Not guilt.
Not anything that immediately made me want to grab Ellie and leave.
Instead, he looked almost stunned.
Like he was staring at a face he recognized from somewhere very far away.
His hand remained frozen halfway toward the freezer.
Finally, he asked:
“You’re Ellie’s mother?”
“Yes.”
I kept my voice neutral.
I also positioned myself slightly between him and my daughter.
He nodded slowly.
Then he said:
“Sarah?”
Every hair on my arms stood up.
I had never told him my name.
As far as I knew, neither had Ellie.
“Do I know you?”
He gave a nervous little laugh.
“Probably not anymore.”
That answer somehow felt worse than if he had simply said yes.
Probably not anymore.
Meaning there had once been a time when I might have known him.
“What does that mean?”
My voice was sharper now.
He wiped his hands on a cloth inside the truck.
