Saturdays returned to a satisfactory pattern for Max and Hannah. Many Saturday nights they checked into a motel suite in Asheville and shopped for fresh produce at the farmers’ market on Sunday mornings. Hannah found Amelia less annoying, and May, moving quietly in and out of the house, was easier to ignore. Even the puppies, twice their size now and sometimes careening through the house, no longer irritated Hannah, and she found moments to pet and cuddle them, especially Benji. She had been instrumental in having a chain-link fence put up in the backyard, so the dogs could be safe.

Then, over dinner one Saturday evening, Hannah urged Max to sit down with Zachary and talk about his future. “Perhaps there’s a role for him at Bella’s Park.”

“And what might that be?” he asked. “I have no idea what his skills are or what he wants to do.”

“He enjoys climbing mountains. I heard him tell Anna. Maybe he could hike those seven hundred acres of Bella’s Park and see what we have up there. We don’t know if there are old hardwood forests, waterfalls, caves, or what up the hillside. Don’t you want to know what’s up there?”

“I’ll think about it.”

As the days passed, Hannah persisted. “Why do you keep putting off talking to Zachary? He’s your only child.”

Max shook his head and his brows furrowed. “Perhaps I’m afraid that if we try to talk, we’ll end up arguing as we always have.”

Remembering the conversation between Zachary and Anna that she had eavesdropped on, Hannah said, “Give it a try. He loves Sarina and the baby. They both understand that things have changed in India. Naming the baby Sarah says a lot.” She paused a moment and tapped her forehead. “I have an idea. Why not ask Bob to have lunch with you and Zachary? Let Bob ask the questions. He’ll be a good buffer and keep you both on the straight and narrow.”

“Especially after you’ve coached him?”

She shrugged and raised an eyebrow. “Come on, Max. Give it a try.”

“Okay, honey. I’ll set something up.”

“Wait too long, and I’ll be back to nag you,” she said.

17

May and Denny

It was not until she moved in with the ladies that May realized how lonely she had been living in a room in a stranger’s home, and she was grateful for their generosity and kindness. May tried to be unobtrusive. She moved with silent steps, rarely entered the kitchen when the women were there, and avoided coming or leaving through the front porch if they sat outside.

“When I finish my program at A-B Tech, there’s a job and further training waiting for me at Pardee Hospital,” she told Amelia.

Good Lord, Amelia thought, she’s planning to stay until she graduates from this program.