“I don’t know. It turns out that he’s a super talented lip-sync impersonator. Some big producer in Vegas wants to have him audition for some huge lip-sync group. The money is crazy.”

“Are you for real?”

“Oh, yeah. Apparently, there’s big money in this business. And here’s the thing, Charlie doesn’t really need the money. He got oodles from his dad’s estate. But pretending to be Cher makes Charlie happier than I’ve ever seen him. I mean, he’s downright dizzy with happiness!”

“Was Cher at breakfast?”

“Good grief, no! We had breakfast at the Sand Dollar on the Isle of Palms.”

“Yeah, I can see him getting some heat here.” I thought then that perhaps they had made some kind of peace with each other. “So where did you leave it with him?”

“Well, I’m beginning to understand this aspect of Charlie’s personality a little better. And he’s agreed to compromise with me on certain things.”

“Such as?”

“Such as not showing up unannounced at my mother’s dressed as Charlene. I just told him, I said, ‘Charlie? My momma’s an older lady, from another generation, and she just can’t take it. And Momma feels like you duped me by not telling me in the first place. She needs to know you’re the same wonderful man that married her daughter.’ I’ll tell you, Holly, him showing up as Charlene with no warning wasn’t nice. I mean, how about a heads-up?”

“But I seem to remember you laughing!” I said.

“Nervously. Because I didn’t know what else to do!” she said.

“Yeah, I don’t think I would’ve known what to do, either.”

“He wants me to come to Vegas with him to watch this competition.”

“Are you going to go?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, let’s think about it.”

“How did last night go?”

“Terrific,” I said and then told her about Sharon’s strawberry allergy.

I thought she was going to burst a blood vessel, she laughed so hard. I mean, she really laughed more than I thought she should have. I wrote it off to her anxiety over dealing with Charlie’s new ambitions.

“I know. How terrible, right?” I said. “I’ll see you later.”

The boys were just coming up the steps and I was almost right behind them.

“Hey! How was school?”

They babbled on while I got the door open and then they followed me inside, still talking a mile a minute.

“Anybody want a snack?”

“Yes!” they said.

“Okay, backpacks down and go wash your hands!”

They scattered like mercury and were back in a flash.

I put sliced apples and peanut butter in front of them on a platter to share, and I sat down at the table with them.