So she refused to see him, and did her best to pretend that nothing had ever happened. That she had never even met Harry. That Thanksgiving in Pine Rapids had been merely a bad dream.

Had it not been for the cancer of wanting him, she might have been able to do it.

Bobby’s dead. The realization hitting her like a sledge. She thought she’d known it before, but perhaps she hadn’t. Her loneliness so thick that she choked on it, on the thought of what she’d so nearly had. So nearly had, not once but twice. Harry’s dead, she thought, and it was a moment before she realized her mistake.

On Tuesday, she got a letter.

Dear Anne, it said.

Whatever I did, I am sorry.

I’m utterly worthless without you, and I’m not kidding about that. Please, at least let me see you. I promise I’ll do my best to help you forget whatever it was that I did to offend you, if you’ll just give me another chance.

H.

P.S. I am sorry about my family. At least you see now what I meant about them.

She laughed a little at that, then burst into tears again.

Chapter 76

It’s dangerous to yield to the impulse to confide in a masculine friend, however understanding he may be.

—“Making Marriage Work,”
Ladies’ Home Journal, March 1950

THE MICKELSON HOUSE
502 W. First Street, Pine Rapids
Friday, August 4, 1950

Having run all the way from the stroganoff-soaked bungalow, Dolly was breathing hard when she pounded on the back door of the Mickelson house. She hoped Mrs. Fryt wouldn’t spot her, but she was desperate enough to see JJ that the possibility hadn’t stopped her.

After a moment, he opened the door. He smiled when he saw her, but the smile faded when he saw the look on her face. Then he said, “Want to go for a drive?”

Dolly agreed, relieved that he hadn’t asked her any questions about what she was doing there. She had made such a fuss about going home to a nice dinner with her husband.

He took her to White Pine Point, which looked out on the beach and the stillness of Heron Lake. He told her it was the popular spot for high school kids to come to drink and park, that he’d come out here a lot when he was in school. It was early, though, and as JJ nosed the car up to the beach, Dolly saw they were alone. They got out and leaned against the hood of his car. As the sun dipped toward the horizon, they smoked and took nips from a flask he’d brought along.