Dani and Alice sat at the dining table, Joan Didion on the floor at Alice’s feet. Tina was curled in the corner of the couch, doing something on her MacBook while Artie lay next to her, chewing a toy. A murmur of conversation bubbled up into warm laughter at the table. Artie turned his head towards it. The sound of loved ones. A room that held love. Only one person was missing . . .

Presently, Joan Didion wuffed and everyone noticed Bette. Alice went to help her down the stairs. ‘Payback for last night,’ she quipped. 

Tina warmed a can of soup for Bette while Dani ran through what had been achieved in the staging setup. 

‘It went like clockwork,’ she said, opening her iPad. ‘I took photos, they look great.’

‘Yeah, speaking of photos . . .’ 

‘I’m on it,’ said Alice. ‘I found an amazing eyepatch for you. Black, cupro satin, and it’s contoured, so it won’t get into whatever ya got going on back there.’

‘Oh.’ Bette was stumped. ‘Wow. I don’t know what to say.’

‘“Yo-ho-ho”?’ Alice ventured.

Tina and Dani fell about laughing. Seeing Tina happy made Bette smile too.

‘Anyway, I got them to FedEx it,’ Alice went on. ‘It’ll be here tomorrow.’

She looked so pleased with herself for being helpful, Bette almost forgave the pirate talk. Almost. 

***

By Friday afternoon, the staging was fully installed: two areas, one for press photos and speeches, another out the back of the pavilion for dancing during Golden Hour and beyond. Wine choices were settled. Contents of goodie bags agreed. Peggy’s Angels were booked to come and make everyone beautiful tomorrow afternoon. But in the hydroponicum . . .

‘What?’ said Tee, pausing in her work on the strawberries.

‘Two dozen,’ said Angie, in the doorway.

‘Karolina told you to tell me to bring up two dozen radishes?’ 

‘Yep.’

Tee’s neck flushed. She bowed her head, her shoulders rising as she took a very deep breath.

‘You okay?’

‘When did she tell you that?’

‘A minute ago. At the pavilion. I was helping Mom with—’

‘Wait.’ Tina smiled coldly. ‘You’re saying Bee was there when the General told you to come give me that message?’

‘Who?’ 

Tee peeled off her gloves, tossed her secateurs aside and marched past Angie in the doorway. She stood for a moment, watching her mother go, then turned back and went inside.