“Daniel and I have been fighting,” she said.

“He says you made us look foolish.

I told him you can’t cancel fourteen years of help without us noticing.” She stopped and looked toward the window.

“But I’ve been thinking about Christmas.” I waited.

“It was wrong to laugh,” she admitted.

“And it was wrong to leave you outside.” The words were plain and unadorned.

I had expected excuses, so their simplicity made me wary.

Claire told me her parents had complained that I asked too many questions about their spending.