“Thanks,” Jill said as she took the bag and held it at her side. “This might sound weird or crazy, but could you give me Mrs. Murphy’s address?”

“Why?” Gwen asked, crossing her arms.

Jill nodded to the bag. “This is for them. I thought they’d be too tired from their trip to cook.”

Gwen dropped her arms, and the corner of her mouth turned up. “That’s really sweet of you.” She asked for a pen and pad of paper from the hostess and started scribbling. She handed Jill the slip of paper with the address on it. “You’re scoring some major points with me on this. Just so you know.”

Jill laughed. “Guess that’s good then. Thanks again.”

“No problem. Enjoy.”

Jill parked on the street in front of Mrs. Murphy’s house. Reagan’s car wasn’t in the driveway, but it was just after four. She got out of the car and grabbed the food from the backseat. When she stepped onto the porch, a wave of uncertainty hit her. Maybe this was a terrible idea. Maybe Reagan would just want to go home for some alone time. It had been a long week already, and she knew her week ahead would be busy. Just as she was about to leave the food on the porch, headlights flashed across her body. Guess it’s too late to bail.

Once Reagan shut off the car, she and her mom got out with smiles on their faces. Although, the one on Mrs. Murphy’s face was smug while the one on Reagan’s was more pleased. Jill awkwardly waved to Mrs. Murphy before turning her attention to Reagan. The tenderness in Reagan’s eyes washed away the last of Jill’s anxiety about coming over.

Mrs. Murphy’s voice broke their connection. “Well, who do we have here?”

Jill set the bag on a rocking chair and hurried down the steps, stopping a few feet away from Reagan’s mom. She extended her hand. “Hi, Mrs. Murphy. I’m Jill.”

“None of that Mrs. Murphy crap. It’s Kathy. Now come here.” She playfully swatted Jill’s hand away and pulled her into a hug.

Jill stood as still as a statue, looking over at Reagan. She begged with her eyes for Reagan to tell her what to do, but Reagan just smiled and shrugged. Jill slowly wrapped her arms around Kathy, who hugged her tighter in response. She couldn’t remember the last time her mother had hugged her. Probably not since I was a kid, if even then. Physical contact usually consisted of brief, tense cheek kisses. Never anything like this—a hug that made someone feel like they were the only one that mattered at that moment.

“There you go,” Kathy whispered in her ear. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”