“In a way. We made a different life after that.”
“With Eli?”
“With Eli. With Uncle Daniel. With many people who helped us.”
She turned to Eli again.
“Were you a hermit?”
Eli blinked.
I nearly choked.
“Where did you hear that?” I asked.
“Uncle Daniel said Ryan called Eli the hot hermit and Mommy almost threw a spoon at him.”
Eli looked at me.
“Hot hermit?”
“Daniel added the adjective,” I said quickly.
Lily giggled.
Eli shook his head and returned to his carrots with wounded dignity.
That night, after Lily went to bed, I stood in the kitchen holding the panda mug.
Eli came up behind me.
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
I leaned back against him.
“Really. It’s strange. The story hurts less when I tell it without protecting Ryan.”
His arms came around me gently.
“You protected yourself today.”
“I protected Lily too.”
“Yes.”
The mug’s crack caught the kitchen light.
