CHAPTER TEN
If it can go wrong, it will. If it can’t, it might anyway. That was one of Granny Annie’s sayings, and that Saturday morning started out with everything that could go wrong. Dana’s alarm didn’t go off, so she had to rush to the store to open up, only to find half a dozen customers waiting to buy bait and picnic supplies.
After the rush, she was out of live bait, and the minnow man didn’t arrive until ten o’clock or sometimes even later. Thank goodness the last customer wanted to buy snacks for a picnic and gas for their boat instead of bait. When the store was empty of customers, she made two pots of coffee, one regular and one decaf, and ran a quick dust mop around the floor.
The bell above the door rang, and she looked over the top of the potato chip shelf to see Brook with a takeout box in her hands. “I hope that’s for me.”
“Uncle Zed said to bring it over on my way to the laundry this morning,” Brook told her. “Aunt Harper isn’t in the café yet. You think she’s still sick? Maybe I ought to help out in the kitchen today.”
As if summoned, Harper pushed her way into the store. “I need a bottle of aspirin and a banana.”
Dana tossed a bottle toward her. “Fruit is on the counter. Hungover?”
She caught it midair. “Little bit. How about that cleaner stuff that Flora uses?”
Brook rounded the end of the display shelving. “I can get you some of that out in the laundry. Should I bring it to the café or to your cabin?”
“To the cabin,” Harper said. “Put this stuff on my bill, please.”
Brook waited until she was gone to whisper, “Wyatt’s truck is parked right beside hers.”
Dana raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
“You think she threw up and that’s why she needs the cleaning stuff?”
“Could be, but it’s not a bit of our business, is it?” Dana answered.
Brook drew her eyes down until her brows were almost a solid line. “That’s not fair.”
Dana took the box from her hands and carried it to the counter. “I tell you all the time that life is not fair, but what’s the issue with it today?” She flipped the lid back to find sausage gravy covering three biscuits.
“All three—no, all four—of y’all can get up in my business and know everything that happens, but I can’t know why she needs some of Flora’s cleaner? It’s not fair.” Brook crossed her arms over her chest.
“Like I said, life’s not . . .”
One of Brook’s hands shot up. “I know . . . not fair.”
“So we’ll leave it there and get on with the day, right?” Dana scooped up a bite of the food. “It’s Easter weekend. Think we should go to church tomorrow evening?”
“CEO Christians,” Brook laughed.
“That’s right, darlin’. Christmas and Easter only makes us CEOs.”
“Would Granny Annie go if she was here?”
“Nope. Something happened when my grandpa died and she never went back.”
Brook picked up a candy bar. “Then I don’t want to go, either. Put this on my bill.”
“I’ll pay for it today.” Dana reached in her purse and rang up the cost for two candy bars. “Take another one with you for Flora, and I’ll see you at lunch.”
“Oh, yeah, and I’ll be four hours older, so maybe I’ll be old enough to talk about why Aunt Harper needs cleaner.” Brook waved and held the door for the bait man as she left.
“Teenagers?” a tall guy with sparkling blue eyes and blond hair pulled back into a short ponytail said with a smile. “I got a daughter that graduated a few years ago. It was amazing how much I learned while she was off to college, but some days, even though I’m forty-six years old, I still revert back to being the dumbest man on earth.”
“Then there’s hope that the time will come when I’ve got brains part of the time.” Dana smiled up at him and did the math. He was ten years older than her—and probably married with two or three other kids. “Where’s the regular bait man?”
“Retired—I’m out doing the deliveries until I can hire someone else.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Payton O’Riley.”
“Dana Clancy.” Sparks flew when she shook hands with him. “I’m completely out of minnows and low on stink bait and cut bait, too.”
“I’ll fix you right up.” He dropped her hand and whistled as he headed outside.
She glanced down at her hand for a moment, surprised to see that it wasn’t fire-engine red. She hadn’t felt chemistry like that with a guy in a very long time. He was almost out of the store when she leaned over the counter to watch him swagger out. And that’s when she dragged her hair through the gravy. She jumped back too fast and knocked the whole container off, splattering gravy all over the floor, the wall, and somehow even into the cash register.
Grabbing a roll of paper towels, she quickly did the best she could with her hair and then started wiping up the mess. When he returned, she was on her knees trying to get enough of it off the floor so she could get to the counter to sign the receipt for the bait.
Payton leaned over the counter. “Need some help?”
