piece of paper.
A child’s drawing.
Emma gasped.
“It’s the dragon!”
The governor smiled.
“My favorite one.”
The ballroom erupted into soft laughter.
Warm laughter.
Not mocking laughter.
The kind I hadn’t heard directed at me in years.
Then the governor faced my father.
“I hope you realize something, Mr. Bennett.”
Dad swallowed.
“What is that?”
The governor’s expression became serious.
“The person you’ve been trying to hide tonight is one of the kindest people my family has ever known.”
The silence that followed felt enormous.
I saw my mother’s
