stood to clear her plate.
âOoh, good idea.â Lolly nodded enthusiastically.
âYou will not, thatâs Lollyâs job. Deena and Jeffrey help too. Go out on the porch and talk to Vera. She likes company.â
âI can at least do something.â
âWeâve got it covered. You go have fun.â
âIf youâre sure.â She backed up a few reluctant steps. âI can take a walk, I guess.â
âGood idea. Itâs beautiful out tonight. Today wasnât too hot.â She all but made shooing motions with her hands.
Elizabeth hesitated in the doorway, on the verge of asking if Jeffrey wanted to come with her, then stopped at the sight of the kids all chipping in, like something out of a perfect-family TV show, Jeffrey clearing plates, Deena scraping them and Lolly wrapping up leftovers to put away.
She turned and left the room, nostalgic for her childhood fantasies of belonging to a family like this one. Not that she hadnât spent time with her mom and grandmotherâshe had, but grudgingly, with an eye toward getting out to meet this or that boyfriend, sneak into this or that bar, get naked in the back of this or that car. Vera would love those stories. Next dinner Elizabeth would toss out a few and get herself recommended for exorcism.
Out on the porch Veraâs sturdy rocking chair waited in the soft evening air, which smelled of mowed lawns, flowers and mountain wind. Elizabeth pushed the smooth wood gently, imagining the chair starting to rock impatiently at this time every night, anticipating its occupantâs arrival.
Elizabeth would be different if sheâd grown up in a house like this, warm, homey, fresh and uncomplicated. Sheâd be stable and peaceful like Megan, raising her children uncomplainingly while her husband was out hunting the bacon heâd eventually bring home. Maybe sheâd already have married Dominique and be happily settled.
Or maybe she was doomed to be a restless soul regardless. In which case sheâd turned her blame and her back on a family that didnât deserve either. And maybe on Dominique too.
She stepped off the porch, then impulsively returned throughthe house to get her sketchbook. Two steps from the back door, a nearby male voice exploded in hoarse shouts and furious curses.
Elizabeth spun around, staring into the kitchen, where Megan and Lolly were still cleaning up, though the raging was clearly audible through the window.
âIâ¦donât you hear that? Shouldnât we do something?â
Lolly chortled; Megan turned back to her sink, smiling.
âThatâs David.â
âWell whatâsâ¦whatâs it about?â
Lolly cracked up again. âBelieve it or not, squirrels.â
â Squirrels? â
âThey get into his bird feeders. Drives him crazy.â Megan braced her hands on the edge of the sink, gazing out toward his yard. âHe loves birds.â
âHeâs been through like three different feeders in the last month, all supposed to be squirrel-proof.â Lolly shoved the foil-covered pan of meat loaf into the refrigerator and closed the door. âThe squirrels got into all of them.â
âIs he always so angry?â
âHeâs really nice when he wants to be.â Lolly moved toward the kitchen door. âMom, Sarah and I are going to a party at Chuckâs tonight, okay? His parents are home. Sarahâs mom is driving us.â
âBack by ten.â
âI kno-o-w,â she sang. âBye Elizabeth.â
âHave a good time.â She watched the teenager hurry out of the room, remembering how thrilling it had been to get away from Mom and Babcia and go out with friends at that age. Contrasted with how often she was home alone now, wishing for quiet time with Dominique. âSheâs lovely.â
Megan pursed her lips. âSheâs starting to realize that.â
âAh. Yeah.â She had no idea
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