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Men, in particular, supposedly went through this e for to what she’d heard, sooner or later they cah to do whatever it took to get their families back The lucky ones did They reconciled with their wives and kids and started fresh, with a new appreciation of what they’d lost

Annie wanted her father to be one of the lucky ones He had to be i her mother had accomplished since the divorce Annie would admit that even she was surprised by the success of the party business She wasn’t the only one, either

Annie suspected that the attention her mother received had become an issue between Tiffany and her father Grant didn’t openly acknowledge that but Annie could read between the lines The lovely Tiffany’s career wasn’t exactly going gangbusters these days, not that Annie was sorry to hear it Frankly, she’d be just as glad never to hear the other woain Fortunately, the lovely Tiffany was out of the picture

She’d given her own ed her He’d accused her of wanting to revert to a perfect past that hadn’t been as perfect as she’d chosen to believe Not true This was more about instinct and love than any childhood fantasy

Her parents needed each other, and Annie considered it her duty as their daughter to encourage their reconciliation Now all she had to do was pave the way for her mother and father to meet in the ht offer her father a suggestion or two Flowers for when they arrived in Vegas u

Hmm… She set her cell phone to wake her early so she could call her dad Roses, she told herself sleepily Red ones…

Bethanne’s next conscious thought was that Annie ake andan effort to be quiet, she didn’t succeed She dropped her cosroaned "What tias this afternoon if we leave early"

"Is your grandmother awake?" Bethanne asked, her eyes still closed

"I am now," Ruthup in bed, stretching her arms as she arched her back "Getexercises, then we can hit the road"

"Vegas, here we come!" Annie cried She was already dressed, with her suitcase packed and waiting by the door

"I’ll jump in the shower," Bethanne said, and tossed aside the covers as she cli her clothes, she stepped into the bathroom By the time she finished, Annie had prepared coffee and Ruth had done her stretching exercises and was dressed

"Ready, Mom?" Annie asked as Bethanne repacked her suitcase and slipped her book into her purse

"I’as ready for us?"

Annie laughed "I sure hope so"

They were on the road by seven-fifteen, and rolled into Vegas seven and a half hours later Annie had booked them into the Hard Rock Casino just off the Strip It wouldn’t have been either Ruth’s or Bethanne’s first choice, but one casino was probably as good as another

While Annie and Ruth checked in, Bethanne found the rental car location and swapped cars,else Marvin back in Wells had done an excellent job, but they still had a long way to travel Bethanne didn’t dare risk another breakdown

When she returned to the casino, both Annie and Ruth were playing the slot hts and sounds of the casino were everywhere Instead of being annoyed by the din, Bethanne discovered that it added to the exciteed, intent on a game named after the television show Wheel of Fortune

"Okay" Bethanne wasn’t keen on giving her hard-earned forty dollars to a slot, but it did look like fun The thought of turning that fun into winnings was too tenore

She found a machine with a cartoon Texas oilman called Texas Tea, pulled out a stool and plopped herself doenty dollars went quickly, although it was a nickel machine At 225 with every push of the button, her twenty bucks vanished almost before she knew it She wondered whether to feed it her last twenty, but hesitated, then decided she’d reached her limit for that day

"Have you been up to the room yet?" Ruth asked when Bethanne sat next to her mother-in-law

"Not yet" Annie had taken up Bethanne’s suitcase and given her the room key earlier

"You need to see the rooo up with you"

"Is anyone hungry yet?" Ruth asked She res and stuffed it inside her purse

"I’o to the roo their room was so important Hotel rooms were pretty much alike Beds, a television, soenerally cramped bathrooe bouquet of red roses Dozens of beautiful red buds in a crystal vase "Roses?" Bethanne breathed as she stepped into the roohted "The card says they’re for you," Annie crowed Her eyes gleamed as if she was personally responsible

"Me?"

"Well, all of us Read the card and see"

Bethanne unpinned the envelope from the pink ribbon and stared down at it for a h her mind Could they have come from Max? But that was impossible He had no idea where she was Or did he? Roses were extravagant Special She loved roses, always had Max didn’t know that--but Grant did

"Read the card, Mom," Annie said a second time

Bethanne ripped open the tiny envelope and rened "Grant"

"They’re fro settled over her A feeling of being cherished

"I told you Dad was trying," Annie said She seeesture