“I would have if I’d gotten any sleep.” Amelia shuffled into the kitchen, smothering a yawn. “But between the crickets, bullfrogs, and whatever was scratching outside my window last night, I’m surprised I got any sleep at all.”
Ellie laughed under her breath, recalling how those sounds had once serenaded her to sleep.
After pulling her hair into a ponytail, Amelia offered her assistance.
“Think you can handle scrambled eggs?” Marie asked.
“Piece of cake.”
Soon the three of them were working together.
“When’s the last time the three of us cooked breakfast like this?” Marie leaned against the counter.
“Probably not since Ellie and I were teenagers.” Amelia cracked the eggs into a bowl and began whisking them rapidly.
“Thanksgiving, 1954,” said Ellie. “I was working on my master’s degree at the time.”
“That’s right,” said Amelia. “That’s when you were still seeing Michael, wasn’t it?”
Ellie raised an eyebrow.
“Whatever happened to Michael anyway?” asked Marie. “He was a real go-getter.”
“Last I heard, he took a job in Kansas City,” said Ellie, hoping they wouldn’t dwell on the subject.
“Has it been that long?” Amelia switched off the burner and set the eggs aside to cool. “Time really does fly, doesn’t it? But look at us now, all grown, successful women. It’s just a shame that it takes a tragedy to bring us together.”
When the biscuits were ready, they each filled a plate and moved to the back porch to take in the fresh air and morning sun. Above them, a few wispy clouds drifted overhead on their way to the mountains, but otherwise, the sky was clear.
“I’d forgotten how lovely this place is,” said Marie, taking in the view.
“You’ve been here before?” Ellie asked. “In the daytime, I mean.”
Marie nodded, observing a pair of mockingbirds singing in the oak tree at the yard’s edge. “Before you came along, your father and I visited Clara and Bill often. Believe it or not, the four of us were the best of friends.”
“What happened?” Amelia asked.
“Life, I suppose.” Marie looked wistful. “Once you start having children, everything changes.”
“I can attest to that,” said Amelia before taking a bite of eggs.
Family? Children? Sadly, Ellie knew nothing of that life. Not that she hadn’t dreamed of getting married and starting a family. She’d had it all planned out: graduation at twenty-two, a doctorate at twenty-four, married by twenty-six, and a mother by twenty-eight. But as she’d come to learn, the best-laid plans often didn’t materialize, at least not in the way she expected.
When breakfast concluded, Marie and Amelia set off for the funeral home, leaving Ellie to deal with the attorney. After ensuring the paperwork was in proper order, she was off again. Knowing that her mother and sister wouldn’t be back for a couple more hours, she drove around for a while, reminiscing about the past.
Turning onto the old highway that circumvented the lake, she rolled down the windows and let the warm breeze blow through her hair. It reminded her of the times she and Jack had ridden around in George’s truck, spending hours talking and laughing without a care in the world.
But her trip down memory lane ended abruptly when she passed Jack’s old house.
“Oh no!” she cried, finding only charred remains where once the house had stood. Curious, she went to take a closer look.
Peering through the windshield, she realized something terrible had happened. Her thoughts went immediately to Helen.
She got out and walked to the backyard. The oak tree, beneath which she and Jack had once sat and dreamed of the future, was gone, along with the garden, and Helen’s rose bush.What happened to this place?
Carefully navigating the tall grass, she reached the house’s outer wall and peered into the space where the kitchen had been, recalling the night she and Helen had prepared dinner for Jack. It was the same night he’d told her he would someday marry her.
Her lip quivered, and a sob threatened to choke off her voice. But before she shed a tear, the sound of tires on gravel caused her to look up. A truck was barreling up the drive. It came to a stop, and a second later, a man emerged, his identity concealed by the sunlight at his back.
