“Agree. Mom?” Avery asked. “How much potpie do you want?”

“I can serve myself.”

“No,” Avery said. “You don’t have to. Just sit. I’ll get you some wine.” Avery was a flurry of movement, and even when Lark and Mary had their food, Avery didn’t sit. She opened up the cupboards and looked in each of them, frowning. Lark could almost see an inventory building in her sister’s head.

“What exactly are you doing?”

“I’ve been thinking,” Avery said. “Didn’t you talk to Hannah at all about what her idea was for this place?”

“No.” Lark felt vaguely wounded by that. There was a plan, and Hannah hadn’t said anything to her?

That made her feel more like the baby sister than anything had for a while.

“Finally!” Laden with suitcases, Hannah pushed the door open with her shoulder, her bright red hair, a shade or two down the aisle from the color their grandmother had used, covering her face. “I couldn’t seem to get a car. I had to rent one.”

Her suitcases were flung out in front of her, her violin in a black case slung over her shoulder. Lark didn’t see a purse. She was sure her sister had one, but the violin was obviously her most important possession.

“Yeah, I don’t think ridesharing has really caught on around here,” Lark said.

“Do you mean those apps? Aren’t all the drivers serial killers or something?” Avery asked. Everyone looked at her. “One of my friends shared a post about it online.”

Hannah and Lark exchanged a glance.

“Well, I’ve managed to use it for about five years now and not get serial killed. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” Hannah said. “It will be good to have a car, but I don’t really want to pay for a rental for the next three months.”

“Dad said you could borrow the car,” Mary said.

“Thanks,” Hannah responded.

“I drove,” Lark said, only then registering that her sister had not in fact asked if she needed the car. “So I have my car,” she finished lamely.

Dad and Hannah had always had their own special thing. Not that Lark thought he loved Hannah more. She just wasn’t shocked that he’d set the car aside for her.

“That smells good,” Hannah said. She grabbed a paper plate and served herself a large portion of salad, and a small wedge of pie, passing on the wine and taking a sparkling water the same as Lark.

Soon they were all sitting around the table, except Avery, who was standing, leaning against the kitchen counter, holding a glass of wine.

“Do you want to sit?”

Avery blinked. “Oh,” she said. “I just get so used to not having a chance to sit.”

But she didn’t move from her position.

“Avery says you have an idea?” Lark pointed that statement at Hannah.

“Oh,” Hannah said. “Yes. I do. Well, we’re doing a scaled back concert series this summer, and I wasn’t needed for the next three months.” Lark couldn’t read her sister’s emotions. She was laying it out matter-of-factly, but Lark had the sense she wasn’t all that happy to have three months off. “I’m clear until end of August.”