Something in my tone made him hesitate. Not fear—Curtis didn’t do fear—but confusion. The kind that comes when control slips by a fraction.
He dropped them onto the table with a scoff. “Unbelievable. You disappear for an hour on Christmas Day and—”
“No,” I said.
One word.
Clean. Final.
The room tightened.
“I didn’t disappear,” I continued. “I went to three stores because your sister decided at the last minute that what I had already prepared wasn’t good enough.”
Patricia opened her mouth. I didn’t look at her.
“And I went,” I added, “because for thirty-two years, I’ve been trained to fix whatever makes this family uncomfortable.”
Silence.
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