39
An unexpected Christmas gift. 1975
When Connor mentioned his parents for the third time within a week three months before Christmas, Emilee paid attention. The one topic never discussed in the household on Morrell Avenue in Cowley, Oxford, was the O’Hannigans living in Annagassan.
Emilee bore them no ill will, other than indifference. Time lessens pain. They had chosen never to become part of Connor’s, Caitlynn’s, and her life—a loss all their own, in addition to denying her daughter the gift of grandparents.
Could it be?
She immediately prompted Connor for more news about his parents—when exactly had he last received word from them—but he became alarmed, realizing his slip, and turned into a sea anemone. For a brief moment, she had hoped. She was willing to forgive them, for Caiti
