Her thumb found the seam of her shirt, then moved away from it.

“Okay.”

I did not promise that every future birthday would look exactly like this one.

Contact arrangements could be reviewed through the proper process.

The accounting still held items requiring further work, and questions about possible misconduct remained with the people responsible for them.

None of that gave Richard or Patricia permission to ignore the conditions already in place.

None required Emily to make an adult feel better before she could enjoy her evening.

She asked for another piece.