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Cub gave her a penitent look The resemblance between him and Preston sometimes knocked the wind out of her

"He ca up there," she offered carefully "I thought s about the butterflies Since he’s interested"

"You could," Cub said "That’s true" She’d been bending Cub’s ear with everything she’d read on Wikipedia about the monarch butterflies He would probably be happy to take the night off and let someone else take a shift

A knock at the front door ht, even the kids She would betup a wail, just from the stress Dellarobia whipped off her apron and scurried to get the door

"Hello! Welco to herself like a Stepford wife She led him to the kitchen and introduced hirabbed some potholders and dived for the oven to desist with hued out of her s and hoop earrings, and now that felt wrong too She was overdressed Mr Byron asked if he could use their facilities to freshen up

"You certainly may Of course! You’ve been out in the elements all day Preston, honey, could you show Mr Byron where it is?" She knelt to peer into the oven Her original plan was etarian? It wasn’t unheard of, especially a those from other lands Did sensible hoer dinner party? She’d decided finally on a htly fancy recipe that called for a can of shoestring potatoes and two cans of French-cut green beans That seemed safe He surely wasn’t French

Preston leaped frouest, but then took two sideways steps toward his mother and whispered in her ear: "What’s facilities?"

She whispered back, "The bathroo stranger behind hi boots looked expensive but the rest of his clothes were fairly ordinary--a orn jacket, blue corduroy shirt, and jeans If you could call a thirty-eight-inch insea lanes, that’s for certain Or his ould, if applicable Dellarobia set the casserole on the table and spooned so to cool it Cordie had a spoon in each hand and was beating the tray of her high chair, eerily like a heavyher fuzzy head to the beat When Preston returned to the kitchen he gave his sister the once-over and flung his e But at least she wasn’t wailing Cub got the pitcher of sweet tea out of the fridge as she’d asked, and he wasn’t wailing either So far, so good When the guest returned and everyone was seated, Cub said the blessing: "Father we thank you for this food and fellowship amen" She noticed Mr Byron didn’t close his eyes for the prayer, either They had that in common

"So, Mr Byron, tell us about yourself," Cub said

The , narrow hand like a traffic cop "Please! Just Ovid You will make me feel like an old h she knew Cub would not atteht be loath to try it herself, though she’d been forith him at the outset Now she feared the Bob Marley lyrics in her head would burst out of her mouth No woo-mon, no cry "Except for you, Preston," she added "You need to call him Mr Byron"

Preston nodded, his fork poised halfway to his mouth