Page 185 of Dark Endures

“Protest what?” Louisella walks up, carrying a pan full of something intoxicating.

I don’t know what’s in there, but I just wanna shove my face in it and eat until they need to roll me away. “Um.” Nothing pops into my head.

“The weather,” Fea jumps in. “We’re going to need to set up more space heaters.”

Louisella raises an eyebrow. “I already told Matthew to take care of it.” She sets the pan into the waiting chafing dish. “Mindy, come with me.”

Fea mouths, ‘uh oh, you’re in trouble,’ at me.

Like I didn’t already know that. Is it too late to run? I follow Louisella to a bench in one of the quiet parks.

“We need to have a serious conversation.”

Definitely should have tried running.

“Your mother raised you a lot like mine did.”

How do you know about my mother?

“Which meant we both were strong enough to care for ourselves and never expect anything from a man. In my case, that meant my first husband rarely let me down. But I didn’t mourn his death, because I didn’t love him. Love only occurred in fairy tales.”

“It’s real.”

“So, you finally figured that out on your own?”

“I’m slow, not stupid.”

Louisella turns to glare at me. “Then why aren’t you two engaged yet?”

“You and Maddox. What is the thing with marriage? They always end up in divorce.” The idea of divorcing him terrifies me.

Louisella laughs.

“Share the joke.” Emilia walks up.

“Mindy won’t marry Maddox because she thinks she’s like her mother, that she’s doomed to divorce every man.”

I don’t think it, I know it.

“Marriage isn’t the beginning of the end. It’s the end of the beginning and the start of the future. But you can’t tell kids these days anything.” Emila grins at me. “We need to work on Mindy's and Maddox’s schedule.”

Louisella stands up. “Don’t even try to get an extra week.”

“Would I do that?” Emilia winks at me.

She’s totally trying to get an extra week.

The end of the beginning. That sounds really nice.

***

“Have I warned you about how weird people are at these dinners?” Maddox walks up to me as the lights go low over the street and the music starts for dancing.

“No need. I was prepared.” Sort of.

“It was a great idea to throw one here. The kids need to know that a family being together is important.”

Family is important. But so is finding out what that is in his hand. “I didn’t see that on the dessert table.”

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