Maddie looked at the box.
“Mom,” she said. “What’s in there?”
“A pie,” I said. “And a few other things.”
“Are you going to make a scene?”
I thought about it.
“Not the kind you think,” I said.
Maddie looked at me for a long moment. Then she nodded.
“Can I come?”
“No,” I said. “This is between me and her.”
“Mom.” She put her hand on my arm. “Whatever happens. I’m proud of you.”
I walked into Vanessa’s backyard at four fifty-five.
Uninvited.
I didn’t knock. I just opened the gate in the fence between our yards and walked through it. Carrying a large white gift box with a blue ribbon.
The conversations around me slowly stopped.
It happened in a wave. First the Pratts, who were standing closest to the gate. Then the Johnsons by the grill. Then the people at the long table with the white tablecloth. One by one, they turned around and looked at me.
