“What if they ask why you didn’t make sure he knew about the twins?”

“Then I’ll explain.”

“All of it.

Including the parts you wish you’d handled differently.”

I nodded.

I could acknowledge that communication had broken down without accepting that his contempt for a daughter was an inevitable result of something I had done.

At the hearing, I sat beside Dana and kept my hands flat on the file.

For years, I had reviewed bids and asked people to justify a choice.