Denise looked disappointed.
Then she caught herself.
“Okay.”
That was the moment, more than her explanations in the conference room, when I first believed she might actually be capable of building something with him.
She let the unanswered question remain unanswered.
For Denise, that was growth.
When we finished, Ethan asked Jonathan if Lily liked chess.
“She knows how to move the pieces,” Jonathan said.
“That wasn’t the question.”
“No. She does not like chess.”
Ethan sighed.
“Unfortunate.”
“She may survive without it.”
“Statistically, yes.”
Outside the shop, Denise hesitated before getting into Jonathan’s car.
“Tomorrow?” she asked Ethan.
He looked at me.
I let him answer.
“Lunch.”
Denise smiled.
“Lunch.”
“No surprises.”
“Agreed.”
“No cake with declarations.”
“I promise.”
“Jonathan can come.”
Jonathan placed a hand over his heart.
“An honor.”
Ethan looked at Denise.
“And Mom.”
“Obviously.”
I smiled at the word.
Obviously.
Ten years of motherhood distilled into an assumption so secure it no longer required explanation.
