I looked at Mom.
Then Kendra.
Neither asked Naomi whether she needed to sit down.
Neither offered her water.
Neither behaved like a woman standing ten feet away from us looked frighteningly ill.
That told me more than their words did.
I had spent years learning not to react before understanding the battlefield.
So I did something they clearly didn’t expect.
I smiled.
“I guess I picked one hell of a time to come home.”
Mom relaxed slightly.
Then I added, “Especially because I have some good news.”
Kendra’s eyes immediately sharpened.
“What kind of news?”
I shrugged.
“There was a dispute over some deployment compensation and retention pay. Finance finally approved it.”
Mom stared at me.
“How much?”
I pretended to hesitate.
“A little over three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
The change was immediate.
Mom’s face lit up.
Kendra actually laughed.
“Oh my God, Caleb!”