“Thanks, but I’ll have it done by the time you unload.” She blushed.
“This is my last stop, and I’ve only got half your usual order of minnows. I’ve got to make another run down this way tomorrow morning. All right if I bring more then?”
“That will be great.” She blushed again as she swiped up the last of what was on the floor and got to her feet.
He took the roll of paper towels off the floor, ripped off one, and brushed it across her cheek, then ran it down a strand of her hair. “Some of it got on you. Shame that Zed’s gravy got wasted. He makes the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever eaten. Want me to go around to the café and get you another order?”
“No, thank you. I’ll just grab a package of chocolate doughnuts and a cup of coffee,” she stammered. What was wrong with her? She was acting like a sophomore in high school, not a mother in her midthirties.
With a brief nod, he rolled his cart back to the tank and then over to the refrigerator where the other forms of bait were kept. “I think that’s the best I can do for today, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“It’s Easter Sunday,” Dana reminded him.
“My daughter and I go to early Mass, so there’s no problem. See you same time tomorrow.” He flashed a brilliant smile and waved.
“God, you have one wicked sense of humor to send Marcus around that I have no chemistry with and then let this man walk into my life and he’s got a daughter and likely a wife,” she muttered as she rushed off to the bathroom. The little mirror above the sink was cracked in two places, but it showed what a mess she was. Specks of gravy dotted her hair, and sweet Lord, there was even a smudge of it, complete with sausage, behind her ear.
What’s God got to do with you bein’ clumsy? If you hadn’t leaned over the counter to look at the way Payton filled out his jeans, you wouldn’t have slung gravy halfway to the Oklahoma border. Granny Annie was back in her head, so clearly that she almost expected to see her reflection in the mirror right along beside hers.
“That’s not what I was talkin’ about. Marcus is probably going to ask me out and I feel nothing around him. Yet Payton is probably married and his touch makes me think unholy thoughts,” she said out loud.
Like you told Brook, life ain’t fair.
Tawny had just finished canceling a weeklong reservation for cabin number six when a guy tapped on the door of her cabin and then eased the door open. His blue eyes met hers, and he blushed slightly.
“Can I help you?”
“I stopped at the café and Zed said to come to this cabin. It would help if you’d put an office sign on the door. I didn’t know whether to knock or just walk in,” he said.
“Good idea. I’ll make a temporary one until I can get a permanent one ordered.”
“I’m here to see if you have a vacancy. I’d like to check in now and stay until Tuesday morning,” he said.
Tawny picked up the number six key and dangled it. “You are one lucky guy. I was booked solid until two minutes ago. Number six, right next door to this one, is empty, so if you want it, it’s yours. But if you check in now, I’m going to have to charge you for today. Regular check-in isn’t until three. Want to go fishin’ or do some hiking until then?”
“I’m not a fisherman or an outdoors person. I just want three days of peace and quiet to do some reading and relaxing.” He handed her his credit card and driver’s license. “I’m Marcus Green. You are the youngest sister, right?”
“That’s right. Do I know you?” Those blue eyes were boring right into hers, and her pulse kicked in an extra beat.
“I went to school with Dana in Frankston,” he said. “I heard about y’all a lot through Zed and Annie when I came to the café. I was so sorry to hear of her passing.”
Tawny ran his credit card through the machine and handed both it and his license back to him, along with the cabin key. A copy of the transaction ran through the printer, and she laid it on the desk. “Please sign right there. Checkout is at eleven.”
“I’ll be gone before eight. I’m a teacher at Frankston.” His hand brushed against hers when he took the pen from her. “Reckon Zed is still serving breakfast?”
Tawny glanced at the clock. “For another fifteen minutes. If you live in Frankston, why are you renting a cabin? You could come to the lake anytime and go home to your own bed at night.”
“Sometimes it’s good just to get away from everyday life and have some quiet time to myself.” He smiled, and her heart did a couple of flips. “I don’t fish, but I love the lake and the idea of unplugging for the weekend. Be seein’ you around, Tawny.”
She pushed back her chair and watched him get into a vintage Ford Mustang, bright red, and pull it around to park in front of the cabin right next to hers. He wasn’t tall, but he was muscular, and her fingers itched to see if his curly hair was as soft as it looked.
“Marcus Green,” she said out loud. “Where have I heard that name?”
“Hey, Aunt Tawny.” Brook startled her when she slung the door open. “I brought you a set of clean sheets. I’ll pick up the dirty ones when Flora and I get done with number one. Was that Mr. Green goin’ into the unit next door?”
