“Good. Cinnamon rolls?”
I nod. “Four.”
Tess looks at me sideways.“Sullivan Mercer.”
“What?”
“Four?”
“Yeah.”
Tess grins. So do June and Mae. And I realize, with a detached horror, that I’m also grinning.
“Well, look at that,” June says to Mae.
Mae sighs. “I’m looking.”
“He’s a person.”
“He’s a person, June.”
“Tess Carter, you’ve civilized the man on the ridge,”June says.
Tess shakes her head, her eyes dancing.“I had nothing to do with it.”
“You hadeverythingto do with it,”Icorrect, reaching for her hand under the table.
“All right,” May says. “Coffee.Fourrolls. Sullivan, you eat all four?”
“Threefor me. One for her.”
“Generous. New look on you.”
“Mae.”
“All right, all right. Sit. Talk.”She bustles off.
June leans both elbows on the table.“Okay. Real talk for two seconds.”Shelooks betweenTess and melike a woman who’s already done the math.“You’releaving, aren’t you?”
I nod. “In a month or so.”
“Where?”
“Montana.”
“Permanent?”
“Yeah.”
June nods, then looks atTess.“And you?”
“Going with him.”
June nods again.“Yeah, Ifigured. All right. You, miss”—she points at Tess—“let me know whenyou’reloading the truck.I’llbring the boys down to help.We’llget a chain on the box and a tarp on the roof, and between Mason and Eli,we’llhave you on the road in a morning.”
June turns to me. “Mercer.”
“June.”
