Katie was thrilled to be seeing her grandmother. Lane had limited most of their visits to times when Dwight was away and she was uncomfortably aware that those visits were far too infrequent. It had been August when she was last in Washington, and as usual Dwight had not been there. But this year there was no refusing her mother’s invitation. She had said, “Lane, let’s get something clear. No more excuses about why you can’t come home for Thanksgiving. If you’re worried that Dwight will say one word about Eric Bennett, you can be assured that his lips are sealed. He knows how hard it is for me that you don’t like him. It’s about time you realized that. I loved your father dearly and I mourned him for ten years before I remarried. I’m very happy with Dwight, but very sad that you always avoid him.” All this was on Lane’s mind on the three-hour ride down from Penn Station to Washington.
