Of course, there had been no Troy then. All there’d been was the shop and her need to be independent, to succeed on her own. That was only a couple of years ago, before she reconciled with Winnie, before she fell in love with Mr. Hottie High School Teacher, before there was a baby in her.

She sighed deeply, pressing her mother’s hand on her belly.

“I love this baby,” Winnie said softly.

Why worry about a flower shop when you have everything in the world that matters? Grace asked herself.

“Mama, I’ve been thinking. We need a little more time together before the baby is here. I think we should read something together. I’ve never read some things that should be read. I have an idea—let’s pick a book and I’ll read it to you. An hour in the afternoon or something.”

“Fifty Shades!” Winnie said.

“Oh, Mother, I’m not reading that out loud! It has too many body parts in it. The private kind.”

“Prude. All right, let’s do something by that Higgins girl.”

“I was thinking something even more tame. And old. A timeless romance. Deeply romantic, rich in language and titillating. Jane Eyre? Wuthering Heights?”

“I love Wuthering Heights,” Winnie said.

“We’ll do that! I’ll get us a copy and we’ll start tomorrow. We’ll have to think about when is the best time of day.”

“That would be lovely, Grace. Now what’s bothering you?”

She took a breath. “I had an unpleasant interview with an applicant. He acted like he was doing me a favor, applying for the job. He looked at my perfect little shop like it was a hovel.”

“You won’t hire him, then,” Winnie said.

“The shop will be hard to manage when the baby comes,” Grace said. “When you need more of my time.”

“Grace, listen to me. I’m not known for wisdom or unselfishness, I know that. But life is short. Hire more nurses if you must. Get a good nanny or sitter. But follow your heart while you can.”

“It’s not just a store to me, Mama. I love the flowers. I love taking my flowers to weddings and parties. I love sitting in my little back room at that scarred old table making beautiful arrangements, and though I don’t need the money from it, I love that I can earn it. It was the first thing after skating that made me feel competent. And I don’t expect anyone to understand, but I’m always happy when I’m doing my job. But I want to be a good mother. I want more than one child.”

“That’s because you haven’t had labor yet,” Winnie said, smiling. “Or colic or terrible twos or sass.”

Grace ignored her; she wasn’t worried about any of that. “I can scale back the hours. My drop-in sales are not the biggest—most of my business comes over the website or phone. But I don’t want to be forced to give it up.”

“It’s going to work out, Grace. If it truly makes you happy, you’ll find a way. There is always a way.”

Grace leaned over and kissed Winnie’s cheek. “A year ago you would have argued that the flower business wasn’t worth my time.”

“I’ve decided that I’d like to be missed when I go, after all.”

Grace laughed at her mother. “And what can we do that would make you happy?” she asked.

“Me? Well, I’ve been thinking about that. I’d like to go to one of those football games.”

“You? Football?”

“Everyone goes,” Winnie said. “The whole town goes. Then half of them come out to the beach and make noise till all hours, dancing around the fires like druids.”

“Well, then, we’ll take you to a game,” Grace said. “Who would’ve guessed?”

“What? I’ve been to football games!” Winnie said.

“Really? Have you ever been to one where you didn’t view from a private box?”

She shrugged and made a face. “Perhaps not. But I think it sounds like fun.”

“Then fun it shall be,” Grace promised.

“Only if it’s not raining, of course,” Winnie said.

“Of course,” Grace said, laughing.

* * *

In the evenings, Lin Su embroidered the ornate letter S onto towels that were very pale taupe in color, just like the walls in Blake’s hallway and master bath. She chose a silk thread that was between tan and gold. It was because of her mother’s swatch that she taught herself this needlework, not nearly as good as those Vietnamese artisans, but her work was excellent and she was proud of this towel set. She thought he might appreciate it as something he wouldn’t otherwise have purchased. And it was personal without being intimate, the perfect gift for a single man.

Lin Su was very grateful to Winnie for her desire to attend a football game because that paved the way for Lin Su to go along, be of service and check out her son as he attended with a few new friends from school. She couldn’t go with him; that was too invasive. And she hadn’t wanted to go alone.

Charlie and a couple of kids sat near Troy, Grace, Peyton and Iris. Scott was down on the field with the team and Seth was near the field, the town deputy ready for anything, though he was not in uniform. Charlie was considered very cool to have this association with these Thunder Point residents, particularly Troy, considered by many to be the most popular teacher.

But what she noticed during halftime and the end of another successful Thunder Point game was that there were a number of kids swirling around Charlie, high-fiving him, patting him on the back, calling out to him and generally being wonderfully friendly.

Winnie was bundled up and sat in her wheelchair at the base of the bleachers, wearing one of her beloved furs. Her friends swung by to say hello. There was Lou and Gina, Carrie and Ray Anne. Mikhail and Lin Su stayed near her, Seth and Troy checking on them regularly, offering to bring them goodies from the concession stand. And not surprisingly, Blake happened along and chose to stand for a long while with his next-door neighbors. Then he went into the bleachers and squeezed in with Charlie and his friends, probably enhancing Charlie’s sudden popularity.

Lin Su couldn’t stop smiling. As far as she knew, Charlie had never enjoyed camaraderie like this before. She had worried about him almost constantly, fearing he was regularly picked on by older, bigger kids. But tonight, he was laughing and cheering wildly. She checked her coat pocket to make sure she had that extra inhaler and EpiPen, then stopped herself. He was fine. He was happy.