I opened the door, smiling at her. “Absolutely.”

“Did Rusty say something mean to you?”

“No,” I said, sidling past her into the hallway, walls lined with Broome family portraits framed in dark wood.

She lifted her hand and wiped at the side of my right eye with her pinky finger. “Mascara,” she said as a simple explanation.

My purse vibrated, and I yanked out my cell phone.

Hutch.

“I’ve got to get this,” I told Sadie, and walked toward the empty sunroom off the foyer.

“Hey, you,” I said quietly.

“I’ve always loved the way you say that.”

I laughed. “Say what?”

“‘Hey, you.’ As if it couldn’t be anyone but me.”

“Oh.” The word dipped down into a calm place.

The silence was full and empty as my stomach did that flip-flop thing it had once done at the sound of his voice. We’d always been able to lean into the quiet, rest in it, as if silence had its own language, a dialect only we knew and were content to speak.

“You got my message?” I finally asked, pacing the sunroom.

“I did. Is this a good time to talk?”

“Not really. I’m at the Broomes’ fiftieth wedding anniversary party.”

“Wow, when you can’t find Mrs. Broome, just sneak back to the pantry and she’ll be there sipping the Jack straight from the bottle.”

I laughed too loud. “How do you know that dirty little secret?”

“I have my ways.”

“You always have.” I paused, embarrassed I’d slipped into our banter that was twenty years gone. “Really, how do you know this?”

“Don’t you remember? You told me … when we were together and went over there after that Thanksgiving dinner. In college, you told me.”

“That’s right.”

“Anyway …” He paused before he asked, “How about lunch tomorrow and you can tell me about those summers in Alabama.”

“I don’t even have a lunch’s worth of information.”

“Well, then the rest of the time we can talk about me.”

“That sounds just perfect,” I said. “Noon at Grace, okay?”

When we hung up, I was still laughing until I turned and saw Rusty staring at me from the doorway. “What’s so damn funny?” he asked.

I pointed at the cell phone. “Lil.”

He motioned for me to join the party, and we mingled until I finally hugged the Broomes and told them I would see them soon.

Mrs. Broome took both my hands in hers as Rusty stood by my side. “Dear, one day you’ll be able to have a fiftieth wedding anniversary and you’ll understand what a beautiful thing it is.”

“Yes,” I said, and kissed her cheek. “I have to go now.”

Rusty walked me outside. “Why are you leaving?”

“I don’t feel well. I’ll just meet you at home,” I said, and tried my very best to smile at him.