“He said he would,” I said.

Lily looked down at her white socks for a long moment, then dragged her heel lightly across the rug.

“Dad said if you come, you have to text back so Claire can count the chicken,” Lily said.

“I know,” I said.

I reached over to the nightstand and pulled my phone off the thin charging cord.

The screen lit up bright in the dark room, showing the text thread from seven o’clock that morning.

The photo of the silver cardstock was still sitting there on the display, heavy and white against the dark glass.