“I was thinking that this is insanity!” I blurted, pointing to his office window and the civilized party beyond it, still taking place on the lawn just a few hundred feet away. “They just bring a bunch of Nazi families here and let them roam free and think everything is going to be fine?”

“Not every German was a Nazi, Lizzie,” he sighed.

“But some of those men were,” I said quietly. Cal inhaled sharply. “I’m willing to play the game in public, but when it’s just you and me, I shouldn’t have to pretend I don’t know that.”

“You call that playing the game?” Cal said, waving vaguely toward the window overlooking the party. “This new program is a golden opportunity for Huntsville and it’s a golden opportunity for me. I need your support in this.” I scoffed impatiently, and Calvin threw his head back in frustration. “Do you even know who you were shouting at down there?”

“Does it matter?” I exclaimed.

“It was Sofie Rhodes, Lizzie. Jürgen Rhodes’ wife.” Oh hell. Out of all the German scientists, there were only a handful that Calvin seemed particularly awed by—and Jürgen Rhodes was right at the top of that list. “He’s waited five years for her to join him here, and before I even had the chance to introduce myself, you started an argument with her.”

“She started the argument with me,” I muttered.

“It doesn’t matter!” he shouted, and I startled in surprise. Calvin squeezed his eyes closed and drew in a shaky breath. “Lizzie, you’re my wife. Even if you can’t support me, I need you to pretend you’re behind me all the way.”

“I am behind you,” I snapped. “But you were outraged at all of this too a few years ago. These men didn’t change—you did.”

I spun on my heel and left his office, slamming the door behind me. My temper ran hot even as I walked from the office building, across the lawn, and back to the party. As I returned, I was pleased to see the Rhodes family walking across the lawn toward the cars. It felt a little like Sofie Rhodes was running from our argument, and that was infinitely satisfying.

But Brianna was crying, sitting awkwardly on Becca’s lap, her face pressed into her mother’s neck. My heart contracted at the sight of her. Over the years, I had grown so fond of Brianna, and her sister Ava too.

“What’s all this?” I asked her, taking the seat beside Becca. Brianna pointed to a nasty scrape on her knee.

“That German girl pushed me over.”

Just as my anger started to fade, it burst back. Becca was shaking her head in disgust.

“I didn’t see it but Avril did. She said some Kraut kid came barreling around the tree and just pushed Bri over. She didn’t even apologize.”