I thought that would teach her a lesson. I never imagined it would spark a war.
“Go ahead. Open it.”
A nervous laugh moved through the yard.
Vanessa forced one of her own.
“Oh my gosh, Claire. This is so dramatic. I was joking.”
“No, you weren’t. You told me to prepare for divorce because you were going to take him.”
That killed the laughter.
She turned toward Irvin as if she expected him to rescue her from the moment she’d created. She was so confident that for a moment I wondered if my “gift” was about to backfire.
That killed the laughter.
He walked over and put his arm around me instead.
“Claire’s right,” he said. “Don’t call me for things around your house anymore. If something breaks, use one of those numbers.”
Vanessa’s face went red.
I didn’t make a speech. I took Irvin’s hand, and we left together.
