Birdie took the phone. “We are all at Granny’s having supper. We’re leaving here as soon as we can pay.”

“Then I’m coming, too,” Ray said.

Birdie’s thoughts were spinning. This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, to get everyone together to deliver her mama’s message, and a crisis situation might be the perfect time.

“Leave Susie at home, but get Emma and bring her with you.”

“She won’t come,” Ray said.

“You tell her I said she has to, that I have an important message for all of you,” Birdie said, and then disconnected. “Thank you, Hunt. The trip out there is going to mean more to you than you can imagine.”

“If this is a family meeting, then I think you need to drop me off at the house,” Ava said.

“Uh…no,” Hunt said. “If we’re going to be partners in life, there aren’t going to be secrets between us, remember?”

Hunt waved their waitress down, got their ticket, and left in haste. Sundown wasn’t far away, and he was worried about finding Junior before it got dark.

“Get in with us, Birdie. I don’t want you driving around out at the lake by yourself. I’ll bring you back to your car later.”

She didn’t argue and piled into the truck with Ava in the middle as Hunt took off out of town.

Ray was already on his way back to Emma’s house, and when he knocked on her door again, she was surprised and then angry.

“I already told you I—”

“Hunt and Birdie are on their way out to the lake right now. Birdie said to tell you that you have to come, that she has an important message for all of us. So if I have to drag your hateful ass out to my car, I’ll do it.”

Emma sighed. “Whatever,” she muttered. “I’ll need to leave Gordon a note to—”

“Just get your jacket and your dang phone and call him on the way.”

Emma ran to the coat closet, grabbed her coat, and pocketed her cell phone on the way out the door. Maybe if they all showed up together, it would keep Junior from saying anything to Hunt about their secret. It was old…in the past…and she wanted so much to forget it had ever happened.

* * *

Junior was sitting on a rock overlooking the lake, watching the sun moving slowly toward the horizon. He’d been out here after dark plenty of times, but usually drinking beer with a bunch of guys.

He remembered once when Hunt brought them out that they’d stayed after the sun went down and had a wiener roast down by the shore. Hunt built a little fire right by the water and then cut them green sticks to use to roast their wieners.