said.
The word cost her.
“How much?”
“Enough to close the remaining gap.”
Emily felt no triumph. Only caution.
“Why?”
“Because the center is useful.”
“That sounds painful to admit.”
“It is not.”
“Victoria.”
The older woman looked toward the plaque behind Emily.
“I visited three weeks ago,” she said. “Without announcing myself.”
“Marlene didn’t tell me.”
“I asked her not to.”
“What did you see?”
“A young woman in the kitchen trying to convince her husband to attend a trauma group. He refused to leave the car.” Victoria looked down at the envelope. “She sat beside him in the parking lot for nearly an hour. A staff member brought them coffee.”
Emily waited.
“Daniel’s father came home from Kuwait and slept in his office for six months,” Victoria said. “He told everyone the bedroom was too warm. I knew that was not true, but I accepted it because asking the correct question might have produced an answer I could not manage.”
Emily had known Robert Parker only briefly before his death from a heart attack. He had been polite, distant, and fond of crossword puzzles. No one had ever spoken of Kuwait.
Victoria continued. “When he became angry, I told Daniel and Tyler not to upset him. When he stopped attending school events, I said he was busy. I protected the family.”
Her voice faltered on the last word.
“No,” Emily said. “You protected the appearance of one.”
Victoria’s eyes lifted.
“Yes.”
May you like
The admission was almost inaudible.
Wind moved the flag above them.
