After their morning with the horses and indulging in ice cream, it was time for some real food. A group of street musicians bellowed tuneful classics from the lawn in front of the café where Blythe and Rose were eating lunch and a small crowd had gathered outside the café to listen to the musicians. The temperature continued to climb, and by two-thirty the park was bustling. Bellamy, munching on his second bacon cheeseburger, stood apart from the crowd, alone atop a grass verge, lost in the music and the all-around upbeat atmosphere of the park. It was the first time he’d left Blythe’s side since Rose had arrived, and though Rose was dying to quiz her mom about him, she didn’t want to pressure her unduly. For one thing, her mother’s color was not good—ashen, in fact, and there was that horrible shortness of breath that could easily be a precursor to a heart attack. The final heart attack.

“What if we switch tables—get further inside—cool you off in front of the a/c?” Rose spotted an empty table near the fake potted palm tree whose fronds were fidgeting in the stream of cool air.

Blythe wiped her brow with her handkerchief, cast a slightly worried glance at Bellamy outside, then nodded to Rose. “Just till I cool off.”

She could walk fine on her own, but Rose wasn’t taking any chances. She held her mom’s arm while they crossed the busy café, then went back to fetch their drinks. “Have you taken any of your heart pills today?”

“Way ahead of you, sweetie.” Placing a tiny white dot under her tongue—a tablet so small it probably wouldn’t even ripple the water next to the crumbs if it fell in the duck pond, yet for Blythe, it was the difference between life and death. Yes, her existence was that fragile right now.

The idea took Rose’s breath away.

“Ah, that’s better.” Blythe held her face up in the steady air stream, closed her eyes. “So, what’s new in the city, Rosie?”

“Not a lot. Thicker air, thinner hair, caffeine keeping the whole place awake. Same old, same old.”

Her mom chuckled, still with her eyes closed. “So young to be so jaded. What do you do for fun?”

“Fun? I actually heard a rumor that someone somewhere met a guy who had some fun once.”

“What happened?”

“He got arrested.”

Blythe playfully shook her head. “Poor Rosie. It’s like I keep telling you, when your glass is half-empty, don’t hold onto it, pour it out and order something new.”

“Mom, I always knew you were a lush,” Rose kidded.

“Of course. It gets me through the day.” Blythe gave a laugh.

Rose grinned and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair. “You’re bad.”