Instead, he asked what color she would paint her bedroom if she had one.

“Green,” she answered immediately.

“The color of growing things.”

Her mother watched her with an expression Nathaniel would remember long afterward: fierce love resting beside a fear she did not dare say aloud.

PART 7
The Job Application

When the meeting ended, Hannah confessed that she had a promising interview on Tuesday with a regional hospital.

The opening was for patient scheduling, nearly identical to the work she knew.

Her resume was printed and ready.