At the moment, though, she doesn’t think she has it in her to watch them get married someday. Suddenly, Jules’s actions in My Best Friend’s Wedding don’t seem so far-fetched anymore. Her tactics were still horrible, but Joy intimately understood the drive behind them now. Incredulity and desperation taking turns repeatedly sucker-punching you. The dawning horror of realization. A frantic voice screeching, You’re going to lose him forever, you stupid woman.

It’s enough to make a person lose all rational control, that’s for sure.

Fox joins them in the dining room not too long after. Joy is sitting at the head of the table this time, and as he passes her he sets something down next to her plate. She picks up the woven circlet threaded with white daises and long-stemmed tiny purple flowers.

Joy is speechless for a full five seconds. “You made me a flower crown?” He went for a walk to go pick flowers and find pliable branches to make her a crown, dear god. This little gesture from Fox completely breaks through her drowning anxiety spiral. She gets up from the table, heading for the giant decorative mirror on the wall. After placing it on her head, she fixes her hair around it. It fits perfectly and looks good enough to be sold in a store. Feeling giddy, she adds, “And it matches my outfit?”

“That’s why I made it,” he grumps.

“Where’s mine?” Summer asks, grinning at him. She punches him gently in the arm when he sits next to her.

“Uh, sorry.”

“Well, thank you,” Joy says, trying to keep her preening under control. “I love it.”

“Hmm.”

“Always so grumpy,” she whispers, watching him. His lips twitch.

“So,” Summer says, “what are we doing today?”

Malcolm finishes chewing before answering. “We have a couple of reservations for a couple of places I think you’ll like.”

“Can I know what they are?”

“I thought you wanted to be surprised?”

“I do. Sometimes.” Summer picks aggressively at her muffin. “Can I at least know what time we’re leaving?”

“Not too long from now.”

Summer’s smile stays put but her eyes have gone flat, losing some of their shine.

Interesting. Or as Fox would say, Hmm.

“Do I have time to go for a walk?” Summer pushes her plate away. “I want to make sure there’s no residual ghost energy on me by spending some time in nature.”

Fox asks, “Residual ghost energy?”

Joy taps his arm and whispers, “Oh, there was a ghost in Summer’s bathroom this morning. Huge ordeal.” She speaks quickly, not wanting to interrupt what’s happening between Malcolm and Summer.

Malcolm asks, “And how is walking in nature going to help?”

“It clears my mind, gets the blood flowing, burns some energy. That kind of thing,” Summer says. “And I was thinking maybe Joy could come with me.”