“To do what?”
His face drained.
“Can we talk after dinner?”
“No.”
My sister, Maya, set down her fork.
Jake glanced around the table as if someone might rescue him.
“We were supposed to talk about it privately. Not give you a certificate in front of everybody.”
“Discuss what?”
“The possibility of updating the tattoo.”
“Removing it,” I said.
He didn’t correct me.
His mother folded her hands.
“Honestly, Stella, you’re making this far more dramatic than it needs to be.”
Maya stood.
“She put her dead mother on her shoulder. You bought her an eraser.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then tell me what you meant,” I said.
My mother-in-law turned to Jake.
“See? This is why I wanted you to speak to her.”
My chest went cold.
“You wanted him to persuade me?”
Jake finally met my eyes.
“I thought you’d at least consider it.”
I put the certificate back inside its envelope.
