to overwhelm practicality.
“Tell me about the Carolina coast.”
I couldn’t help smiling.
“I’ve been researching small communities near Wilmington,” I told her. “Quiet places with beach access and reasonable property values. I can afford something modest with the house proceeds.”
“Good fishing in that area,” Helen noted. “Your father and I spent a week there once before you were born. Peaceful. Different rhythm from here.”
Finally, she asked the question I’d been dreading.
“What happens with Amber now?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. The practical matters are clear—she and
