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The front porch sagged, and Hannah felt it pulling down her soul. “I really don’t like coming here.”
“You grew up here?” he asked, peering at the house.
“Yes.”
“Your sisters still live nearby?” He turned and looked at her.
“Nearer than me,” she said. “Ruth’s in Blossom, and Bethany’s on the other side of Honeyfield.”
“Are they…?” He didn’t finish, but Hannah heard the rest of the question.
“They’re very normal,” Hannah said. “Sometimes Bethany can act a lot like my mom and get her feelings hurt at the littlest of things. She doesn’t hold her tongue, either, and she’s usually the cause of the blow-ups.”
“How old is she?”
Hannah smiled at him. “She’s forty-eight.”
“Wow.”
“I told you,” Hannah said quietly. She’d only brought one other man home to meet her family, and it had started about like this. They thought they understood what she meant when she said her family didn’t really get along. They thought they knew that feelings would and could get hurt easily. They thought they could fathom what a house looked like when no one took care of it.
Until they came face-to-face with the reality of it, they couldn’t understand. Hannah had lived it and knew it deeply, and sometimes she was still shocked by what she found at her parents’ house.
Another car appeared behind them, and Hannah said, “That’s Bethany. She’s got—”
“Two kids,” Luke said. “Jolene is almost sixteen and about to get her license. That’s why she’s driving the car.” He grinned at her. “And Thad, who’s thirteen.”
“You’re sexy when you’re showing off,” she teased, and he burst out laughing. That was exactly what she needed to get herself out of the truck, and she reached for the handle while he continued to chuckle.
“Aunt Hannah,” Thad said, busting from the car almost before Jolene had stopped it completely. The boy ran to her and hugged her tight.
Hannah returned the hug and asked him which Harry Potter book he was on.
“I started over, so I’m on number three again.”
“My favorite one,” she said with a smile. Her niece got out of the car, and Hannah called, “Jolene, look at you driving, girl. You did great.”
“Thanks, Aunt Hannah.” Her eyes darted to Luke, who grinned at her.
He reached up and touched the brim of his cowboy hat and said, “Howdy,” and Jolene swooned against the car.
Hannah giggled and went around the tailgate to his side. “Thad, Jolene, this is my boyfriend, Luke.” She beamed up into his face. “My niece and nephew.”
“Hello,” Thad said. “Do you like the Marvel movies?”
Luke blinked, then looked at Hannah with a blank look on his face. “Marvel movies?”
“You know, like Antman, Spiderman, Thor.” Thad went on naming characters, overwhelming poor Luke by the end of the first sentence.
“Where’s your mom?” Hannah asked.
“She’s coming with Aunt Ruth,” Jolene said. “Daddy’s in Savannah.”
“Oh, that’s right. Beth told me that.” She’d just forgotten. “How far out are they?”
“No idea.” Jolene stepped toward the nearly dilapidated front porch. “But we can’t eat until they get here, because they’re picking up the food.”
“I hope it’s fast,” Thad said, running up the steps. “I’m starving.”
Hannah hoped her sisters would arrive quickly too, but it had nothing to do with eating and everything to do with when she could leave.
