"The food's ready," she said. "Let's eat while it's still hot."
Shannon reached across the table and squeezed my hand briefly—a gesture of thanks or apology or understanding, I couldn't tell which. Maybe all three .
I nodded at her, silently communicating that it was fine; Then I tried to gently withdraw my hand, intending to return to a more neutral, less physically intimate position .
But Shannon's fingers tightened around mine, holding on with surprising strength for someone who'd been using a walking stick moments ago.
"I'm so hungry, Mom," she said brightly, her eyes fixed on Carmen while completely ignoring the pointed look I was giving her .
I tried pulling my hand back more insistently, but she just gripped harder, her fingers interlacing with mine in a way that made extracting myself without making a scene nearly impossible. What the hell was she doing?
