“I know,” Kate agreed, though she wasn’t really sure it was true.
“I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through these past two years,” Lani said. “Always worrying about your sister, wondering where she was, if she was safe.”
“I wish she had come to me for help. She was right here in Dallas, and I didn’t even know it.” Kate explained how Chrissy had come to the city a few weeks before she was killed. How she was trying to get free of drugs and make a new life for herself.
She told her friends about the rehab center and how she hoped she could contribute in some way and help the women who lived there.
By the time they had reached the halfway point of the trip, Kate was starting to feel better. Talking to her friends really helped, she realized. The conversation turned to men, and she listened as her friends worked to cheer her up with their dating antics.
“So this guy, Jerry, finally convinces me to go to dinner with him,” Cece said. “He was kind of cute, and I thought it might be fun. Then, when he comes to pick me up, he says he’s got a surprise for me—he’s going to cook me dinner at his house instead!”
Lani whooped. “You didn’t fall for that old line. Tell me you didn’t go.”
“Stupidly, I went. We hadn’t been there ten minutes when Jerry heads outside. He’s got this hot tub, you see. The guy starts stripping off his clothes right in front of me. He’s totally naked. I barely know him—and he doesn’t even look that good! He climbs into the tub and says, ‘Aren’t you coming in with me?’”
“Is this guy still breathing?” Kate asked.
Cece rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately. I turned around and walked back into the house, grabbed my purse, ordered an Uber and left him sitting in the hot tub.”
Everyone laughed. It felt really good. Kate knew the laughter would only last a little while longer, but she allowed herself to enjoy it.
“Okay,” Cece said. “Your turn, Kate. You’ve got to tell us all about your hot alpha male. Give us a little vicarious thrill.”
“No way.” Kate closed her eyes, trying to block images of her and Jason in bed but not really succeeding.
“Come on, you’ve got to give us something,” Lani pleaded. “Cece showed me his photo. The guy is totally juicy. He’s got to be amazing. Just give us a hint.”
“Come on,” Cece whined.
Kate sighed in defeat. “Fine. I’ll give you one word. That’s it. Then we’re done.”
Cece bounced in the seat with excitement. “Okay, okay, one word,” she conceded.
Kate couldn’t stop a grin. “One word? Okay.Stallion.”
The car swerved then righted. “Oh, my God!” Cece fanned her face, and Lani whooped with laughter.
“Stallion,” Lani repeated, and they all started laughing again.
It wasn’t until Cece turned off Highway 79 and headed for Oaklawn that the cheerful atmosphere faded. Cece drove through the tall brick pillars into the cemetery, and followed the narrow lane through the rows of headstones toward the green canopy set up in front of a fresh mound of dirt. The cemetery had been there since the 1930s so the trees were tall, the shrubbery dense.
It was the second time her friends had been to the old, historical cemetery. Lani and Cece had been with her the day she’d buried her mother. Now they were back for her baby sister.
Her throat closed up as the Mazda pulled in behind several cars that had arrived ahead of them. The engine went silent and Kate climbed out, her legs suddenly shaky.
Across the lawn, rows of white chairs sat beneath a dark green canopy. More flowers than she had hoped for sat in front of the grave: a wreath of pink carnations and pale pink roses, a spray of yellow and white chrysanthemums, a vase of lavender cremones and daisies. A blanket of baby white roses draped the casket.
Kate blinked to hold back tears, walked over and read some of the cards. Friends. A distant cousin. The gang at the office had sent the wreath of pink carnations and roses. Knowing it was her favorite color touched her. They had wanted to come, but she had asked them to stay in Dallas and take care of her business instead.
The funeral director, Mrs. Conroy, was there, speaking to the minister, Reverend Wilcox. Kate paused to talk to them briefly, thanked them for all they had done, then joined Cece and Lani to find seats in the row up front.
A tall slender man stepped into her path. Her father looked older, the lines in his face more pronounced. He wore a dark suit that set off the fine threads of silver in his hair.
“Katie...” The gentle way he said her name thickened the lump in her throat.
“Dad... I wasn’t sure you’d come.” He drew her close and hugged her, held her a few seconds longer than she expected. They hadn’t been close since he and her mother had divorced.
“Of course I would be here,” he said. “Christina was my daughter.”
