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“It’s been twelve years,” Aurora said, aze head-on

As if she didn’t know exactly how long it had been since Dallas’s arrest There were still nights she couldn’t sleep and days when she beat herself up over signing those divorce papers Soht, she wondered if he’d been testing her; if he’d wanted her to prove her love by refusing to give up “Can we talk about so else, please?”

“Sure” Aurora paid the check and they walked out together, into the sunlit day “Thanks forme for lunch”

“Are you kidding? I love playing hooky Next time I’ll dress up”

“You? Ha”

“I kno you hate to be seen with a wo fifteen-year-old jeans”

“It’s a small town My choices are liht have to join the Woain and hear how stupid I was to let Richard go Like I was supposed to not care that he was screwing his nurse”

Vivi Ann linked arms with her sister It had been four years since Aurora’s acri some wounds could take to heal She knew Aurora felt foolish for failing to see her husband’s infidelity “How are you doing? Really?”

“Some days are better than others”

“I know that song,” Vivi Ann said She, of all people, knew that a thing could be talked about only sothat needed to be said about Aurora’s divorce had been So she said, “Hoork?”

“I love it I should have taken a job a long ti cancer, but it keeps me out of the house”

Vivi Ann was just about to sayinto her purse, she pulled it out, flipped it open, and answered

“Vivi? This is Lori Lewis, from the middle school Noah is in the principal’s office”

“I’ll be right there” Vivi Ann snapped the phone shut with a curse “It’s Noah,” she said “He’s in trouble at school”

“Again? You want me to come with you?”