The tea smelled ripe and juicy. Mallory poured herself a large cup and shook a packet of sugar in it while she waited for her sister to look up. “Oh dear God, you’re glowing,” Colleen said, putting the phone down to pour herself a cup of tea. “I took the liberty of ordering the appetizer platter, but feel free to get anything else.” “I think I’ll fill up on the hummus and olives.” “That’s what I figured. So tell me why you were grilling me about my charitable donations last night when you could have been drilling Mad Max.” “I want to open an outreach program and a shelter for abused women.” “In your spare time?” “For Max’s mom, David’s mom, and for me. If we’d had a safe place to go where someone understood what we were going through, it would have made all the difference in the world.” “There are hundreds of places like that. You didn’t go to a shelter. What’s going to make this one different from the ones already out there?” “Your name.”
