His eyes widened with fear. “Yes, ma’am.”

I smiled even though I didn’t feel like smiling. My own heart hurt too bad. “You know, Keith, I don’t have kids of my own, but I have a niece around your age. The next time she comes over, maybe you can play with her.”

Andy Jr. scoffed his distain. “I ain’t playin with no girl.”

“Well, nobody invited you, did they?” I asked, aware I had just sunk to the level of a six-year-old but too cranky to care. “I was talkin’ to Keith.”

Keith beamed, his huge grin revealing a gap in his bottom teeth.

I decided to head inside before I stooped even lower than I already had. Walking into the kitchen, I tried to shake myself from my reverie. I needed to quit dwelling on sad things.

By the time I left for Violet’s, I still hadn’t heard from Joe. My discomfort had turned to fear. What if something had happened to him and Hilary hadn’t told me?

I pulled in Violet’s driveway, surprised to see an unfamiliar car parked in front of the house. I’d barely made it to the porch when the front door flew open. Violet stood in the doorway, dressed in a skirt and sleeveless blouse, and wearing a cute pair of sandals instead of her usual barefoot style. That should have been my first clue to turn around and run.

“Rose, honey, come on in.” Her voice was overly bright and cheerful, then her smile fell and her voice lowered. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

I looked down at my blue capris and gauzy white blouse.

She waved her hand and stumbled as she moved out of the opening. “Never mind. You look very bohemian.”

Shaking my head in confusion, I walked past her. “Violet,” I whispered. “Have you been drinkin’?”

She laughed, a melodious sound I’d always been jealous of, like everything else in her life. Only now it sounded brittle. “Maybe. Just a little.”

Now I was really confused. Violet rarely drank and never on a weeknight.

She pushed me out the back door and onto the covered patio, the overhead fan working overtime to stir up the air. I stopped two steps out, Violet slamming into the back of me and making me stumble.

A man wearing jeans and a polo shirt rose from the patio chair he’d been sitting in and grabbed my elbow to steady me. “You must be Rose. I’ve heard so much about you.” He smiled at Violet, then held out his right hand. “I’m Austin Kent.”

His hand hung in the air, and I was torn between shaking it and turning around and running home.

I shot a glare in Violet’s direction, then turned to Austin and shook his hand. It wasn’t his fault I’d been set up, and I couldn’t bring myself to be rude.

Just like Violet planned.

“Hi, I’m Rose. Oh wait, I guess you knew that already.” I laughed, flustered, especially since Austin was still holding my hand.

Mike, who’d kept his attention on the steaks on the grill, picked up his beer bottle and took a long swallow.

Looked like I wasn’t the only one who’d been set up.

“Austin brought a bottle of wine to go with the steaks,” Violet gushed. “Wasn’t that sweet of him? I’ll go pour you a glass.”

I pulled my hand from his tight grip. “I’ll go with you.”

“No!” She pushed me down into the chair next to the man. “You chat with Austin and I’ll be right back.”

There was no way out of that one.

Austin sat next to me and I gave him a genuine smile. I couldn’t very well be rude. “So how do you know Mike and Violet?”

“We all went to high school together.”

“I haven’t seen you around.” I glanced into the yard at Ashley and Mikey playing on the playset.

Austin laughed. “I disappeared for several years. I went to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville for my architecture degree, did an internship, worked in Little Rock and decided I missed home. I just got back to Henryetta a couple of months ago. I’m settin’ up my own firm and hope to work with Mike.”

Austin seemed self-assured yet not arrogant. A man who knew what he wanted in life and how he planned to get it. There was no doubt that he was handsome; his chest filled out his shirt nicely and his tan set off his hazel eyes and dark brown hair. And I had to admit, if Joe wasn’t in my life, I’d have been interested in him. What surprised me was the way his eyes followed my every move. This experience was vastly different than the first blind date Violet set me up with.

Blind date. Crappy doodles. I was gonna kill Violet.

“Here you go.” Violet put a glass of red wine in my hand, taking a large sip of her own. As weird as she was acting, I wondered how much she’d had to drink before I got there.

“I’ve never had red wine before, only white.” I blurted out before I thought to stop myself. People didn’t just say things like that.

But Austin smiled, making his eyes twinkle. “Then I feel privileged to have provided the selection for your first taste.” He bowed his head with a wink.

He watched me as I self-consciously took a sip. It wasn’t as sweet as the white wines I’d had. Austin waited for my response, so I smiled. “It’s wonderful.”

Austin went on to tell Violet and me why he’d choose this particular vintage (its smoky taste blended well with grilled red meat) and why that particular year (the vintage from the year before had experienced a drought). Violet rested her chin on her hand, listening to Austin as though he was sharing the secret of life. Mike continued to give rapt attention to his barbecue tongs. I longed to be over there with him.