Miguel laughed once, but there was no humor in it. "People leave chargers. They forget a jacket. A toothbrush means he planned to come back."
She did not deny it. By five that afternoon, the welcome-home dinner Sofia had planned was still on the stove untouched. Miguel took Lucia to a neighborhood burger restaurant instead. He did not tell Sofia to leave, and he did not leave permanently himself, because he had been home less than four hours and refused to make a custody decision in the blast radius of discovery. He needed air, distance, and above all a way to keep Lucia from believing her honesty had caused whatever came next. So he told Sofia they would be gone for dinner and asked her not to call Daniel.
"I'm not calling him," she said. Miguel held her gaze. "I need more than your word now."
At the restaurant, Lucia colored on the children's menu and asked twice whether he was still staying home for Thanksgiving. The question told Miguel exactly how insecure his schedule had made her. He promised he was home for three weeks unless there was an emergency and watched relief cross her face. Then she asked, "Is Mom mad because I took the watch?" Miguel put down his burger.
"No. Mom isn't mad at you." "She told me not to talk."