But none of that would have mattered had it not been for one thing. Becky was wearing his Dolly Parton T-shirt. Peter looked away. If he’d hoped for anything, it was that when he gave his T-shirt to Cooper, he might keep it close for those times they were apart, just like he did with Cooper’s now his scent seemed to be the only part of him Peter had left. But it wasn’t to be. Instead, Cooper had the woods now, and the woods had Cooper, and Becky had Peter’s T-shirt and by wearing it, had stolen another part of them.

“Miss,” said Cooper, digging both hands down the seat of his jeans. “I can just as well leave.”

Terri shrugged. “You can just as well stay.”

“Pa reckoned lateness is folks’ way of sayin’ somethin’ dint matter much to them. Only, I don’t want you thinkin’ that.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s easy to get lost in those damned supermarket aisles at the best of times. Look! I even kept your seats warm for you.”

Peter looked around the circle. All the chairs were taken.

Terri pretend-cleared her throat. “Ned, you big hunk-a-love. Shift it.”

A thickset man in a baseball cap glanced up with a why me look on his face, giving rise to a wave of chuckles around the room, and slowly made his way to the back of the group so Cooper had a place to sit.

“You too, Val.”

A wiry old man with a gap between his front teeth wide enough to herd cattle through clapped both hands across his lap and did the same, then Cooper and Becky took their seats. The girl who’d been staring at Peter earlier followed the pair of them until she could establish eye contact. She didn’t have to wait long. Becky sighed so her whole body seemed to melt into the seat and sat there with her arms folded. She looked in the direction of the girl. Cooper pretended to look around the hall then did the same with Tokala, and there it was, the group’s connection to one another. Peter stared at Cooper. Look at me, he thought. Just look at me. I’m sitting right here. But he didn’t. The only one paying any attention to him at all was the sheriff, and there was that damned word again. Timberdark broke across Peter’s lips, as if the mere whisper of it would be enough to drive the hairs on Cooper’s neck upward, forcing him to acknowledge him. But it didn’t work. Cooper’s eyes stayed with Tokala and the sheriff’s stayed on Peter.

“So,” said Terri. “For those of you who don’t know, I’m Terri.”

“Good evening, Terri,” said the group in unison.