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Chapters (53)
  1. Cover
  2. Everyone loves the ladies of Covington!
  3. Also by Joan Medlicott
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Dedication
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. Discussion Questions

It came as a shock several days later, after she and Sadie returned from walking the puppies on Cove Road, when Amelia found a message from May on their answering machine. The puppies, still on their leashes, raced around her feet while Sadie chased, caught them, and tickled their tummies.

Amelia listened to the message in shocked silence a second and third time as May’s voice said, “I thank you for inviting me to stay awhile with you ladies. I went to A-B Tech and the money’s easy to pay for schooling, but I ain’t got nowhere to live. The training’s eight weeks.” Pride filled her voice. “I’m gonna be a nurse’s aide. When would be the best time for me to bring my things over?”

Amelia plopped into the closest chair. What had happened to never seeing Denny? He lived nearly across the road from them. Benji had tangled himself around a leg of the chair and she bent to help Sadie unleash him.

“Can we let him run about the house for a bit?” Sadie asked.

Amelia nodded.

“Won’t Hannah be angry if she comes in and catches Benji out of his cage?” Sadie asked.

Amelia put her arm about the little girl, whom she absolutely adored. “We’ll let him run about the house for a little while, but you watch him, and don’t let him chew on anything.”

“Oh, goodie good.” Sadie raced toward the living room with Benji at her heels.

What to do? Amelia hadn’t mentioned May or Denny to Grace and Hannah, and Hannah wasn’t in the best of moods these days.

15

Change and Confusion

Across the road at Max’s, Hannah, furious with Max, pounded one fist into the palm of her other hand. “Why can’t you understand that Zachary’s up to no good? I am warning you. He’ll do whatever he can to undermine our relationship.”

“Aren’t you overreacting? So, he gambles to pass the time. He could do worse. You thought he was seeing a woman or maybe involved in drugs. Better he should gamble.”

“This isn’t about his gambling, Max. A few days ago you were furious with him for the way he spoke so rudely to Anna.”

“I won’t tolerate rudeness in this house. It’s Anna today, Sarina or you tomorrow.”

“But you never said that to him, did you? Why? Can’t you see that his being here has changed everything for us? It’s subtle, as if he’s determined to somehow undermine what we have together. Look at us. Here we are, arguing. We never did that, did we?”

“Why would Zachary being here matter to what we do or when or where? We have our own lives to live. What’s stopping us from going on just as we did before they came?”

“I’m not here as much as I used to be, am I?”