Chapter 5

Daniel’s mother slid a casserole dish over the Board envelope before I had taken off my coat. The white corner remained visible beside her table runner, the red certified-mail stripe cut in half by the brown glass.

“Sit down, Mara. We can talk while the food is hot.”

I kept my coat on and took the chair across from Vanessa. Daniel sat beside her instead of beside me. His father opened the Bible near his plate, though no one bowed a head. Around them, aunts, uncles, and cousins filled every chair they could bring in from the kitchen.

Vanessa had…