A major I recognized.
Even a lieutenant colonel near the cooler.
I hadn’t been home twelve hours, and somehow I was the guest.
Evelyn moved through the crowd effortlessly, touching shoulders, smiling warmly, laughing at exactly the right moments.
Perfect.
Always perfect.
“Harper,” she called loudly enough to turn heads.
Performance time.
I walked forward calmly.
Every person who looked at me seemed to perform the same quick assessment.
Posture.
Expression.
Condition.
They were trying to match me to whatever version of me they had already heard about.
Evelyn gave me a quick hug.
Too quick to mean anything.
“We’re so proud of you,” she said just loud enough for the nearby group to hear.
I didn’t hug her back.
“Didn’t know I was getting a welcome party,” I said.
Her smile tightened.
“Oh, it’s just a small thing. You know how your father likes to keep connection strong.”
