Chapters (54)
- Cover
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Epilogue
- A Note from the Author
- Discussion Questions
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Acclaim for David Rawlings
- Also by David Rawlings
Daniel rolled his eyes. “That conversation again. It’s only another couple of months until I can get the next book written. And to be honest, if you’re referring to something else, it’s better for us to have things out in the open with no secrets—”
Kelly leaped to her feet, plates and utensils crashing together as she snatched them from the table. “Now you’re doing it to me.” She stormed over to the kitchen sink. The entire house seemed to echo with the harsh wash of pounding water against polished stainless steel.
“I’m sorry, okay? I found out something today that could be the reason for her withdrawal, so I wanted to—”
Water flicked from the sink with Kelly’s intense rinsing. “You push her away every time you try to fix her.” She flung open the dishwasher door.
As Daniel placed glasses next to the sink, Kelly saw the flash of gold on his shirt cuffs. They were new.
“As I was about to say, I found out something today that might explain why she’s so down. A photo from her birthday party.”
Kelly’s scrubbing slowed. “What photo?”
Daniel raised a finger and headed toward his study, returning with an old briefcase. He placed it on the kitchen counter, thumbed in a combination, and popped open the clasps with a thunk. The smell of Old Spice wafted toward Kelly, waking memories of Gramps, as Daniel pulled out a small book. The pages groaned as Daniel flicked through them, before he held the book open for her to see. “Do you remember that?”
The pain she felt was like a knife slicing deep into her heart. Her daughter sat in her beautiful party dress at her own birthday celebration, tears shining on her cheeks. And Kelly had no idea it had happened.
“That’s why I was asking her about the party.”
“Why wouldn’t Gramps tell us?”
“It’s bad enough someone needed to.”
“I’m sorry. You didn’t tell me.”
Daniel’s brow furrowed. “There wasn’t time. There’s not a lot of time to tell you most things.”
A heavy silence collapsed on them as Kelly perused the photo album. In it were strange, colorless photos of people who seemed unaware of the camera’s presence. Gramps’s friend Garth in one of those participation fundraisers for homeless people. Gramps in his recliner, although it was no longer burgundy but a washed-out dull pink. She turned another page and stared at the stark reality of her marriage: her and Daniel sitting on their couch unhappy at what should have been a celebration. And something was under her hand.