A long silence ensued.
“Caitlynn...” Jan prompted. More sternly.
“Because... because she’s sogoodat everything!” Caitlynn’s lip was trembling now.
“But so are you!” Everyone in the room said that to Caitlynn. In genuine surprise.
“But I have totryreally hard. She just... she just isgood!”
And then to everyone’s astonishment, Caitlynn burst into noisy gulping tears.
“Oh, honey,” Eden and Jan said at the same time, to both girls, collectively.
Eden whipped out a wad of Kleenex, already primed at the top of her purse—she’d done that like a soldier loading a gun before she got here—and handed it to Jan, who handed it to Caitlynn, who snorkeled noisily into it while her mom circled her hand on her back.
“But I do have to try! And I have to tryhardin math,” Annelise said, and reached across her mom to gently pet Caitlynn’s arm. “Sometimes my mom even has to make me.”
Which was both funny and all too true.
“Is it all right if I say something? To both girls?” Gabe interjected.
Gabe’s voice was balm. Sunshine after rain. Precisely the right tone.
“Please do.”
“You two girls make your parents so proud. But that competitive streak—well, you know, it’s a good thing in many ways. It’ll help you excel, and I know you both want to excel. But you have to be in charge of it, and not let it be in charge ofyou. It’s better to excel for yourownsake. And remember, it takes real courage and maturity to be kind. You can still be a fierce competitor and a nice person. You can make each other better and stronger,” Gabe reiterated.
“It’s not always easy to be nice when you really want to win,” Annelise said sadly.
“Tell me about it, kiddo,” Eden said. “Trust me, it gets easier with practice, and we’re going to make sure you practice. You know how I know? I’m the same way. You’re your mother’s daughter, kid.”
Annelise always loved being called her mother’s daughter. Eden suspected this wouldn’t always be true. But for now she basked in Annelise’s breathtakingly sweet smile.
Which was part Jasper, that smile.
She wondered if Gabe noticed, too.
Jan cleared her throat. “I confess Caitlynn probably gets her competitive streak from me, too. Her dad is a little more laid-back, even though he’s a successful city councilman.”
Jan seldom missed an opportunity to slip that into conversation.
And yet it was clear that some of the tension was seeping out of her. She was a mom, after all. And while neurotic, she wasn’t insane. Or a monster.
“And Caitlynn...” Gabe began, then paused. As if considering—or reconsidering—what he was about to say.
He thumped his pencil a couple of times. Everyone waited.
At last he breathed in what sounded like a steadying breath, then exhaled. “I know that sometimes when we’re scared about losing something, or not being good enough, sometimes we lash out, but then we end up... end up feeling bad about it, and it’s worse than before. If you feel that way, it’s best to just be honest about it, rather than hurt someone... someone you... like.”
Eden stared at him wonderingly.
Hope flared like the sunlight in her chest. Its sudden presence made her realize how dark and cramped her life had felt without it. Without him.
But Gabe was deliberately not looking at her.
“Okay, Mr. Caldera,” Caitlynn said.
“One more thing,” Eden said. “I’d like to knowexactlyjust what Caitlynn said about your dad.”