Instead, I thanked Leo for the gingerbread cookie. I made no promises Jessi had not allowed me to make, and I walked back into the falling snow.
At my hotel downtown, I placed Jessi’s returned letter beside my phone.
Calling Wendy immediately would have satisfied my anger, but it would not have given Jessi or Leo what they needed from me.
They needed patience.
Stability.
Truth.
So I waited until Christmas morning.
When I called, Wendy answered cheerfully and immediately began talking about the family holiday brunch she had organized. She assumed I was still at my base in Virginia and had no idea I was standing inside a hotel room only ten miles away.
“Mom,” I interrupted. “I’m in town. And I just came from Jessi’s house.”
The silence was immediate.
“Ivan…” Her cheerful voice disappeared. “You shouldn’t be bothering that girl. The past is over.”
