“I know. I saved it so you could fix it.”

Mia decided that was acceptable.

Sloane arrived quietly and handed Elena a small envelope. Inside was another handwritten letter, longer than the first, with crossed-out words and smudged ink. Elena read it later in the hallway.

Dear Aunt Elena, I am sorry for calling your job lowly. I did not understand it, but that is not an excuse. Grandma Margaret made me volunteer at the hospital gift desk for two Saturdays. I saw nurses running everywhere, and one helped an old man who was scared because he couldn’t find his wife. She talked to him like he mattered. I thought about Mia. I thought about how I made her feel like she didn’t matter. I am sorry. Sloane.

Elena folded the letter carefully. When she came back to the dining room, Mia was laughing at something Parker had said. Margaret sat at the head of the table, watching the children with an expression somewhere between satisfaction and sadness.

Elena sat beside her. “You look tired,” Margaret said.