Chapter 8 - A Slice of Light
One year later, the private dining room at the Wexford Harbor Hotel was booked out for an entire evening.
There were no empty chairs this time.
The long mahogany table was surrounded by thirty people—not capos trembling in fear, but trusted friends, loyal lieutenants, Nora’s mother Colleen (now fully recovered and smiling brightly at the head of the table), and a very excited seven-year-old girl wearing a bright green dress that matched the color of a traffic light turning right before you were allowed to go.
At the center of the table sat a massive three-tier cake of dark chocolate and bitter espresso.
Silas Marrow sat in his wheelchair at the head of the board, looking across the room at the people who mattered. Standing right beside him, with one hand resting casually on the titanium armrest and the other holding a silver cake knife, was Nora.
"Make a wish!" Daisy commanded, thrusting a slightly wilted daisy flower directly into the frosting on the top tier, exactly where it belonged.
Silas looked down at the flower, then up at Nora, whose eyes were warm, bright, and entirely fearless.
May you like
For the first time in sixteen months, Silas Marrow closed his eyes, made a wish, and smiled.
And for the first time in his life, he knew it was going to come true.
