Evangeline quickly shook her head, the sharp movement scattering the lingering drops on her eyelashes.
She drew a deep, ragged breath through her nose, her jaw clenching with a sudden, fierce determination as she decided to wipe off all negative thoughts from her mind. She had no right to drag the ghosts of the past into the clean, bright space her son had just built for them.
She reached up with the hem of her apron, pressing the rough fabric firmly against her eyes until the skin stung, forcing the weakness back down into the dark corners of her memory where it belonged.
'Today's a good day…' she thought, stabilizing her breathing. 'I shouldn't ruin it by thinking about they… idiot.'
The ghost had no power here unless she gave it to him, and she refused to let his shadow dim the brightness of her children's laughter.
Her fingers curled inward against her palms, her knuckles turning a stark, bloodless white as she clenched her fists against the side of her apron.
