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Agnes, wild-eyed and tre, stood in the doorway Ron was behind her like souardian over his berserk wife He put a hand on her shoulder as if reining her in

Perfect

“I couldn’t believe it when the Alistairs said you were here,” Agnes said, her white lips barely

“Well, surprise,” Julia snapped

“You never dreamed she’d be in my house,” Jesse said quietly over her shoulder His acceptance of Ron and Agnes’s blaer infuriated Julia even more

“No” Ron wiped the corner of hiswith you”

Suddenly Julia wanted nothing more than to clear the record To make the Adamses understand what they’d done to Mitch and especially to Jesse with all their blindness and blauts to do it, she did

The old Julia, the one who’d arrived in New Springs, wouldn’t have been able to stand up for the ainst the parents of the man she’d married She would have tap¬ danced, made promises, placated and compromised She would have denied herself, buried her wants deep in places she’d forget about, just to keep the peace

She wasn’t that Julia anymore

“You mean the oading theht for both of them

Ron shook his head “I understand war better than my wife I know there was no way you could have caused that crash”

“Why so mad then, Ron? Is it because Mitch followed Jesse into the aro to school and becoh school? Your son was the car thief, not Jesse He was the one who drank too much—”