“I turned this job down three times.”
Richard stared. “Three?”
Patricia answered before Mark could.
“Well, because moving away didn’t make sense.”
Mark looked at her.
“It didn’t make sense for you.”
Her face changed.
He reached beside his chair and placed a folder on the table.
Inside were contacts for a handyman, car service, lawn and snow companies, their accountant, a plumber, ride-share instructions, and a typed schedule of upcoming medical appointments.
Patricia flipped through it as though he had handed her deportation papers.
“You expect us to call strangers?”
“They’re businesses, Mom.”
“We have family.”
Mark paused.
“You have three children.”
“Your sisters live hundreds of miles away.”
“So will I.”
There it was.
She stared at him, and for the first time, I think she understood he wasn’t talking about an extended business trip.
Her face tightened.
“So this is about the anniversary.”
