Lauren hustled out of the kitchen with the bag from the cable company in hand. Her mother hadn’t noticed, and that was fine. Once inside her room, she read through the printed instructions that Brad with the white teeth had given her. First, Lauren booted up her laptop, installed the router and modem, connected this to the cable outlet, then plugged both into the electrical socket, launched the software, and boom, the Montgomerys had Internet access. Lauren almost felt a little guilty for going behind her dad’s back, but, she reminded herself, she was a grown woman, with every right to do this. When she had returned to Fallen Springs three years ago, she had, in a sense, given up a modicum of freedom, though her parents had assured her they would never interfere with her private life, and they hadn’t, at least not enough that it mattered. The nature of her relationship with Brent Ludmore was a touchy subject, one she tolerated now and then because they’d been friends forever. She’d told her parents on more than one occasion she wasn’t interested in him in a romantic way, but her mom always said they crossed their fingers and hoped for the best. She smiled at this memory. Her mother wanted grandchildren, she knew, and someday, if the right guy came along before her childbearing years were over, she hoped to grant her that wish. Being thirty-five years old didn’t give her a lot of wiggle room.

She clicked a few keys on her keyboard, and poof, she was Wi-Fi-enabled. “Yes!” she said, punching a fist in the air. First things first. She checked her e-mail for the flight information Angela had sent, then she logged onto the airline’s website, checking tomorrow’s flight.

Canceled.

Knowing Angela, she was probably on Facebook, so she logged on, saw the green dot, and clicked on her name to send an instant message.

Lauren: FLIGHT HAS BEEN CANCELED!

Angela: SHIT!

Lauren: ;c NOT WHAT I NEED!

Angela: I’LL CALL MR. G, BRB.

Lauren: OKAY . . .

While Angela did her thing, Lauren changed into sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt.

Glancing at the screen, she saw the gray dots bouncing.

Angela: WE’RE GOOD! DELAY APPROVED UNTIL WEATHER CLEARS!

Lauren: PERFECT. THANKS!

Angela: I’LL CALL YOU TOMORROW.

Lauren: OKAY!