“You work Saturdays.”
“Not tomorrow.”
“Good.”
He placed Ellie into the car.
His phone buzzed.
Marissa.
He did not answer.
Then a message.
You made me disappear tonight.
Grant stared.
Another.
Exactly like Anna always made me disappear.
He locked the phone.
Not now.
The next morning began with pancakes.
Grant burned the first batch.
Ellie laughed.
“Mom was right.”
“Your mother lied professionally.”
“She said you burn them.”
“She exaggerated.”
He threw a black pancake into the trash.
“Evidence destroyed.”
Ellie giggled.
It was her seventh birthday weekend.
Grant had planned a large Sunday party.
Magician.
Ponies.
Children from school.
A custom cake.
Ellie asked to cancel.
“All of it?”
She nodded.
“Why?”
“I don’t want people.”
Grant almost asked whether that was healthy.
Then stopped himself.
“What do you want?”
“Grandma.”
“Easy.”
“Rosa.”
Grant’s throat tightened.
“We can ask.”
“Otis.”
“Already lives here.”
“And you.”
He smiled sadly.
“Budget allows.”
She thought.
“Can I have chocolate cake?”
“You hate chocolate.”
“I changed.”
Children had that right.
So did adults.
On Sunday, Rosa returned to the Holloway house.
Ellie ran across the foyer.
Rosa cried before the girl reached her.
They hugged.
Grant stood back.
When Rosa finally looked at him, shame appeared on her face.
“I should have told you.”
Grant shook his head.
“I should have made it possible.”
Rosa stared.
He continued.
“You thought messages from me told you not to interfere.”
“Yes.”
“I wasn’t there enough to make those messages unbelievable.”
Rosa’s eyes filled.
“That does not make what Mrs. Holloway did your fault.”
“No.”
Grant nodded.
“But it makes part of what happened my responsibility.”
Evelyn, carrying cake plates, said, “Good. Therapy language before noon.”
Grant stared.
“Mother.”
“What?”
Ellie laughed.
The birthday was small.
Six people.
Chocolate cake.
No photographers.
No foundation staff.
No matching outfits.
Ellie wore pajamas until three in the afternoon.
At sunset she opened the final gift.
Not from Grant.
From Anna.
Grant had almost forgotten the recordings.
During her last year of treatment, Anna created birthday videos for Ellie.
One for each birthday through eighteen.
Grant kept them encrypted on a private storage system.
He had played the earlier ones.
Five.
Six.
This year’s had disappeared from his calendar.