I slowly reached for it again, and my fingers couldn’t curl around it. They met in the middle as the flexible glass bent and cracked, spiderwebs appearing for a moment before it shattered in my hand. Sharp glass pieces, solid once again, sliced through my palm. Blood began spouting from my skin, snaking down my arm, and dripping onto my leg.

I stared at it in shock, not feeling any pain, trying to comprehend what had just happened as blood pooled onto my lap.

“I found—” Judy reappeared, a cardboard box labeled “VHS tapes” in her hands. “Are you all right, dear? You’re as white as a sheet.”

I looked down at my palm, which was now uninjured and free of blood. I flexed my fingers and turned my hand over. No injuries. It must have been some kind of vision or hallucination.

“Yes,” I said in a shaky voice. “I’m fine.”

She shot me another quizzical look and set the box down on the table. “I’ve had these for years. Can you use them for games? And of course I will help with the face painting.”

I leaned forward and peered into the box. It was filled with small toys and prizes. I glanced down again at my hand and at the glass, both of which were as they should have been.

Despite the strange vision, gratitude flooded me at her gesture. If no one in Winchester would help me plan the carnival, I had to get creative. Even if it would be a ragtag group running the show, I had renewed hope that I could pull it off for Jack. He deserved to have something special, and I would do everything I could to make it happen.

CHAPTER
18

Three hours later, after the kids were in bed, I waited on the corner outside of my house, my other hand grasping Rocky’s leash. After we had arrived home from my in-laws’ house, Jess had sent a text to Melissa and me, asking to meet to walk our dogs. After my vision with the glass, I had a sinking feeling it wasn’t really about the dogs.

Rocky started to whine and pull when he saw Jess walking down the street, her Lab mix, Duffy, at her side. He was off-leash trained and was more obedient than any of our children. She wore a Bob Marley T-shirt and blue-and-white-striped pajama pants. Her feet were bare.

Melissa was a few steps behind her, wearing a cream silk pajama shorts set and Ugg house slippers. In her arms was her small white evil dog, Lucy. Lucy was a long-haired Chihuahua and only loved Melissa, even shunning Tony and the kids. She primarily lived in Melissa’s bedroom, emerging only twice a day to eat downstairs and then poop on the expensive throw rugs.

“I guess we aren’t going to walk,” I said as I pointed to Jess’s bare feet.