“That’s where I heard the name. Is he one of your teachers?” Tawny asked.
“Yep, history. He also teaches some math. What’s he doin’ here?”
“Unplugging for the long weekend. Thanks for the sheets.” She loved her niece and she didn’t want to push her out, but the longer Brook stayed, the more questions she’d ask. And then she’d tell Dana. And that’s when the problems could and would start, because Dana would want to boss her about Marcus being so much older.
Brook rounded the bookcase and laid the sheets on the bed. “Did you know that Wyatt probably spent the night at Aunt Harper’s and that she has a hangover this mornin’?”
Whoa! Wait a minute. Maybe I don’t want Brook to leave just yet. So Wyatt stayed at Harper’s—did that mean she was really sick yesterday, or had she wanted time to get all pretty for a night of wild sex?
“Maybe he came to see about her. She was supposed to be sick. I filled in for her at the café. She makes some damned good tips over there. I’m beginnin’ to think she might have gotten the best job of the bunch of us.” Maybe since Brook was thinking about Wyatt spending the night at Harper’s, she could sneak in a couple of innocent questions. “Is Mr. Green married? Got kids?”
“No to both. He’s got a cat, though. There’s a picture of it on his desk. A big old yellow one. Did he bring it with him? Are we a pet-friendly place?”
“No, we aren’t, and he didn’t mention a cat or take a carrier into the cabin, so I guess he left it at home.”
“Well, I got to get back to work. Flora’s knees are botherin’ her today, so I been vacuuming in the cabins.”
“You’re a good kid,” Tawny said.
“Tell that to my mama.” Brook’s smile reminded her of her granny Annie’s.
“She already knows it.”
Brook eased out the door, then broke into a jog toward the laundry room. As badly as Tawny hated to admit it, Dana was a great mother. Someday when Tawny had kids, she hoped that she was even half the parent that Dana was, but she sure wasn’t going to admit to liking her older sister to anyone.
“It sure won’t be someone like Matthew.” She grimaced at even the thought of his name. Her old boyfriend came from a wealthy family in Austin and had been a senior at the university when they met. The rest was a downhill slide that led to her being kicked out of college and his dad’s fancy-shmancy lawyer getting Matthew off with only a fine and a slap on the wrist.
“And my dear mother decided to tell me to get a public defender. She reminded me of that little bit of trouble I got into in high school, and then she turned off service to my phone and froze my credit cards,” she groaned.
She remade her twin-size bed and carried the dirty sheets outside, planning to take them to the laundry. Maybe a breath of fresh, brisk air would wash away the memories of that day in court.
“Hey, got time to have a cup of coffee with me while I eat breakfast?” Marcus asked as he stepped off his porch.
“Sure, just give me time to unload this at the laundry. Be there in five.” It wouldn’t do any harm just to sit with him while she took a short break.
He fell in beside her. “I’ll walk with you. This is a gorgeous morning. Easter weekend is always unpredictable. My mother calls it the Easter snap—she never plants her annual flowers until the weekend is over.”
“That’s what Granny Annie used to say. We didn’t get up here very often for Easter. We always came for a month in the summer. I’ll only be a minute,” she said at the door.
Leaving him outside—mainly so that she didn’t have to explain anything to Flora or Brook—she found the laundry room empty. She quickly tossed the sheets into a bin and hurried back outside.
“All done.”
“I knew you came in the summertime.” He picked up the conversation as if she’d never left his side. “My mother and Annie were great friends, and I remember seeing you when y’all came here.” He opened the door to the café and stood back for her to enter first.
Most of the time the place was full and the buzz of conversations reverberated off the walls, but that Saturday morning only Harper and Zed were in the café. They were sitting at a table, and she looked like she’d been crying. The first thing that went through Tawny’s mind was that their mother had died and somehow Harper had found out about it first.
“Well, hello, Marcus. You out enjoying the pretty weather?” Zed got to his feet. “I still got some breakfast stuff on the stove. Want the big platter?”
“You bet I do.” He pulled out a chair for Tawny. “And this lady would like a cup of coffee.”
“Comin’ right up.” Harper seemed eager to do something, even if it was waiting on her younger sister. “Two coffees?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Marcus said. “You must be Harper. How did you get so tall when your sisters are just petite little ladies?”
“Some of us get to be delicate little pansies and some of us have to be big sunflowers,” she answered.
