“Maggie!”
“What?”
“Slow down!” Jo Ellen tightened her grip on the seatbelt and smashed her foot into the floorboard as though she had the brake pedal in front of her and not Maggie.
“I’m going thirty-five.”
“In a twenty-five mile an hour zone.”
Maggie shot her a look. “We told them three o’clock and it’s five of,” she said. “I don’tdolate.”
“Do youdotickets? Because you’re going to get one.”
“In a neighborhood like this?” Maggie rolled her eyes. “Please. That speed limit is a suggestion for people who aren’t sure. Plus, it’s not my car. I can’t help it if Vivien’s SUV has a sensitive gas pedal.”
Jo Ellen snorted. “Tell that to the judge, Mrs. Lawson.”
Laughing, Maggie tapped the brake out of deference to her friend. “Honestly, I just can’t wait to see Betty and Frank again,” she said. “The last time we paid a visit, I feel like we left on a sour note and in a cloud of distrust. I was a little surprised Betty took my call and agreed to let us come over.”
“We have a lot to tell them.”
“We sure do,” Maggie agreed. “They’re going to be shocked.”
“And relieved,” Jo Ellen added. “I’m sure they’ve spent the last thirty years worrying about the sins of their past coming back to haunt them.”
“Oh, there’s the house,” Maggie said, slowing as she drove down the residential street in Santa Rosa Beach she remembered from the last time they’d visited the Cavallaris. “I recognize that eyesore of a red front door.”
“Betty never was subtle,” Jo Ellen said. “But that’s what we loved about her.”
Pulling into the driveway, Maggie let out a sigh. “We did love her,” she agreed. “I was so uptight and determined to find out the truth when we were here last month, I didn’t take a minute to appreciate the, you know, Betty-ness of her. She’s…bold.”
“And hilarious.”
“And drinks like a fish,” Maggie added, turning to reach for the chianti and flowers they’d brought. “She’ll like this.”
As they climbed out, the door opened and Betty walked out slowly, as if she weren’t sure what to expect. Like always, she wore a blindingly bright top—this time, the color of a tangerine—her white hair puffy, like she’d put a lot of effort in.
But she moved at a snail’s pace, looking slightly unbalanced, and she seemed thinner.
Goodness, Maggie hoped their last unsettling visit didn’t upset her that much. Good thing they’d come with wonderful news.
“We’re back,” Jo Ellen called brightly, rushing around the car. “And we have so much to tell you.”
Of course Jo couldn’t ease into it, Maggie thought with a wry smile.
“We also have wine and flowers.” Maggie reached over to air-kiss Betty, noticing Frank standing behind her.
Had he looked quite that old the last time they were here? Quite that…well, yeah, old.
“These are beautiful,” Betty said, putting her face in the bouquet to sniff it. “But no wine for me. Doctor’s orders.”
“Then you need a new doctor,” Jo Ellen joked, stepping past Betty to hug Frank.
After the greeting and small talk, they ended up on the back porch this time, which was small but only because Frank apparently never met a plant he wouldn’t pot and nurture to three times his size.
“Frank, can you get the tea, honey?” Betty asked as they settled around a glass-topped table for four. “And some pretzels or something.” She turned to Maggie and Jo Ellen. “I’m sorry I didn’t bake. I wanted to make more wedding cookies, but…”
“Are you feeling okay?” Jo Ellen asked.
