He set down his glass. “You come home once in eight years and expect everybody to applaud?”
“No. I expected them not to tear my shirt off.”
He looked toward the ballroom. “Dad’s dedicating a major fund tonight. Don’t make the evening about yourself.”
“Then tell Vanessa to stop doing it for me.”
He stepped closer. “The board is finally trusting us with the leadership transition. One ugly scene could cause problems.”
I knew more about the foundation than my family realized. I had read its annual reports before agreeing to come. The new fund was advertised as support for service members recovering from injuries. I approved of the mission. I questioned its marketing, which placed my father in a photograph with a sailor he’d met for perhaps ninety seconds.
“Who designed the veterans’ fund?” I asked.
“Vanessa and I. We’ve been working on it for a year.”
“Did you speak to any injured service members?”
“We consulted professionals.”
“Who?”
His expression closed. “Don’t start interrogating me.”
That was answer enough.
Inside, a bell chimed to call guests to their seats. Grant straightened his jacket and went back in. He had come out to ask for silence, not to learn anything.
I stayed another minute.
Then I called Mercer.
“Can I ask you something?” I said when he answered. “When you meet someone who already knows exactly what you are, how do you decide whether to correct them?”
He was quiet long enough that I could hear traffic behind him.
“Depends,” he said. “Will correcting them protect anyone?”
I looked through the glass at the foundation’s banner.
“Possibly.”
“Then you have your answer.”
I returned just as dinner service began.
A young woman at the registration table approached me. Her badge said TESSA. She offered a sewing kit and an apologetic smile.
“I heard what happened,” she said. “I can find another jacket, too.”
“This one is perfect. Thank you.”
She glanced at the scar visible beneath the sleeve. “My dad has one like that. From an engine-room accident. Some days people stare.”
“How does he handle it?”
“Usually he tells them they can ask politely or mind their business.”
I laughed, the first genuine laugh I’d managed that evening.
