“How old were you?” Jacob asked.
“I don’t know. Seven or eight, I guess.”
They waited, letting her go at her own pace. Another shudder had him pulling her closer to him but her spine was stiff.
“He shouldn’t have said goodbye,” she said, her voice thick. “Who, Claire?” Ryan asked, afraid that he already knew. “My father. He should have known better.”
“But he came to say goodbye? Tell you that he was leaving?”
“He pretended it was just for the day, just his normal goodbye. But I could tell, he was so sad but determined. I knew he wasn’t coming back.” She burst up from his lap, nearly falling before gaining her feet. “Stupid, he was so stupid!”
Ryan rose and so did Jacob, both keeping out of her way, letting her tell it.
“I knew he wasn’t coming back and I cried. I begged him not to l
