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Almost immediately, Rachel spotted Ethan and Edward standing near a small pavilion where a bluegrass band played. Edward nibbled a cloud of pink cotton candy without taking, his eyes from the musicians, but Ethan kept glancing toward a food tent about twenty feet away. Rachel followed his eyes and spotted Kristy listening to a sandy-haired man who seemed to be doing his best to impress her.
Ethan scowled. With his blond hair glimmering in the sun, he reminded Rachel of a morose young god. It served him right, she thought, for being so shallow.
As she and Gabe moved closer, she felt the stares of the people around her. Only the Florida retirees seemed oblivious to the fact that the notorious Widow Snopes had joined their ranks.
Edward turned toward her, just as if she were wearing a maternal homing device. "Mommy!"
He ran forward, sneakers flying, cotton candy dangling from one hand, Horse from the other. His sticky mouth turned up in a wide smile. He looked so happy, so healthy. Her eyes stung.
Thank you, God.
The prayer had been automatic, but she pushed it away as Edward charged into her legs. There was no God.
"Pastor Ethan buyed me cotton candy!" Edward exclaimed, his attention focused so completely on her that he hadn't spotted Gabe, who was standing a few feet behind. "And Kristy got me a hot dog 'cause I almost cried when I saw the pig." His face fell. "I couldn't help it, Mommy. It's dead, and it had eyeball holes, and… They killed it and cooked it over the fire."
Another small los
s of innocence on the path to adulthood. She wiped a ketchup smear from his cheek with her thumb. "That's why they call it a pig roast, partner."
He shook his head. "I won't ever eat a pig again."
She decided not to mention the probable contents of his hot dog.
"Kristy bought me a balloon, and it was red, but it broke, and—" Edward caught sight of Gabe and fell silent. She watched him draw Horse against his chest with the rabbit's hindquarters tucked under his chin. His withdrawal was almost palpable, and she remembered the ugly scene on the porch with the snake. Sometimes she thought she understood Gabe, but his callous behavior this morning had proven how little she knew him.
Ethan came up next to them, gave her a curt nod, then chatted with his brother, pointedly ignoring her. Apparently she wasn't the only one who felt ignored. She detected a small movement at her side and glanced down just in time to see Edward drop his cotton candy on Gabe's shoe.
Gabe jerked his foot back, but it was too late. He made an exclamation of disgust as a sticky pink mess covered the brown leather.
"It was an accident," she said quickly.
"I don't think so." He stared down at Edward, who stared at him in return. Resentment darkened her son's brown eyes, along with just enough five-year-old's cunning to tell her it hadn't been an accident at all. He'd wanted Ethan to himself, and he blamed Gabe for taking his attention.
She reached into her old cloth purse for a tissue and found the toilet paper she was using instead to save money. She withdrew a neatly folded strip and handed it to him to clean his shoe.
Ethan touched her son's hair. "You've got to be careful with that stuff, Edward."
Edward looked from Gabe to Ethan. "My name's Chip."
Ethan smiled. "Chip?"
Edward nodded at the dirt.
Rachel darted a furious glance at Gabe. She didn't know how, but somehow this was his fault. "Don't be silly. Your name is Edward, and you should be proud of it. Remember what I told you about my grandfather? That was his name."
"Edward's stupid. Nobody has that name."
Ethan gave Edward's shoulder a comforting squeeze, then regarded his brother. "The volleyball game'll be starting soon. Let's play."
"You go on," Gabe said. "Rachel and I have someone we need to see."
Ethan wasn't pleased. "I really don't think that's a good idea."
"Don't worry about it, all right?"
A muscle ticked in Ethan's jaw. She knew he wanted to lash out at her, but overt hostility wasn't in his nature. He rubbed his knuckles over the top of Edward's head. "See you later, pal."
Edward looked deeply unhappy as Ethan moved way. He had been separated from the man he idolized, and his day was spoiled.
