So was the confidence he’d carried that morning when he’d demanded to know how I dared show up.
“Claire,” he said, “I don’t know how to fix this.”
I believed him.
That didn’t mean it was my job to teach him.
“Start by not making them responsible for making you feel better,” I said.
He looked through the glass doors toward Eli and Owen.
“Do you think they’ll ever give me a chance?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
He looked at me helplessly.
I continued, “But if you only show up because they’re winning, they’ll know. If you want a relationship with them, you’ll have to show up when nobody is handing them medals.”
Daniel lowered his eyes.
For once, he had nothing to argue with.
I left him there and went back inside.
The boys were waiting near the registration tables where the whole day had started.
That morning, Daniel had
