“Could be the folks from the electric company,” Nessa offered. “The lawyer said that we’d have to get things arranged with them to keep the power hooked up.”

“Anybody home?” a loud voice called out, and then there was the sound of footsteps on the porch.

“Come on in, Stella!” April yelled.

“Who’s Stella?” Flynn asked.

“That’s one of the ladies from Nanny Lucy’s quilting club. You’ll remember her when you see her. She hasn’t changed much since we were teenagers,” April explained in a low voice. “I’d know her raspy smoker’s voice anywhere. I used to steal cigarettes from her purse when she came to club meetings.”

“Good God,” Nessa gasped. “Do you still smoke? If you do, you’ll have to take your nasty habit outside. Nanny Lucy didn’t allow anyone to smoke or drink or use bad language on her property.”

“Nope, I do not smoke, and believe me, I know all the rules, upside down and backwards,” April said. “I never even lit up a cigarette. I gave them away to kids at school. I thought it would make them like me, but it didn’t, so I stopped stealing them.”

Flynn opened the door for the short, thin woman who made April look downright overweight. Her face was just skin stretched over a skeleton. Her hair had been dyed a shade somewhere between orange and red, but gray roots were showing.

“I heard you kids were here. I brought a chocolate cake for you. Lord, I miss Lucy. She was a rock in both of our clubs.” Stella talked as she carried the cake to the dining room table and set it down.

“Thank you so much,” April said.

Stella turned around and stopped in her tracks. “I swear to God, Nessa, you look just like Lucy did when she was thirty years old and we started our garden and quilting clubs. April, darlin’, you look tired. Flynn, you’ve got Matthew’s good looks. That’s not necessarily a good thing.” She fussed with the cake on the table. “Maybe things would have been different if Gabby had lived to finish raising you. I still get weepy when I think of the good Lord taking your mama home to be with the angels at such a young age.” She wiped a tear from her eye, straightened, and then headed toward the door. “I’d love to stay and catch up with you kids, but my sister, Vivien, and I are going to the animal shelter. We volunteer there for a few hours once a week. If y’all need anything, you feel free to call me.” She was gone with a wave before any of them could say a word.

“Did that really happen, or did I dream it?” Nessa shook her head.