The Wedding She Survived novel · Chapter 16 of 24

Chapter 16: Volunteer of the Year

"Unfit," I said. "Who decides that?"

"A court," the woman said. "On the petition of someone with standing. Under this will, the only ones with standing are the board."

"And will the board file?"

She took off her glasses.

"This board will strike that clause on Monday," she said. "I'll put it in writing before you leave the building."

She did.

She handed me the page herself, and Killian folded it into his jacket without a word.

In the elevator, he put his hand low on my back, and it stayed there all the way down.

I thought about that hand for the rest of the day, in the car, at the pharmacy, in the line at the bank.

At six o'clock, the church held its harvest supper.

My mother's name was on the program.

Volunteer of the Year, it said, in gold ink, Maureen Gleeson.

I hadn't spoken to her in two days.

I went anyway, with the kids in their good clothes and Killian beside me, because I wanted her to see all four of us walk in.

The parish hall was loud and warm, with folding tables and paper turkeys and a hundred people eating baked beans.

My mother sat at the head table in her blue cardigan, between the pastor and the woman in the green sweater.

She saw us come in.

She went very white, and then she smiled at the room.

"Willa!" a church lady called. "Your mother was just telling us about the little ones."

"Was she?"

"She says she raised four children, counting you."

Someone laughed.

The pastor stood and tapped his glass, and the hall hushed.

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