“You made the frozen pizza.”
“I turned on the oven.”
“That is not making.”
“I supervised.”
Nora smiled again.
Daniel took her wet suitcase toward the laundry room.
“Bathroom is down the hall. Chloe can find you dry clothes.”
Chloe’s eyes widened.
“My clothes won't fit.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Nora laughed.
“Probably not.”
Chloe examined her.
“You're taller.”
Daniel intervened before his daughter conducted a complete physical inventory.
“I have some of Laura's things in the hall closet.”
The room changed.
Nora’s smile disappeared.
Daniel regretted saying the name.
Chloe noticed.
“Mom?”
Daniel looked at his daughter.
“Yeah.”
“Is Mom coming?”
“No.”
Chloe nodded.
She was too used to that answer.
Daniel hated it.
“I'll get a robe,” he said.
Nora stood near the couch, wet hair dripping onto her white dress.
“Daniel.”
He stopped.
“Can we talk first?”
He looked at Chloe.
His daughter understood adult tone better than children were supposed to.
“I'll go check Pepper.”
“The fish doesn't require checking every six minutes.”
“He looked lonely.”
She disappeared anyway.
Daniel waited until her bedroom door closed.
Then set the envelope on the kitchen table.
Nora followed the sound.
“Is Chloe Laura’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
“How old?”
“Nine.”
Nora sat slowly.
Daniel remained standing.
“How do you know Laura?”
Nora’s hands folded together.
Daniel saw them shaking.
“Three weeks ago, the woman who raised me died.”
He pulled out the chair opposite her.
“I’m sorry.”
“Her name was Evelyn Whitfield.”
“Your mother?”
“My mother in every way that mattered.”
Daniel nodded.
Nora continued.
“She adopted me when I was five months old.”
“You knew?”
“That I was adopted?”
“Yes.”
“My whole life.”
“Did you know who your biological mother was?”
“No.”
“Not until Evelyn died.”
Nora ran one thumb over the other.
“She left records.”
“Letters.”
“A name.”
Daniel already knew.
Still he asked.
“Laura?”
Nora nodded.
The kitchen seemed suddenly too quiet.
“I found her through an address on an old legal file.”
“What did you do?”
“I wrote.”
“Did she answer?”
“After two weeks.”
“What did she say?”
“That she needed time.”
Daniel's anger rose.
He kept it contained.
“Then?”
“She called three days ago.”
Nora swallowed.
“She asked to meet.”
“Where?”
“A restaurant in Silver Creek.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
Daniel leaned back.