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meant it.”
    “What am I supposed to do?” She turned to look at him, her eyes wide.
    “Tell me what happened.”
    She shook her head. “Not now.”
    “Why not?” He raised his voice.
    “I’ve had kind of a hard day. Having a ghost walk in on you is a little . . .” She stopped and leaned against the sink . Her eyes closed and she looked to be praying.
    “You really thought I was dead?”
    “Three years is a long time.” Came out nice and calm.
    “It’s not like I could send you letters.”
    “Well you’re not going to blame that on me.” She was back to being shrill, then pushed off the sink and went past him into the diner.
    “I didn’t blame you,” he barked back. “What was I to think when I came home and you weren’t there? When Harland told me you ran off with the payroll? When . . .” He stopped this time.
    “When he told you I ran out on his engagement?” She stopped moving.
    “Yeah.”
    “I heard about Kate, too. I’m sorry.”
    He took a deep breath, “Thank you.”
    “I close the diner on Saturday and Sunday this time of year. Come by Saturday and we’ll talk.”
    
    Before the breakfast crowd was done on Friday, Maddy had dropped three dishes, two spatulas, and one cast iron skillet that just missed her toes. Her mind was too busy trying to figure out what to tell Frank about Galen, and what to tell Galen about an ything, to worry about washing extra dishes, or smash ing toes.
    Galen sat down where he could see her through the window. She kicked the onion she dropped at the sight of him across the kitchen and picked up another. At least Frank had stayed away this morning, thus far.
    Darla gave him a soda today, and his blues twinkled like the last star over the ocean at sunrise. He looked through to her and she looked down at the grill.
    She tossed on a hamburger with all the fixings. Then looked back through the window where he was still staring at her. This time she stared back.
    So much filled her head. Far more than Frank. Far more than figuring out what to tell Galen. She could close her eyes and see him as he grew up. Seven years old with pudding on his chin from licking the bowl. Eight when he’d wrecked Harland’s bike because she was on his. His knee bled for an hour. Their first kiss.
    She looked up and he was still watching her. His lips were full and she was delighted to know he hadn’t grown a mustache. The corners turned up and she wondered what shade of red she was turning. His lunch went into the window.
    Those lips had inspired more than one romp through the woods. It was only right since that’s where it had started. However, the day as a whole had resulted in that first kiss .
    
    Her and Mama had left the Langley’s on time and didn’t hurry walking home. It was such a beautiful fall day. The leaves were changing color, the mums were out in full, and animals scurried across the road storing food for winter. They’d talked about th e kids of the prominent neighborhoods. They’d talked about the Winter Dance and the possibility of her going this year.
    “I’d have to have a new dress and that is too expensive.” Maddy objected, kicking a pebble up the hill.
    “I’ve been saving for something special. If you want to go?”
    “I’d love to go.” She quickly added. “But there has to be something else more important for the money.”
    “You are important, baby.” Cassie wrapped an arm around Maddy’s shoulder. Mama always knew what to say when she needed it.
    “You’ve been working just as hard as me lately, too.” Cassie continued. “Think about what you want and we will see when we can go shopping.”
    Maddy didn’t think she’d ever felt so good. A dance. One that most of the county would be at. She could dance, correction, she would dance. The possibilities made a smile that even her father’s foulest mood wouldn’t remove.
    The moment she stepped on the porch, she proved that statement wrong.
    Donald Murphy stood just