For a moment I thought he would demand that I explain myself.

Instead, he lowered his hand and sat down.

Vanessa began whispering at once.

And my mother, who had urged me to smile and not embarrass anyone, looked as though she wanted the floor to open beneath her.

PART 8

After dinner, Marcus and I stepped outside for photographs under the string lights.

The barn’s old stone walls held the day’s warmth, and the meadow beyond the parking lot was beginning to fill with mist.

I could hear the music through the open doors.