He'd come. Despite the "always busy," despite the impossible schedule, he didn’t miss this moment.
"Daddy!" Millie's face transformed into something incandescent. "You came!"
He knelt right there on the gymnasium floor, ignoring the curious glances from other parents. "I wouldn't have missed it."
She flew into his arms, and he held her, his eyes closed, his whole body softening. This was the Nathaniel that existed beneath the superficial business endeavor. The one who’d kneel and hug his daughter as if it were the last time he’d ever hold someone.
He looked up at me over Millie's shoulder. "Thank you for being here with her."
"Of course." My voice came out steadier than I felt.
"I got a certificate," Millie announced, pulling back to show him the paper. "For participation. Miss Claire says participation is important."
"Miss Claire is very wise."
"She also says I should have gotten a medal for not laughing at Tommy."
"She's right about that, too."
A hand clapped Nathaniel's shoulder, and a tall, broad-shouldered man appeared beside us. He had a friendly, weathered face and kind eyes, dressed in a waxed jacket that smelled like autumn leaves and coffee.
"There's my favorite niece!" he boomed.
"Uncle James!" Millie detached from Nathaniel to hug this new arrival.
So this was James Reeves. The best friend.
I'd heard about him but never met him.
Nathaniel stood, his posture relaxing a fraction. "Claire, this is James. James, Claire Cross."
James shook my hand, his grip warm and firm. "The Claire. I've heard a lot about you."
"Only good things, I hope."
"Only that you've achieved the impossible, getting this one to discuss long divisionandeat vegetables." He winked at Millie. "That's superhero-level work."
"I have my methods," I said. "Mostly bribery."
"The best methods usually are."
I liked him immediately: his easy warmth, the way Nathaniel seemed lighter in his presence. But something shifted when James leaned closer to Nathaniel.
"Got a minute? Need to talk about something."
Nathaniel's expression flickered. "Now?"
"It's time-sensitive."
They stepped a few feet away, heads bent together. I busied myself helping Millie into her coat, but I watched from the corner of my eye. James's expression had gone serious, his hand on Nathaniel's shoulder in a way that looked more like support than greeting. Nathaniel listened, then said something that made James shake his head slowly.
Then Nathaniel glanced back at me, and something flickered across his face. Concern?
Before I could analyze it, he'd turned back to James, nodding once. The conversation ended with James clapping his back before saying goodbye to Millie and disappearing into the crowd.
When Nathaniel returned, his easy smile was reconstructed, but I'd learned to read the tension in his shoulders. Something was wrong.
"Everything okay?" I asked quietly.
