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A silver-hairedappreciative eyes at her, and Stor her lashes and preening with one hand on her hip He must be the handsome man Stormy mentioned to me

I take a picture of her at the piano and send it directly to Margot, who texts back a s up the A a table closer to the center of the room at Stormy’s direction, when Alicia sidles up besidehiot out of a relationship," I whisper back I can’t take my eyes off hiet into a new one Life is short" For once, Alicia and Stor John’s tie, his little hat She even licks her finger and tries to smooth his hair, but he ducks away Our eyes meet, and he makes a frantic face like, Help me

"Save him," Alicia says "I’ll finish the table My internment camp display is already done" She’s set that up by the doors, so it’s the first thing you see when you walk in

I hurry over to John and Stormy Stormy beams at me "Doesn’t she look like an absolute doll?" She swans off

With a straight face John says, "Lara Jean, you’re an absolute doll"

I giggle and touch the top of my head "A cinna to h it isn’t seven yet I’ve observed that old people, as a rule, tend to show up early for things I still have to set up thea party, music is absolutely the first order of business, because it sets the uest walks in I can feelto pulse There’s still soup"

"Tell me what you need done," John says "I’ Did people say ‘shindig’ in the forties?"

I laugh "Probably!" In a rush I say, "Okay, can you set upby the refreshments table And can you pick up Mrs Taylor in 5A? I proives o up and down ht to remember!

We’re an hour and a half in, and Crystal Cle everyone in a swing-dancing lesson Of course Stor for all she’s worth I’ from the refreshments table: one-two, three-four, five-six Early on I danced with Mr Morales, but only once, because the woible, able-bodied e hoh by half I’ve heard a few of the woentleman not to dance when there are ladies without partners--and looking pointedly at poor John

John is standing at the other end of the table, drinking Coke and nodding his head to the beat I’ve been so busy running around, we’ve hardly had a chance to talk I lean over the table and call out, "Having fun?"

He nods Then, quite suddenly, he bangs his glass down on the table, so hard the table shakes and I juht," he says "It’s do or die D-day"

"What?"