“The boy was a bad seed. He used to uproot my prize geraniums just to be nasty. He put frogs in buckets with lids on so they couldn’t breathe, and he was forever smashing pop bottles on the roads so people would get flat tires. He chased cats, and the Lord alone knew what he did to them when he did catch them. Anyone who is mean to animals is someone not to be trusted. I called his father, Cyrus, and the man said the boy was just being a boy. It was nice talking to you. My name is Millie Donovan.” She offered up a gnarled, blue veined hand. Cady shook it gently.

“You tell your grandmother we all watch her old pictures. Now, she was an actress. Not like these flibbertigibbets today.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Donovan.”

“You’re just as pretty as a picture, young woman.”

Cady smiled. “Thank you.” She went back to her coffee, finished it, paid for it, and left the store. She looked at her watch. Nine-thirty. Time to hit the hardware store.

Lattimer’s Hardware Store was just like every other hardware store in a small town. Six rocking chairs lined the sidewalk next to the bags of fertilizer and peat moss. A dozen or so brooms were stacked, ends up, in a wooden barrel. Next to the barrel of brooms were dozens of bright green Weed Eaters. A blazing red sign taped to the window said everything was 10 percent off if you were a senior citizen. Sitting on all the rocking chairs were elderly men with newspapers on their laps, coffee cups from the bakery in their hands.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Cady said brightly as she sashayed into the store, where she bought a roll of duct tape just to have something to buy. She was sure Anthony would find a use for it in the garage.

The clerk rang up her purchase as she stared at Cady. “We went to school together, Cady. I recognized you from your picture in the morning paper. I’m Marie Lattimer. Do you remember me?” At Cady’s blank look, she said, “It was a long time ago. We were snowflakes together in the Christmas pageant when we were nine.” Cady smiled again. “You were best friends with Amy Hollister. She’s married now.”

“I just saw Amy in the bakery a little while ago. Everyone has changed so much. I guess I have, too. Are you married, Marie?”

“Sure am. I have a little boy named Zack. I married Ted Oliver. I work here two days a week to help out my dad. So, what do you think of Indigo Valley now that you’re back? I bet you hardly recognize it, huh?”

“It’s a nice town. It certainly has grown a lot since I was here last. I like it, though. Obviously you do, too, since you stayed here.”

Marie’s dark curls bobbed up and down as she shook her head. “It’s a great place to raise children. I like small towns, where you know everyone, and everyone helps each other. Is it really true that they’re going to make a movie of your grandmother’s life?”