“Which was?”
“Mason deserved something that belonged to him.”
I looked away.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Maybe because it’s true.”
The words hurt.
I wanted him to apologize.
Instead, I wanted the truth more.
“Did you think I would ruin it?”
David didn’t answer.
That was an answer.
I laughed bitterly.
“Wow.”
“Claire.”
“No. Say it.”
“I thought you would help.”
“That sounds nice.”
“It isn’t.”
I looked at him.
David leaned forward.
“You would have helped aggressively.”
Despite myself, I almost smiled.
“You would have researched grants. You would have found better software. You would have called specialists. You would have asked whether the cards were evidence-based.”
“I probably would have.”
“You definitely would have.”
He reached for my hand.
This time I let him take it.
“You are the reason Mason has so many tools,” David said. “You fought schools when they didn’t listen. You found doctors who treated him with respect. You learned everything you could.”