“And they’re all beautiful.” Marcus smiled.
“Flattery will get you free refills on that coffee.” Harper raised an eyebrow toward Tawny.
As soon as she set Marcus’s plate in front of him, Harper made a beeline out the back door of the café, around the building, and into the store. Dana had just finished scooping up a net full of minnows and putting them into a plastic bag for a fisherman.
“Is Brook all right?” Dana looked worried.
“Far as I know. She brought me clean sheets this morning and got all nosy about Wyatt. Teenagers haven’t changed since we were that age—they’re all about drama. Don’t make me love her one bit less, but it’s the truth.” Harper meandered around the store until the customer paid and left. She picked up half a dozen candy bars and a bag of barbecue chips, figuring she might as well stock up on snacks while she was there.
“Got the munchies, do you?” Dana asked.
“What do you know about Marcus Green?” Harper blurted out.
“He’s a teacher at Frankston, where Brook goes to school. Why?”
“He’s havin’ breakfast with Tawny in the café right now.” Harper laid the stash on the counter along with a ten-dollar bill.
“Well, crap! He’s probably pumping her for information about me. We were in junior high together, and he came in here on Wednesday and wanted to know if I’d go to dinner with him sometime. There’s not a drop of chemistry between us, Harper. I look at him and see that long-haired pot-smokin’ kid.” Dana made change and handed it back to her.
Harper didn’t agree—not the way he was flirting with Tawny. “Well, he’s lookin’ at our younger sister with stars in his blue eyes. And I don’t think he’s got any visions of you. Sorry to burst your little bubble.” Harper crammed the change into her apron pocket with the rest of her morning tips.
“Good God, that’s downright creepy!” Dana raised her voice an octave. “He’s, what, fourteen years older than her? That’s cradle robbin’.”
Harper started for the door, but Tawny rushed inside before she made it across the floor.
“Hey, tell me about this Marcus Green. He says that he knew you in school,” Tawny said. “He’s got the most amazing blue eyes . . .”
“He’s too old for you,” Dana said flatly.
Harper leaned against a shelf and nodded. She didn’t have the right to give anyone advice, but she knew men. That guy was a mama’s boy. She could spot them a mile away. After the mother she and Tawny had, the girl sure didn’t need a controlling mother-in-law. But what did she care? She didn’t even like her sister—or did she?
“He’s thirty-four—that’s only twelve years,” Tawny argued.
“He’s my age, and I’m thirty-six,” Dana shot back.
“He was the youngest kid in his class and skipped third grade, so he’s thirty-four. I looked at his driver’s license when he checked in.” Tawny crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Dana.
“He asked Dana if she’d go out with him,” Harper said. “And now that I’ve delivered that note, I’m going back to work.”
Dana grabbed her arm. “Oh, no, you are not! You’re going to stay here and back me up on this. He’s too old for her even if it isn’t fourteen years.”
“He asked you out?” Tawny rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “What did you say?”
“He didn’t actually ask me. He wanted to know if he could ask,” Dana explained.
Tawny frowned. “Well, that’s different, then.”
“It still don’t change the fact that he’s too old for you,” Dana said.
“Hey,” Tawny said coldly, “I’m not here to ask you to be a bridesmaid. There was just a flicker of chemistry between us and I wanted to know if he’s a decent man. All I did was sit with him at breakfast and drink a cup of coffee, for God’s sake.”
“And then he went home?” Dana asked.
“And then he went to cabin number six. He’s rented it until Tuesday morning. Said he wanted to get unplugged and have some peace and quiet over the long weekend.”
Well, dammit! Harper thought. She might have to set the place on fire or jam his door shut. If he really were a mama’s boy, it shouldn’t be too tough to scare him. Maybe she should wrap up in a sheet and scratch on his cabin window that night and see if he’d scream like a little girl.
Dana groaned. “That means he’s going to . . . crap, there he is.” She nodded toward the window.
“I’m going out through Uncle Zed’s quarters. He won’t mind.” Harper’s long legs made short order of the distance and she, right along with Tawny behind her, disappeared through the curtained doorway at the same time Marcus entered the store.
Harper stopped in the middle of the spotlessly clean living area and sniffed. “I smell Granny Annie’s perfume in here.”
“All I smell is smoke,” Tawny whispered as she stuck her ear close to the curtain in the doorway.
“What are you doing?” Harper took a couple of long strides and did the same thing. “Can you hear them?”
