Quinn pointed to the cake.
“Next year, for her birthday, I swear I’m getting this
button’s picture printed on the cake. This year we went with
the granny knitting by the fire in a rocking chair. You know.
Seeing as she’s going to be the big three oh.”
“I’m sure she’s going to love that.”
“She will. We always bug her about becoming an old
woman.”
“Does Danica have a boyfriend? I didn’t see anyone with
her.”
“No.” Quinn shut the fridge. She looked a little sad, and
Dallas realized it probably wasn’t a subject she should have
brought up. She expected it was the first of about six hundred
thousand faux pas she’d probably commit while she was there
for the evening. “She and John broke up a few months ago. I
think Danica’s still pretty sad, but honestly, I’m not.” She
lowered her voice even more. “He wasn’t always nice to her. I
don’t know. He liked to boss her around.”
“Really?”
“It made Billy so mad when he talked to her like he did.
I’m surprised there wasn’t a fight over it. Anyway, Danica is
still getting over it, but I know she’ll be fine, once she figures
out how to be happy again.”
Dallas bit down on her lip and turned to look out the
window over the double sink. It faced the back yard and while
she couldn’t see Mr. Smyth or the barbeque from there, she
could see a trail of blue-gray smoke floating past the window.
Was that what Quinn had done? Figured out how to be
happy again after Dallas left? It wasn’t like Dallas could ask
her that in the middle of the Smyth’s kitchen with everyone in