Chapter 19: Cocktail Hour

"It's a beautiful ring," Lena said.

She said it warmly, to Kendall's face, in front of the whole room.

Kendall's smile held, but a flush went up her neck.

"Thank you. Joan insisted."

"I'm sure she did."

Lena turned to the fireplace as if nothing had happened, and Hannah stepped into her place without being asked.

"Cheese?" Hannah said, and put a plate in Kendall's hand.

I stood by the window with a club soda and watched my mother work the room.

She had the bank president on her left and the board member on her right.

She had her hand on the priest's sleeve, and she was laughing at something he said.

Kendall drifted after her, and each time my mother turned, there was Kendall at her shoulder.

It was a good performance, and I had once believed all of it.

At a quarter to six, Dale crossed the room and stood beside Kendall by the sideboard.

He did not have a glass.

He folded his big arms and waited until the bank president turned to see why.

"Kendall," he said.

"Dale, hi!"

"When's the baby due?"

It was a perfectly ordinary question.

Kendall's smile came up quickly.

"June," she said. "Early June."

"Congratulations." He nodded slowly. "Whose name does it get?"

The bank president stopped talking.

"Dahlberg, of course," Kendall said. "What a thing to ask."

"My brother hasn't said it's his."

The priest looked at his shoes.

I watched Kendall's face, because I wanted to see what she did when no one had written her a line.

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