“That’s right,” Barbara says. “I forgot. Real nice brochure. Chuck was getting where I was afraid he’d fall in the pool or get out and get lost, so we checked it out.”

“Excuse me,” Mel interjects. “Could I use your bathroom?”

“Sure, hon,” Barbara says. “Down that hall on your right.”

Mel, smiling with embarrassment, edges out of the room.

“So no individual person recommended the facility to you?” Rose presses.

Dogs bark. Derek lifts his fanny to fish his cell phone out of his rear pocket. For a moment they all wait while he pokes at the screen. “Robocall,” he says, and wriggles farther over the edge of the chair, elbows on his knees, beer held between them in both hands. “Barb told you. A brochure. What’s this really about?”

His voice, never warm, has grown hard and cold. Has Rose pushed too hard? Hit a nerve? Or is he merely overprotective of his sister?

“I’m sorry if I seem to be a nosy Parker.” Rose flutters her hands in helpless confusion. “It’s just … Well, I’m so scared of making the wrong decision. What if I put Pete in a place where they—you know, you hear so much about elder abuse. Then there was that awful thing in Louisiana. Fire ants! This poor woman was stung to death by fire ants. Fire ants in her bed!”

“That’s just awful!” Barbara exclaims. “Ugh!”

Derek slips awkwardly from the blancmange of a chair. “No worries, Mrs. Moore. No fire ants at Longwood. It’s a classy setup in every way. If you go online—do you use a computer?”

“I took a class once through AARP,” Rose says vaguely. This story is sure to get a rise out of Marion.

“You get your granddaughter to Google Longwood. That’s all we can tell you. Good luck.” His eyes stray to the football game over the fireplace.

Once again Rose is being dismissed.

Mel materializes at the top of the shallow steps into the sunken room.

“We’d best be going,” Rose says.

“But you only just got here!” Barbara cries. “You haven’t even finished your drinks.”

“Not everybody can sit around all day and polish their nails,” Derek snaps. He picks up the abandoned roses, evidently intending to throw them out along with Rose and Mel.

“What’s with the roses?” Barbara eyes the drooping blooms. “They make me think of cheating husbands.”

Rose thanks Barbara for the beer and her time. “Y’all come back, now,” Barbara says, sounding as if she hopes they will.

Derek herds them to the double doors. When they are outside he reseals the air lock. The click of a lock falling into place officially ends the visit.

“So much for Chuck’s wife loving roses,” Rose muses.