“I see you, Parnell Knox, but I’m nothing like you,” Hunt muttered, and ran the razor straight up the side of his cheek, leaving a streak of smooth skin within the whiskers, then kept it up until they were gone.

After that, he showered and changed into clean clothes, then went to check on Ava. She was kicked back in the recliner with her feet up, eating a cookie and talking on the phone.

All was well in his world.

He called Ray to check on the progress at the house, as he had every morning, and was pleased to learn that the painters were gone, and the crew from the granite company in Savannah was coming to install new countertops in the kitchen and bathroom.

“I got this,” Ray said. “You just stay home with Ava today.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Hunt said. “I’ll get her mom to stay with her tomorrow, so if your boss calls, don’t turn down any jobs, okay?”

“Okay,” Ray said. “Give Ava my best. Talk to you later.”

Hunt dropped the phone in his pocket, poured himself a Coke, snagged a couple of cookies from the cookie jar, and went back to the living room with Ava.

“Everybody is going to Potluck in the Park today,” Ava said.

“I know. Birdie was going, so I gave her our tickets and asked her to get us some stuff to go.”

Ava sighed. “I was so looking forward to going, but now, not so much. I’m not ready for all that and I know it. I hope the turnout is good so Mrs. Hollis can get home. Do you think she’ll be there?”

“She’s going to be the guest of honor. It will be her chance to thank everyone. Birdie said Dub got all of the damaged goods hauled off and the burned part of the building cleared away. He’s opening the store back up tomorrow, so she’ll be back at work.”

Ava picked a raisin out of the oatmeal cookie she was eating and put it in her mouth, talking as she chewed.

“Rhonda came up to tell me goodbye when you were checking me out this morning. She said the Ryman boy went home yesterday, but that it will be another couple of days, at least, before the Dillon girl is released.”

Hunt glanced at her, and then focused on the look on her face. Either someone said something to her about that day or she was remembering more.

“Good to know they’re healing,” Hunt said.

Her eyes narrowed, studying his expression. He gave away nothing.

“She said Josh Ryman’s charges were more serious than the others.”

“Oh yeah? I hadn’t heard anything about their charges, but I knew the Blessings police hauled them out of the ER and took them to jail,” Hunt said.

“They have security cameras in the ER,” Ava said.