“You look beautiful, Mom,” Noah said, his voice soft but steady.
For a single, brief moment, the knot in my throat loosened. The clean, cold taste of the lemon water helped clear the dry taste of fear from my mouth, and the warmth of the restaurant heater hummed behind my chair.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” I said, looking at the three of them.
“Where is Dad?” Jake asked, his eyes still fixed on the empty chair.
“He is just parking the car,” I said, looking down at my gold wedding band.
“But there were three open spots right by the front door when we walked in,” Lily said, her forehead creasing again.
I kept my eyes on the white tablecloth, tracing the hem of the napkin with my thumb. I could not tell them that he had stopped the car in the dark, blocks away, just to tell me I looked like a desperate joke.
“He wanted to find a safer spot,” I said, the lie tasting like ash. “You know how he is about the paint on that car.”
