“Mom, you’re going to love this!” Tom’s voice had that forced, high-pitched excitement I remembered from when he was twelve and trying to convince me he hadn’t broken a window with his baseball.

“Love what, honey?” I asked, settling into my chair at the kitchen table, Frank’s empty seat across from me.

“Lucas won second place at the district science fair! His solar-powered water filtration system beat sixty other kids!”

“That’s wonderful!” And it was. My grandson was a brilliant, compassionate boy. “He must be so proud.”

“He is! But here’s the thing,” Tom’s voice got that rushed quality it always gets when he’s building up to an ask. “The awards assembly is tonight, and Lucas specifically asked if Grandma Helen could come. Afterward, Jessica thought we could all come back to our place, order pizza, make it a real family night.”