been selected for the Founder’s Restoration Award.
For a long moment, she stood in her kitchen while Elowen sat on the floor attempting to put a wooden spoon into a rain boot.
‘Mama?’ Elowen asked.
Maren smiled before she realized she was crying.
‘We won something, darling.’
Elowen looked into the boot. ‘Spoon won?’
‘Yes,’ Maren said, laughing through the tears. ‘The spoon won.’
Jo insisted she attend.
‘You are not hiding because Nathan might be there,’ Jo said, standing in Maren’s bedroom with three dress bags hooked over one arm. ‘That man has taken enough rooms from you.’
‘I am not hiding.’
‘You were thinking about wearing black trousers and leaving early.’
‘That is strategy.’
‘That is cowardice with tailoring.’
So Maren chose the midnight-blue dress.
It had long sleeves, a clean neckline, and a skirt that moved like water. She wore her hair low at the nape of her neck and fastened the small sapphire earrings her mother had given her after Elowen was born. Elowen wore ivory tulle, soft gold shoes, and a tiny moon necklace that she refused to take off even for naps.
When they arrived at the ballroom, snow had begun falling outside the hotel windows.
Inside, everything glittered. Chandeliers threw warm light over white linens and polished silver. A string quartet played near the marble staircase. Waiters moved between donors with trays of champagne. People turned as Maren entered, some because they recognized her, some because Elowen looked like she had stepped out of a painting and was deeply suspicious of the entire event.
‘Too many lights,’ Elowen whispered.
‘Agreed,’ Maren whispered back.
They made it halfway across the ballroom before Nathan saw them.
He was standing near the front with Clara at his side. He wore a black tuxedo and the easy smile of a man accustomed to being admired. Clara wore a pale gold gown and diamonds that caught the light every time she moved her hand.
Nathan laughed at something a councilman said.
Then his gaze shifted.
The laugh died on his face.
Maren felt the moment pass through the room before anyone understood it. Nathan stared at her first. Surprise. Then something softer. Memory, maybe. Regret, perhaps. Then Elowen stepped from behind Maren’s skirt, holding her mother’s hand and looking around with Nathan’s unmistakable dark eyes.
Nathan’s champagne glass lowered.
Clara turned to follow his gaze.
Her expression changed slowly.
She looked at Maren. Then at Elowen. Then at Nathan. Her smile remained, but it no longer belonged to her face.
Elowen tugged Maren’s hand. ‘Mama, why is that man staring?’
The question was clear enough for the closest guests to hear.
Maren knelt, smoothing one curl behind Elowen’s ear.
‘Because some people recognize things late,’ she said softly.
Nathan took a step forward.
Clara caught his sleeve.
For one second, all four of them stood connected by the silence Nathan had created years ago.
Then the host tapped the microphone.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. We are beginning our awards presentation.’
Maren straightened. Her hand did not shake. That surprised her most.
Their table was near the stage, which meant she had to walk past Nathan and Clara. She did it slowly, not for drama, but because Elowen insisted on greeting every floral centerpiece as if
