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Chapter One

June

What do they say about kids and candy? No candy because it makes thear crash afterward? Lots of sugar et those iced shortbread cookies fro asleep after

Is it good for theht now? Or should they stay awake so they can process? Do they seem more sleepy or more hyper?

I glance into the back of the truck’s cab just in tiether in a refined sugar high-five

Soot?

“What are you kids doing back there?” I ask in my best teacher voice

There’s that giggle “Margot? Is it you that giggles like a little church mouse?”

She does it again

“That’s adorable, darlin’”

“Darlin’!” Oliver’s laugh is more snorty “You’re such a darlin’,” he caws at his sister

Give it time and you’ll be drawlin’ just like me I want to say that—but it doesn’t seem wise Now is not the time to draw attention to the cultural shiftalready…from the time they stepped off the airplane in Atlanta five and a half hours ago; Oliver wrinkled his little freckled nose and said, “The air is…sticky Sticky icky wicky!”

Just you wait till summertime

Weninety-seven bags and both of their booster seats It took for-freaking-ever to get out of city traffic They were needing dinner, so I took theers—I don’t care what vile lies ers for theot asked for candy

“What were you hoping for?” I asked with caution

“Maybe…a giant lollipop?”

So of course I found a place—a very overpriced place off the interstate—and when Margot pointed to a sucker bigger than her little pig-tailed head, I got it Got theht bucks each Say what you will about a bunch of sugar, but it always makes me feel better

“How’s those lollipops co”

“Mine’s coether

“Make that ‘real good’ and you got yourself a deal”

He laughs, and Margot pops her lips together, too “I love candy”

She sounds sopresses on my chest—the lead-heavy, maybe-I’m-about-to-wake-up, nope-I’ I have to breathe out of my open mouth to make it ease up

“What’s your house like?” Oliver asks

I glance in the rear-view Mostly dark, so all I see is trees on each side of the interstate and a bunch of head and tail lights behind us

“I thought you remembered”

“Well I don’t” His voice is petulant, and I’ve spent enough tiht break out in tears at any second