“We weren’t ignoring you. We wanted to surprise you.”
“A surprise?”
I looked around the room.
“I was sitting alone at my table.”
Jason’s smile disappeared.
“Grant was supposed to pick you up,” he said. “He was handling that part.”
I looked at him.
“Where is Grant?”
Eliza’s eyes filled with tears.
“We thought…”
Sarah interrupted.
“Why is there a cop with you?”
Nobody answered.
I looked from face to face.
“I sat alone at that table,” I said quietly.
“Like an idiot.”
Mark’s face crumpled.
“Mom, we were trying to keep it a surprise.”
“Then why didn’t anyone call me?”
“We couldn’t,” Mark said.
“Why?”
“Because Grant said he was handling the pickup.”
I turned toward the officer.
“You gave me a note from my son.”
He nodded.
“You drove me here.”
Another nod.
“Where is he?”
The officer looked toward the parking lot.
“He’s not here yet.”
Jason frowned.
“He said he’d be here by seven.”
Mark pulled out his phone.
“He’s not answering.”
My stomach dropped.
I turned back toward the officer.
“Where is my son?”
Before he could answer—
another police cruiser rolled into the parking lot.
Headlights swept across the windows.
Everyone turned toward the parking lot.
The room went quiet.
The second cruiser stopped.
A door opened.
Footsteps approached the entrance.
Then the door opened.
Grant walked in.
But he wasn’t wearing the clothes I expected.
He was wearing a police uniform.
A badge was pinned to his chest.
Jason stared.
“No way.”
Sarah whispered his name.
“Grant…”
Eliza made a soft, broken sound.
Caleb just stared.
I looked at my son.
Then at the uniform.
Then back at his face.
“What are you wearing?”
Grant lifted both hands as if he were walking into a storm.
“Okay. Before anyone murders me…”
He gave me a nervous smile.
“Happy birthday, Mom.”
My mouth finally worked.
“What are you wearing?”
“A uniform.”
Mark stared at him.
“You’re a cop?”
Grant nodded.
“Yeah.”
Sarah exploded.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Grant flinched.
“She thought you were dead!”
His eyes snapped toward me.
“Mom, I’m sorry.”
I said nothing.
“I didn’t think,” he continued.
“I just wanted to surprise you by showing up here in my uniform. I thought it would be funny.”
“Funny?”
My voice cracked.
“You thought making your mother believe something terrible happened to you was funny?”
