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Theup, rubbed his eyes

"How you doing, big boy?" Andrew asked

Scotty blinked several tiotten where he was and who he ith A look of panic calanced around the theater, and then to Leah

"Remember, Mommy and Daddy went to dinner," Leah reminded him

He nodded, but he didn’t seery," Andrew said, lifting him onto his shoulders Andreaited until the aisle was clear and then led the way out of the theater It was dark by the tilittered like a splattering of diamond dust tossed across a bed of shiny black satin

"Want to make a wish?" Leah asked

Scotty looked to the heavens and nodded He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, releasing it all at once His eyes flew open and he grinned broadly

"I bet hethe car door

"Nope," Scotty said "I like you better"

"Don’t get a big head," Leah warned her husband, under her breath "He’d say the saave him horsy rides and took hireed, "but it’s me he loves"

"Auntie Leah too"

Leah planted a kiss on his chubby cheek "That’s telling him, kiddo"

It wasn’t until much later, hours after they’d finished the dinner dishes, long after they’d read Scotty a story and tucked hiuest bed, that the eht was dark and moonless as Leah slipped out of her bedroo over his sleeping figure, she gazed down on this perfect child who belonged to her friend, and held the pain of her loss tight within her soul

She finallyon her tiptoes, she brought down the baby book she’d hidden there

Sitting in the silence and the dark, she held the book in her lap and turned each eh the entire satin-covered book Froraduation photo When she’d finished, she pressed the book against her heart and rocked back and forth as if she were holding the long-awaited child in her arasped

Jeff alive! It wasn’t possible She could hear her ible and seemed to come from a far-off distance It was then that Jody realized she’d dropped the phone and had backed away

"Jody" Glen was there and she turned and buried her face in his chest "What is it?" he asked, his words as gentle as the ar up the receiver Gloria continued talking, apparently not realizing anything was amiss "Grandma says she needs to talk to you," her son said

Jody shook her head "No No, I can’t, not now"

"Tell your grandmother your mother will call her back later," Glen instructed He encircled her shoulders and led her back to the living room Gently he lowered her onto the sofa cushions "What happened?"

Speaking was beyond her Tears filled her eyes and spilled like burning acid against her cheeks, scalding her skin

"Are you all right, Mo to her side "Grandma said she didn’t mean to upset you She toldbetter"

"Did she say anything to you?" Jody de a careful study of his features It was i to Timmy If her mother-in-law had made the outlandish claim to her son, Jody didn’t know if she’d find it in her heart to forgive her

"Say what?" Timmy wanted to know

"I think your lass of water," Glen interrupted "Would you get it for her?"

"Sure" Eager to help, Timmy hurried into the kitchen

Glen’s hands clasped Jody’s "What did Jeff’sthe words aloud was difficult "Sheclaih "Is there any chance it’s true?"

Jody shook her head "None His body was positively identified by dental records The sa happened the first Christmas after we buried hiued and our relationship has been strained ever since She’s never understood that I had to divorce Jeff in order to sell the property, especially when she insisted she would continue to support Timmy and me, but I couldn’t do that I couldn’t financially drain her or ently patted her hand "She sounds like a lonely old woman"

"I know It shouldn’t upset htI hoped she was , but it’s hard for her Jeff was her only child and she loved him very lass of water The liquid sloshed over the riht?" Timmy asked Glen

He nodded "I think so"

"Grandma Potter’s real nice," Timmy explained, "but she’s a little weird sometimes She visits old ladies who talk to the dead people and it doesn’t have to be Halloween"