I had spent the entire afternoon preparing dinner.
The roast chicken was already in the oven. The potatoes were seasoned and ready. On the counter sat my mother's lemon pie recipe card, worn and stained after decades of use.
When your only son tells you he is bringing home the woman he plans to marry, you don't serve something rushed. You make the evening special.
I wanted Claire to feel welcome.
I never imagined she would walk into my home wearing something that would leave me speechless.
A Familiar Necklace
Will arrived first, smiling from ear to ear.
Claire followed behind him.
She was warm, polite, and immediately easy to like.
As I helped them with their coats, Claire removed her scarf.
That was when I saw it.
A gold necklace rested against her collarbone.
At first, I thought it was simply similar to my mother's old heirloom.
Then I noticed the details.
The oval pendant.
The deep green stone.
The delicate engraved leaves around the edge.
And most importantly...
The tiny hidden hinge on the left side.
My stomach dropped.
I knew that necklace.
Because twenty-five years earlier, I had placed it inside my mother's coffin before her funeral.
