87

I looked over at her as I chewed my food, watching as she set her salad down. She looked at me with pride in her eyes, and I wondered what had her so worked up in all the best ways.

“I talked with your father. And meetings are going well. He said he’s going to video conference in tonight and hang around with us. I have the laptop in the car, I’ll just have to go out and bring it up here once he tells me he’s ready. He’s going to text, I’ll get the laptop, then boom! Howard’s here with us.”

She beamed with happiness, and I tried to give her the kindest smile I could. But I knew how my father worked. He’d get busy with something, or pissed off at something, and suddenly he’d forget all about me. I didn’t have the slightest bit of hope he’d video conference in, much less remember to text Cecilia about it. But she looked so happy about it. So bright and vibrant with hope.

I didn’t have the heart to destroy it.

“That sounds great. It’ll be nice to see him.”

She picked her salad back up. “H