“Shh.” Tawny put a finger over her lips and leaned against the curtain a little more.
“What’s goin’ on in here?” Zed whispered right behind them.
He startled Tawny so badly that if Harper hadn’t grabbed her by the arm she would have burst right through the curtain.
“We’re eavesdropping,” Harper told him.
“On who?” Zed filled up the rest of the space when he leaned in to listen, too. “Is it Dana and Brook?”
“Nope, Dana and Marcus,” Harper answered.
Marcus’s deep voice came through just fine. “I need to talk to you about something, Dana. I was so tickled to see you at the school that day, and I have to admit that I had a pretty good-size crush on you in junior high school. I know I asked you to go to dinner with me, but I have to ask for that back.”
“You can have it back, but you are too old for my sister,” Dana spat out. “And this whole thing of you asking her out is kind of . . .”
“Kind of what? We are two consenting adults,” he said.
“It’s creepy,” Dana blurted out.
“Because I was going to ask you out first? Are you jealous? If you’ll go out with me, I won’t ask her,” he chuckled.
“Neither of us is going anywhere with you, Marcus,” Dana said through clenched teeth.
Well, at least her older sister had enough sense to know when something wasn’t right and to fix it, Harper thought. Poor Tawny must want a boyfriend pretty bad for that little short guy to appeal to her.
“Dammit!” Tawny hissed.
“Age is just numbers on paper,” Marcus went on. “I’m a self-proclaimed bachelor. All I’m lookin’ for is a good friend, and Tawny is old enough to make up her own mind. Don’t worry, Dana. I’m not going to throw her over my shoulder and elope.” Marcus laughed.
Harper clamped her mouth shut to keep from saying something obscene right there in front of Uncle Zed. Tawny had heard her swear like a drunk sailor before, but for Uncle Zed to hear her say the words that were on her mind—man, that would put a blush on her face for eternity plus four days.
There was a long, pregnant silence, and then Dana laughed with him. “She’s my baby sister. I get a little overprotective.”
“Bullshit!” Tawny hissed for a second time.
Harper put a finger over her sister’s mouth and frowned.
“Understandable. Then we’re good?” he asked.
“We are good, but I’m not changing my mind.”
Harper nodded and Tawny drew back her hand to slap her arm, but Uncle Zed grabbed it in a vise grip.
“Friends, then?” Marcus asked altogether too smoothly.
“You betcha. Need some fishin’ worms or minnows? I understand you’re here for the weekend.”
“I hate fish, and it seems a shame to spend a whole day catchin’ and releasin’, so no, ma’am, I do not want any worms or bait. I would like a six-pack of Coke and a big bag of potato chips. I get the munchies when I read,” he said.
Harper immediately wondered if the reading caused his hunger or if this little getaway was to enjoy a few days of blissful pot smoking. She eased away from the curtain and tiptoed across the floor toward the back door with Tawny and Zed right behind her. Chalk one up for all three of them. Wyatt had driven away that morning without even coming by the café. Marcus wasn’t interested in Dana and only wanted a buddy when it came to Tawny. The Clancy girls had all flunked Boyfriend 101 that weekend. They would have to take the class over at a later date.
It had been a strange day for Dana. Stepping into Tawny’s business had made her feel like a real sister, and she was still trying to analyze that emotion when she brought out a huge bowl of caramel corn as Brook chose the Saturday movie. She’d thought her sisters might come to the house tonight, since Brook had invited them the week before and reminded them at least a dozen times that day.
At eight o’clock neither of them had arrived, so she hit the button on the remote to start Something to Talk About. The music had barely started when Tawny knocked on the front door, and immediately Harper’s heavy rap hit the back. Brook yelled for them to come on in and Dana pushed the “Pause” button so they wouldn’t miss anything.
“What are we watchin’? And should we start invitin’ Uncle Zed to these movie nights?” Harper flopped down on the sofa, kicked off her shoes, and propped her feet on the coffee table. “I love doing this. Mother would have passed gold bricks if we’d ever put our feet on the furniture at home, but Granny Annie was so laid-back that we could be ourselves in this house.”
Brook told them the title of the movie and the two lead actors. “You’re goin’ to love it. Movies keep y’all from fighting, you know.”
