“I just got here.”
Her lips pressed tight. “Tonight is important. There will be donors. The pastor. Council members. Your father wants everything flawless.”
What she meant was clear. Don’t embarrass us.
Then she leaned closer.
“I heard you left the Navy.”
I said nothing.
She smiled like she’d proven something. “At least it sounded respectable when you were still in.”
In the kitchen, my dad stood over a stack of papers. Seating charts, programs. He looked older. More gray. Still hiding behind details when things got uncomfortable.
“Andrea.”
“Hi, Dad.”
“You made it.”
“I said I would.”
He nodded, but before anything real could be said, Gladys stepped in again.
“She’ll sit quietly in the back,” she added brightly.
“I’ll be there,” I said.
A few minutes later, she handed me a dish towel like I worked there. While I cleaned up, my father took a call and straightened immediately.
“Yes, sir. Thank you. We’ll be ready. Six o’clock.”
When he hung up, Gladys leaned in again.
“And don’t wear anything military tonight. You’ll only confuse people.”
I stepped outside after that just to breathe. My fingers brushed the edge of a plain card in my coat pocket. Smooth. Official. I left it there.
By evening, the Veterans Hall was packed. Trucks filled the lot. Inside, the air smelled like coffee, polished floors, and old wood. Flags lined the walls. Folding chairs filled quickly. Conversations buzzed with familiarity and gossip.
I moved toward the back, just like I planned.
That’s where the whispers found me again.
“That’s Robert Montgomery’s daughter.”
