Tyler did not, as he had hoped and prayed, win the competition. A girl did. Her kite had outperformed the others in clever movements, Tyler explained, using words like “lazy Susans” and “Jacob’s ladder.” Lurina, confused by it all and by the heat, kept congratulating Tyler as if he had been the winner. Tyler smiled at her and offered his arm to steady her walk as they left the field. Except for her aching neck, Hannah had enjoyed watching the enthusiasm of the young people, and she was proud that Tyler, a good sport, took his loss in stride.

“Next time,” he said. “I’ll win it next time.”

They gathered for a barbecue in Bob’s backyard. He had added a large patio with chairs and tables and a screened pool. Ben had worked his way through graduate school at a fast-food restaurant and had mastered the art of flipping burgers. Sadie ran about delivering special orders, rare, well done, or almost charred.

Miss Lurina settled into a lounge. Her head fell to one side and she dozed. Grace covered her with a light blanket. In an antique shop, Amelia had found an old Victrola and a stack of jazz recordings from the 1950s. Denny asked Sarina to dance. She looked to Hannah for approval, and when Hannah smiled, Sarina handed Sarah to Amelia. Grace was certain that in time something would come of their relationship. Sarina had filed for divorce, and that took a year in North Carolina.

Melissa stood on her father’s shoes while he tried to move to the tempo of the music. Russell never had much rhythm. Tyler kept busy serving cold drinks and generally being helpful. The branches of a weeping Japanese cherry tree dipped in the breeze. The Big Dipper emerged, bright against the night sky.

What a grand day this has been, Hannah thought.

“This is what peace feels like, what heaven must be like.” Grace tucked her arm through Bob’s. “To be among people you love, people you can say anything to and know you will be understood and accepted.”

She looked around. Miriam and Ben danced cheek to cheek. Ben had sold his home in Virginia almost immediately and had bought a house here and begun to settle in. There would be a wedding soon.

Grace thought about weddings: Miss Lurina and Old Man, Russell and Emily (though that marriage had not worked out), Max and Hannah, and now Miriam and Ben. Amelia, holding the sleeping baby, sat in a chair near Lurina. She looked radiant. Grace looked at Bob. She loved him, no doubt of that, but she preferred not to marry, and they’d both gotten quite used to things the way they were.