“You do what you think is important,” Mark said, his voice gruff and unfeeling. “If you decide I qualify, then you know where I’ll be.”
An audible click signaled the end of their conversation. Furious that Mark had hung up on her, Heather slammed the phone on the counter. She seized the last box and dropped it on the table. The contents rattled within, protesting the rough treatment. Digging her fingernails under the strapping tape, Heather tore off the tape and pulled aside the lid. She wadded the used tape into a tiny ball in anger, crushing it in her hand.
“Heather?”
Echoing in the silent kitchen, her mother’s voice startled Heather. She discovered Lauren standing in the archway leading into the living room. Arms crossed, her mother’s eyes watched Heather.
“Why don’t you just stop w
