Shadow of Her: When He Realized Too Late novel · Chapter 10 of 16
Chapter 10: The Toast
Beside me, the girl with the braid went very still.
Jillian smiled out at four hundred people.
"I found these kids myself," she said. "I've watched them grow. I've watched them learn to crack an egg without getting shell in the bowl."
A soft laugh went around the room.
"Some of them came to us with nothing," Jillian said. "No kitchen at home. No one to show them. Second Kitchen gave them a family."
She pressed her hand to her heart.
The donors applauded.
At the head table, Langston clapped too.
He was looking up at her the way he'd looked at her on my stairs.
The quiet boy leaned toward me.
"Miss Annie," he whispered. "Did she say she found us?"
"She did."
"She found me in a flyer my school counselor put in my backpack." He frowned. "You gave that flyer to the counselor. I watched you."
"I know."
On stage, Jillian lifted her glass.
"I'm so sorry my kids couldn't be here tonight," she said.
"I wanted them to have this moment. But sometimes we have to put the donors first, and I made that hard call."
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–8 of Shadow of Her: When He Realized Too Late are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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