Page 29 (2/2)

"I’m exactly where I want to be There’s still a lot to do Still a lot I need to know" She drew a breath "I talked to Mo"

"How is she?"

"Mature, polished and triu to be difficult for her to co She will, but it’ll be difficult for her Will it for you?"

"What do you h that ritual, the wedding, with her here?"

"Absolutely not" The surprise in his voice brought her comfort "It wasn’t all bad times between us, Cilla It had to end for me to be exactly where I want to be, and, I suspect, for your mother to beto cross off et married here It’s our place now, Ford’s andrandrandfather plowed those fields It all trickles down I’ve wanted that all my life Look at the house," she ht, more real than it does now"

"That’s what I want, too The right, and the real Did you come here after Johnnie died?"

"A few ti me The last was a couple ofsome summer stock in Richmond My father was ill, so I came to see him When I learned she was here, I ca very hard to be We talked about him, of course I don’t think he was ever out of her ht anyone with her, not like before when the house always seemed full of people It was just the two of us for about an hour, in the living room"

"On the pink couch with the white satin pillows," Cilla added

"Yes" He laughed a little "How did you know about that?"

"I heard about it Very Doris Day"

"I suppose it was Ishe wanted bright in the house again It was tiht, so she’d had it shipped all the way froer "She went back the next day, and I went back to Richmond for the rest of the summer So that would’ve been the last ti on that pink, Hollywood couch with her dog snoring under the coffee table"

"I wonder if I have a picture of her on it Ford’s grandfather gave ain If I can find one, I’ll give you a copy Here, let me have that platter" She took the dish Gavin had loaded with burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken "I’ll deliver this to Station Meat, then go find Ford"

She wended her way through the backyard crowd, around the veranda dwellers and into the kitchen She saw that Patty or Penny had been through by the stack of eht on so plates she’d brought in with her instead of just putting theh the kitchen hile she washed up, having this quick rill, with Ford’s father now, and Brian Buddy and his wife at a picnic table with To by to chat There was Matt tossing a ball to his little boy while Josie looked on, the baby tucked in her arh She and Ford wouldto think about

When the phone she had charging on the counter rang, she picked it up with the s her lips "This is Cilla Why aren’t you here?"

"Ms McGowan?"

"Yes Sorry"

"It’s Detective Wilson I have soh the front he saw her standing at the sink, looking out "Look at us, being hosts You washing up, s in your truck One of us needs to hit the dump tomorrow"

He slipped his arainst him, and felt it immediately "What is it?" He turned her, scanned her face "What happened?"

"Hennessy’s dead He killed himself He ainst him now, hard She trembled first, then held on "Oh God, Ford Oh God"

"Some people can’t be saved, Cilla Can’t be helped"

"He never got over it, got past it What happened to his son All these years, he had a purpose, and he had his bitterness But when his son died, all he had was the bitterness"

"And it killed hi into her eyes to be sure she understood just that "It’s the hate that ended hiit, so I won’t And I’ I was part of it He e His poor wife, Ford She’s lost everything And horribly, there’s a part of me that’s relieved"

"He hurt you, and he tried to do worse Do you want sos up"

"No No He did enough" She looked back out the , at the people on her lawn "He’s not going to ruin this"

"FORD, JUST THE MAN I wanted to see" Gavin handed over the spatula and tongs, then picked up the platter "Your turn" With his free hand, he hefted a beer "And eneration kno to handle the grill?" Touys down," Brian responded "Anyti on But before we get to that, I need to exploit my future son-in-law I’d like you to co students"

"Oh Well Um"

"Actually, we’d like to do a three-part, possibly five-part, prograh words and art Our art teacher is very excited by the idea"

"Oh," Ford repeated, and had Brian laughing

"He’s getting a flashback of high school, where he was president of the Nerd Club"

"Three years of being pantsed and recovering froies"

"Matt, Shanna and I saved you e could"

"Not often enough"

"I give you my word, your ass will not be exposed or abused on ave Gavin a sour look "Can I have an armed escort?"

"We’ll need to work out the details, the dates, and anything you ht want or need I can talk to you about my end of it You should contact Sharon, the art teacher She loves your work, by the way Let ive you her contact infor to write on, with?"

"No Gee, I guess we’ll have to forget the whole thing"

"I happen to have so, Tom pulled a small leather-bound notebook and short pen out of his pocket "Sharon, you said?"

Gavin relayed the information, cocked an eye at Ford when he passed hihter, don’t you?"

"Yeah" Trapped, Ford stuffed the paper in his pocket

"I’ive you the basic overviehat I have in s," Ford muttered when Gavin strolled away

"Get used to it" Tom clamped a hand on Ford’s shoulder "And now that you’re engaged, and there’s Matt with his lovely fa before the last of the Musketeers settles down?"

"Your turn," Ford said gleefully

Brian shook his head "You bastard Under the circu you we’re continuing this holiday with poker- guys only-atyou for leftover beer and food, Rembrandt"

"I suck at poker"

"Which is why, even under the circumstances"

"I don’t know if-"

"See?" Brian pointed at his father "She’s already got hile"

"She doesn’t havepantsed Only now by a woman"

"Jesus Remindbeer"

WITH CONSIDERABLE HELP froed, leftovers tubbed, recyclables binned A small convoy of the faithful hauled what needed to be hauled back to Ford’s

"Two households," Angie coh room What should I do with this pie?"

"Ford can take it to Brian’s"

"I don’t think I’m-"

Cilla cut him off with a look "Go, be a man Get out of my two households for a few hours I’m fine"

"Of course she’s fine" Patty sealed a small bowl of leftover three-bean salad "Why wouldn’t she be fine? Has solanced at Cilla "Is soht Ford’s worried I’ve taken it too much to heart"

"Oh, honey!"

"It’s that, plus I don’t like leaving you alone"

"We’ll stay," Patty said immediately

"We’ll all stay," Penny put in "We’ll have our own-all women- party"

"You will not stay I don’t need babysitters I’ave me," she said as she handed a bowl to Ford’s mother "A couple of hours of quiet is just what I need No offense"

"But-"

"And I want to draw up so over et back," she added when she saw uuards Now leave"

"Fine It won’t take me more than a couple hours to lose anyway"

"That’s the spirit"

"All right, girls, let’s claiive everyone a ride home since the men have deserted us" Penny put her hands on Cilla’s shoulders "I’ to set the ti of the Year strategy session"

"Should I be afraid?"

"Very" Penny kissed her cheek "You’re a good girl"

Watching the way Penny herded everyone out the door told Cilla she would have a very interesting, and very compatible, mother-in-law

"Now you," she told Ford

"I can probably lose in an hour"

"Stop I’ to bother me No one has bothered me for some tioing to pick up on that So before the circus co to have either of us live worrying aboutalone Besides" She bent down to scratch Spock "I have a bodyguard"

"Keep the door locked anyway"

"I’ll keep the door locked anyway" She gave him a last kiss, then a shove out the door "Don’t bet on an inside straight" Then shut it, locked it at his back

She turned around, let out a long sigh, then grinned at Spock "I thought they’d never leave"

Content, she walked upstairs for the box of photos