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"Thank you"

"Yeah" Jonah nodded and o and light the grill"

He was out the door as her hand came up to take the steaks from him He’d already placed the the cover frorill outside

Her ic They each had their own purpose Garlic protected the soul against invading teainst cyniciso down the list, and Dani would sit there,her ht, and as she would look up at the ceiling, all the spices danced above her They each twinkled, protecting her against the world

Dani believed that for the longest tis and placed them on a plate, Dani perused Aunt Mae’s old spice rack Her eyes fell on the ginger, and for a ered She knew the truth by now

There was no ic

There was no protection

"Those steaks ready?" Jonah called from outside

Dani went outside "I don’t like rin and flipped open the grill top As he put the steaks inside, he asked, "You got anything else in there that you want grilled? I know some folks like a roasted corncob every now and then"

A moment later, with slabs of butter placed inside the corn’s husk, Dani sat on the porch’s step as she watched Jonah flip the rabbed a few rill

"You know," Jonah began, his back turned to her "The steaks look like lanced at her and flashed a grin as he began to fill the plate with their food Placing it on the porch’s table, he asked, "Got anything around here to drink? Maybe even sootten to prepare the table

She’d forgotten about a lot

"I’m sorry I was just…" Dani trailed off and saw that he wasn’t even waiting for a reply Jonah had already ducked inside and e they needed Plates Forks Knives Butter Salt Two glasses and a pitcher of water

She took the plates froed the table with the food in the middle When she sat down, Jonah still stood She cast a questionable grin his way, and Jonah chuckled, pulling out a bottle of beer fro"

"What’s that?"

"Why you love that car so much"

She’d been to hell and back, and that car was the only thing that still stood intact "I bought that car with money I earned and because my sisters hated it"