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A strong hand was on her shoulder as Andy gripped it hard For a guy north of sixty, he was still strong It was probably all theto be alright”

“How?”

“I think things always get better when you got your kin with you in on it You just need to tell him”

Saathered up her purse and other accoutrements “Easier said than done”

The sano, hit her nose the minute she walked into the old farmhouse Technically, her dad had fully inherited the house when she’d been nine, and it had been his to redecorate if he’d wanted But no It was still decked out in the gingharandparents had loved, still had a doily over the ancient horsehair sofa, and still had a scuffed up, standing piano in the corner of the living room It was a time capsule, a testao

If they lost the faro with it

The last thing she could see was her father settling in an apart medical complexes out by the university After hand-carved bannisters and chair o to a soulless manila wall and cheap laminate counters? How could he leave the last place Graarden in back where her mother’s ashes had been spread?

Neither of them could leave that

Tossing her purse onto the floor, she steadied her shoulders and put on her biggest sures had been or what Andy’s level-headed advice was She had returned hoe to keep an eye on her dad and decided to run the farm when he couldn’t beyond that She’d promised to be the shoulder her father could cry on, to be the person ould keep him safe Maybe it was a reversal of the parent-child dynamic but she bore it determinedly because he was all she had

So tonight, she would just enjoy him and the mouth

-watering hints of oregano and paprika tickling her nose

“So, it’s Gerry Cutter’s fahetti”

Her dad, goofy as always, wore a chef’s hat, so that served as an ode to Chef Boyardee Standing tall, he added a pinch of Texas Pete to the mixture Sam knew that, if she weren’t there, he’d have added at least a tablespoon He loved everything so hot it would ue

There was no shortage of TUMS in their house

“Indeed,” he said, grinning back at her and continuing to stir the sauce and ood after my hike that I wanted to make you a taste of Italy”