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She gives me the look that has worked on me since childhood. “That wasn’t my question.”

My attention drifts toward Emma, who’s kneeling carefully beside Babs and helping her repair one corner of the sign with tape. “I’m nervous.”

Mom smiles. “Good.”

I look back at her. “That’s a strange response.”

“It means you understand this matters.”

She reaches up and fixes my collar even though I adjusted it twice in the car.

“Celeste would’ve hated all these cameras,” I say.

“She would’ve found the nearest service exit and left you here.”

“After stealing dessert.”

Mom’s smile deepens. “Definitely after stealing dessert.”

Claire appears at the door. “Five minutes.”

I nod, and she disappears down the corridor.

Mom gathers the girls and heads toward the auditorium. Emma crosses the room toward me.

“You read the speech again?” she asks.

“Several times.”

“And?”

“I still hate it.”

Her smile appears. “Then don’t give that speech.”

“Claire might resign.”

“She won’t. She enjoys telling you what to do too much.”

Emma reaches up and adjusts my tie.

I watch her hands. “Claire wrote a perfectly acceptable speech.”

“She wrote one for the CEO of Wolf Shield.”

“That’s who they’re expecting.”

“Maybe.” Her eyes lift to mine. “But today you’re telling them about Benny.”

I stop watching her hands on my tie.

Nobody at Wolf Shield calls me that. Mom does, Celeste did sometimes, but that’s it.

I glance toward the doors leading to the auditorium. “What if I screw it up?”

Emma takes my hand. “You told me the whole story in a car without preparing any of it.”

“That was different.”