“I know,” Naomi replied, reaching out to touch the lavender for just a moment. They stood side by side for a long while until Naomi shifted next to Mary. Mary realized, with a start, that her mother was crying, pressing a handkerchief to her face.

“Mom.”

“This is what you want?” Naomi asked, pointing to either side of Tiff’s grave. “Buried between two strangers?”

Mary’s eyes grew into round coins, shock making her mother’s words move in slow motion. There was no way—it wasn’t possible—no one would drag their daughter to her beloved aunt’s grave in order to guilt her over being single.

Mary turned on her heel immediately, striding back down the path and toward the main road. She’d catch a cab by herself, and her mother could get her own ass back to Connecticut.

“Mary!”

Her mother sounded more shocked than angry.

A moment later, there was the swift clicking of sensible heels and then a strong hand at Mary’s elbow. “Where are you running off to?”

It didn’t help that her mother still had tears gathering in her eyes.

“I cannot believe that you’d use Tiff’s grave as a prop to guilt me for being single.”

“I—What? No!”

Naomi stopped walking altogether, but Mary kept on going. A moment later, she was back at Mary’s elbow.

“Mary, stop. Mary!”

She skidded to a stop and swung around to face her mother.

“That is not what I was intending to do,” Naomi whispered fiercely, her eyes red, her eyelashes clinging to one another.

“Mom, you get me all teary and then just zing me like that? Buried between two strangers? That’s not a question! That was an accusation. What do you want from me, Mom? You want me to marry someone I don’t love just so that you can sleep better at night? That’s really what you want?”

“Mary, I felt terrible after your visit last month. Your father—It seems that I was too hard on you. I know we aren’t close. But...you bring lavender to Tiff’s grave because of how well you knew her. And I am just trying to understand you.”

“By accusing me of wanting to be buried next to strangers?”

“It...came out wrong.”

“No, Mom. I think it came out exactly as you intended it to. You’re just unhappy with my reaction to it.”

Naomi’s mouth worked open and then closed. Her eyes filled again as she half turned from Mary and looked up at the bright blue sky, as if she could make her tears dry in the sun.

Mary stood there, breathing hard, wishing it weren’t so bright, so hot. Wishing that she weren’t fighting with her mother in a cemetery. Wishing that Tiff were here to referee.