Tawny claimed the recliner after she’d loaded up a smaller bowl with caramel corn. “Anything that’s got Julia in it is fantastic in my books. And we’ve always liked movies, so I guess this is a good place to start being really civil and not just pretend for Uncle Zed’s benefit. I would’ve been here sooner, but the last customer had a problem with their car and didn’t arrive until five minutes ago. Why were you late, Harper? Waiting on Wyatt to come keep your bed warm?”
“Hell, no, Marcus was doing that for me,” Harper teased. Tawny threw a piece of popcorn at her. She caught it midair and popped it into her mouth. “Don’t waste good food. You might get hungry someday and wish you had what you threw away.”
“You ever been that hungry, Aunt Harper?” Brook asked.
“Couple of times. Now let’s watch this movie. Is it funny?”
“Oh, yeah.” Brook nodded.
Dana nudged Tawny on her way to the kitchen to get sweet tea for everyone. “You still mad at me?”
“A little bit. You aren’t my mother, and you don’t have the right to interfere in my life,” Tawny answered. “Want some help with that tea?”
“Sure do. And I’m your older sister.” Dana filled four glasses with ice and then poured tea into them. “Someone has to look out for you.”
“And who’s going to look out for you?” Harper called from the living room.
“I’m the oldest. I can take care of myself,” Dana declared.
“Bullsh—crap!” Harper said when she realized Brook was listening. “I’ll be your guardian angel when it comes to men, and you can be Tawny’s.”
“Then who is yours—Aunt Tawny?” Brook asked.
“Heaven help me. That does mean she’s mine,” Harper groaned.
“Backed right into that son of a bitch, didn’t you?” Brook laughed.
“Brook!” Dana squealed.
“Well, Aunt Harper did.” Brook giggled even harder.
“And since I’m your boyfriend keeper, what happened last night with Wyatt? Was it good?” Tawny asked. “You goin’ to pick up where you left off ten years ago?”
“Probably not, and nothing happened except that he slept beside me and held me all night to get me through the hardest day of every year. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that,” she answered.
“That’s a Forrest Gump answer. We’ll have to watch that one next week,” Brook declared. “Hit the button, Mama, and let’s get this party started.”
What Harper had said about it being the most difficult day of the year kept running through Dana’s mind as she watched the movie for probably the tenth time. She glanced over at Harper, who wiped away a tear when she saw a little blonde-haired girl in the movie.
“Men!” Tawny said. “Can’t trust them.”
“Then why’d you put up such a fuss today over Marcus?” Dana asked.
“I did have a little attraction. But it was more about you trying to run my life like my mother does than fighting for a guy I’d only met a few minutes before. I’d go out with him if he asked me whether you like it or not,” Tawny answered.
“Yuck! You can do better,” Brook piped up from the floor. “He’s not for you, Aunt Tawny. He’s got a cat and he lives with his mama.”
“For real?” Tawny’s face screwed up in disbelief.
“Yep, he’s always talkin’ about his mama’s cookin’ and how if he’s gone for a day or two, the cat is fine, but if his mama is gone for a day, it pouts. He talks about his mama like she’s got a halo,” Brook said.
“So?” Dana turned to look at Tawny.
Tawny shrugged. “Not a thing to worry about. I’m just a sucker for blue eyes.”
Me too, Dana thought as a picture of Payton’s eyes flashed through her mind.
“Well, Annie, we made a little progress today,” Zed said as he put stuffed bunny rabbits in four Easter baskets. “They actually looked out for Tawny when Marcus Green came to stay a couple of days in a cabin. You remember his mama bringing him to the café when he was a baby? I’d never seen such a mama’s boy and he didn’t outgrow it, neither. I was glad when Dana and Harper took a stand together. What’s it called these days? Oh, yeah, an intervention. I hope they opened up her eyes a little and she don’t get involved with him, or I’ll have to do something about it. Can’t have one of our girls livin’ with that miserable mother of his, and I sure don’t see him ever moving out away from here.”
He stuck a chocolate bunny in each basket. “What do you think, Annie? I wish you were here to help me get the baskets all ready. We had such fun doing this when they were little girls.”
He stopped, removed a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped his eyes. “We had good years together, didn’t we? Raisin’ the girls up to be teenagers, and we even kind of had the empty nest thing when they didn’t come around so often anymore. Yep, we had us a good life, and if you was here, then they wouldn’t be. It don’t make it no easier to take.”
He finished up the job and sat down in his recliner. “Just look at ’em, Annie. You think they’ll be surprised?” He cocked his ear toward her empty chair. “I’m glad that you think they’re pretty. I just hope the girls like them.”