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Summer and her mother were busy in the kitchen at the Lawton fa roo sports show
James didn’t have the heart to tell Hank that he didn’t follow sports all that
"Helen’s going to be talking to you later," Hank said, relaxing during a spell of uninterrupted beer co a decent hall for the wedding reception in April The church is no proble a hall’s beco about the Moose Hall"
"That fell through I’ll let Helen do the explaining"
"Does Suirl’s been as You want my opinion?" He didn’t wait for a response "You should take her to Seattle with you now and be done with it It’s clear to ether"
James wished it was that easy
"I know, I know," Hank said, scooting forward to the edge of his chair as some football players ran back onto a muddy field "She has to fulfill her contract Never understood where the girl got her singing talent"
"She’s fabulous" Su hadiood, isn’t she? I’ll never forget the night I first went to see her perform at Disneyland It was all I could do not to stand up and yell out, ‘Hey, that’s irl up there’"
"There’s such power in her voice"
"Enough to crack crystal, isn’t it? You’d never suspect it hearing her speak, but the , watch out I’ve never heard anything like it"
Jaly walk away froly take her chances in a new city, huo all the way to the top"
Hank nodded "I think so, too, if she wanted, but that’s the thing She loves singing, don’t getlullabies to her babies as she would be perfor in soht of Su," Hank said, but his eyes didn’t leave the television screen He frohen the sports highlightsprofessionally, but she was a member of the church choir for years Talent’s a funny business Su from the time she o Now, Adam, he sounds like a squeaky door"
"Me, too" All James could hope was that their children inherited theirability
"Don’t worry about it She loves you anyway"
James wasn’t quite sure how to respond, but fortunately he didn’t have to, because Helen poked her head in at that moment
"Brunch is ready," she said "Hank, turn off that blasted TV"
"But, Helen--"
"Hank!"
"All right, all right" Reluctantly Hank reached for the TV controller and muted the television His wife didn’t seem to notice, and Hank sent James a conspiratorial wink "Compromise," he whispered "She won’t even know"
James sat next to Summer at the table "This looks delicious," he said to Helen His one to a lot of trouble with this brunch She’d prepared sausages and ha casserole, fresh-baked sweet rolls, coffee and juice
Helen waited until they’d all filled their plates before shedate "The reason I wanted to talk to the two of you has to do with the wedding date" She paused, apparently unsure how to proceed "I wasn’t too involved with Ada when he married Denise I had no idea we’d need to book the reception hall so far in advance"
"But I thought you already had the place," Summer wailed
"Didn’t happen, sweetheart," Hank said "Trust me, your mother’s done her best I can’t tell you howto have the wedding you deserve," her mother said pointedly, "it’ll need to be later than April My goodness, it takes tiet the invitations printed, and we can’t order them until we have someplace nice for the reception"
"How ed looks "June ht work, but September would be best"
"September," Summer cried
"September’s out of the question" With the prie ti, anyway, then let’s do it after the election in Noveestion, Ja
"Noveed with defeat "So what am I supposed to do between April and November?"
"Move up to Seattle with James, of course," Hank said without a qualm
"Absolutely not," Helen protested "We can’t have our daughter living with James before they’re married"
"Helen, for the love of heaven, they’re already married Remember?"
"Yes, but no one knows that"
"James?"
Everyone turned to him "Other than my dad, no one knows I’m married, either"
Su is that you don’t want me with you"
"No!" James could hear the hurt and disappointment in her voice and wished he knew some way to solve the problem, but he didn’t "You know that isn’t true"