It made me tear up to see us all together like that, one big happy family. And now, it was gone. I blinked my eyes dry and headed to the kitchen, getting the vase I knew was under the sink and filling it with water. I could hear voices outside, Beebub’s booming above everyone else’s as I arranged the daisies I had bought and put them on the table.
I headed outside, an attempt at a smile on my face.
Marlene saw me first and hurried over to give me a hug, and kiss me on the forehead. “Thanks for coming,” she said before stepping back. The way her eyes searched my face was familiar. She had a bullshit meter a mile long, which had come in handy, I was sure, when she was sheriff. “Are you going tobe okay with this?” she asked, her voice low.
I looked over her shoulder to see Sean and Beebub chasing each other in the field beyond. “I’ll be fine.” I stepped around her and walked to the barbecue grill. “Chicken and corn? What happened to the steak?”