Chapter Eighteen
The following morning at her mother’s insistence and encouragement, Emma went into work without a bra. She had an excuse at the ready in case anyone asked her, but no one did. The looks and whistles she received from her male patients reassured her she had done the right thing. Several nurses quietly congratulated her on her lowered bust line. It turned out to be nowhere near as nerve-wracking as she had anticipated. Her initial nervousness and embarrassment were set aside and replaced with a new confidence she hadn’t known about herself. She didn’t realize it until later, but she had taken another step toward assuming her mother’s persona. On the way home that evening, she looked forward to going in again tomorrow.
The kitchen door stood open. The house was silent when
