Jesse’s dismissive response confused her. After all this time, she’d hoped their meeting would go another way, that he would want to know how she was at least and not be so distant, if not hostile.

Mira caught him glimpse back at what they’d left behind and she realized his anger hadn’t been because of her. Without them, the party’s evening had continued on its rhythm. Following the future bride and groom, the guests had joined the dance floor. From this distance, the bodies hovered like glittering orbs circling around each other under the lighted tent. A cacophonous harmony of laughter and music swelled into the night. Jesse’s eyes held the hint of someone mournful, and Mira imagined in a way he was. Maybe he’d come believing it would have gone differently than it had, that after all this time they wouldn’t continue to hold him to his past, but the past was always there. For him, for all of them.

“I’m sorry for what happened back there,” Mira continued.

“You shouldn’t apologize. It’s not your fault. It’s theirs.”

Jesse tried to play it off, but Mira kept on, pushing further. “Celine should have stuck up for you. She should have done something. I can’t believe she sided with her father. Why’d she invite him anyway? After he—”

Mira faltered as she wondered if Jesse knew. He’d have no way of knowing unless Celine had told him, and why would she have when she’d never even told her? As a child, Celine had been good at covering for her father—Celine rarely invited either of them over, and when she did, it was when he was long gone, making his drive to work at the paper factory two counties over, and they never questioned her actions because they both assumed it was because her father never wanted them there, and they knew enough not to push for more truth, and Celine never offered any beyond what she must have imagined they assumed.

“Celine hates him. Or I thought she did.”

“Yeah, well—he’s still her family, and you know as well as I do roots mean something to these people, even if the core is rotted.”

“I would have thought you’d want nothing to do with any of this. I don’t get why you’re here.”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“Celine convinced me. She called and I didn’t know how to tell her no.”

Jesse laughed. “Sounds right. She was always hard to say no to.”

“That’s not what I mean. You’re right, but I—I think I had to come back. So much felt unresolved. Feels unresolved.”

“Is that right?”