Friday morning Annie woke up at seven, surprised that she’d slept through the night, startled when she realized she still had on her clothes. By the time she cleaned up and tossed some things for Donna into a canvas bag, Georgia arrived. They spent a few minutes going through the cottage one room at a time, with Georgia offering suggestions such as removing scatter rugs so Donna wouldn’t trip and buying a stock of personal items for a patient who might be confined to bed for long periods of time. She also reassured Annie that she’d see them Monday morning as scheduled, and that because of Donna’s setback, she could extend her stay through most of the afternoon. However, if Annie needed her before then, she wasn’t far away.

By the time Georgia had left and Annie reached the hospital, she was fairly sure that her frame of mind was suitably secure. Musing over how to open a conversation with Donna, she paused at the doorway to the room. That’s when she heard Earl’s voice.

Earl? Already in Oak Bluffs before ten o’clock?

It was good to know that Donna was awake. However, knowing that once Earl got to talking, he liked to go on and on, Annie knew she had to get him to leave so he wouldn’t wear out the patient. But as Annie quickly whirled into the room, she abruptly stopped. Earl was sitting by the side of the bed where Donna was lying . . . and he was holding her hand.

Really? She cleared her throat, and he withdrew his hand as if it had been in his lap all along.

It was a bit confusing, but Annie reminded herself that Earl could be that way sometimes. Mr. Reliable. Mr. Friendly. The pseudo Mayor of Chappaquiddick. She pulled a chair up to the opposite side of the bed.

“How are you doing?” she asked Donna with what she hoped was a respectful smile.

“Better. Not as weak. Sorry I gave everyone such a fright.”

“I’m just glad we came along when we did.”

Earl stood up. He seemed to have more color in his face than usual. Almost as if he were . . . blushing?

“I’ll leave you ladies alone,” he said. “I’ve got a big order to pick up at the hardware store.”

They said good-byes, and he left. Annie asked Donna if he’d woken her up and if he’d exhausted her.

She shook her head. “I’ve been awake since six. Earl is pleasant company. I don’t have many friends my own age, so it’s nice that he and Claire are here.”