"No," David said, at the same time. He looked at his sister. "Thank you. Stay, if you can stand it. If Helen wants to come in, let her. This isn't a secret we're going to keep from Claire's mother. Not after that."
He sat on the other folding chair, so that he and his daughter were the same height. The boutonniere finally gave up and hung upside down. He did not notice. "When did you find it?"
"Last night. I was looking for the camping lantern because the porch light is out and I didn't want to tell you, because you get sad about things that don't work." She swallowed. "The box was under the workbench. Mom's writing. I charged the phone with the cord from the flashlight drawer. It took until morning. There's a voicemail icon. One. The date is on it. I listened. I shouldn't have listened without you. I know that. I was going to wait. And then I put on the dress and I thought about you saying the things Reverend Bell says, and I couldn't."
"You listened alone," Lauren said quietly. It was not an accusation. It was a grief of its own.
"Someone should have listened before today," Emma said.