The Piper Read Free

lasting through the years, stronger than your average marriage, was not an option for a nomad like herself.
    â€˜Look, let’s skip dinner. You go ahead to the hospital, Amel.’
    â€˜I can’t do it anymore, Livie. I won’t. Alexis is a brick wall when I try and talk to her about it, Jack is a zombie, and the oncology team is dead set on prolonging the agony – there’s nothing I can do. Let’s go have dinner and a drink. Or two.’
    â€˜You’re sure?’
    â€˜We absolutely have to talk. I’ve been googling all afternoon. I’ll tell you over dinner, Livie, but there are entire websites devoted to this stuff.’
    â€˜This stuff?’
    â€˜Phone calls from the dead.’

THREE
    T he Wolf Creek Grill specialized in hamburgers grilled with melted blue cheese, portabella mushroom sandwiches, wood fired pizzas and house brewed beer. Amelia ordered the Asian Sesame chicken salad, which came with a side of fruit, and Olivia was not surprised that Amelia had been continuously stealing shoestring French fries off Olivia’s plate. Olivia had ordered the Swiss mushroom burger, and set the bun aside, eating onions, mushrooms and meat. She was not in favor of salad for dinner, and did not care for any fruit except mangoes. She was happy to share her fries. She would have preferred mashed potatoes, because mashed potatoes, mustard sandwiches, and bread and butter pickles were her particular comfort foods, but the Wolf Creek Grill had none of these. It was hard to find bread and butter pickles anywhere but the south.
    â€˜Mama?’ Teddy said. ‘Ashley just texted me. She and Amber are going to the Marble Slab. Can I go over there too? Like a goodbye thing? I’ve had all I want to eat, I promise, I’m full, and it’s right next door, so I’ll be safe.’
    Olivia glanced at Teddy’s cheeseburger. Three bites, maybe four, but little ones. She’d made inroads on the fries. ‘Okay, but you stay there, in the ice cream shop, till I come over and get you. Don’t go
anywhere
else. Here.’ Olivia dug her wallet out of her purse. ‘Here’s five bucks.’
    Amelia shuddered. ‘Five dollars for ice cream. The world has gone mad. And while we’re digging in purses, let me give you your mail.’
    â€˜Amelia, I’ll be right back. I just need to walk Teddy—’
    â€˜
Mother
. I can walk next door by myself.’ Teddy stuck the money in her pocket, and headed out, then turned back. ‘Thank you, Mama.’
    Olivia watched Teddy walk out of the restaurant, craning her neck a little when her daughter went out the door.
    â€˜Southern children are so polite.’
    â€˜Only if you beat them.’
    â€˜Seriously. How is she doing?’
    â€˜Up and down. More down than up. Nothing I can’t handle.’ Olivia did not mention that she was unable to sleep anymore, and lay awake at night, doubting every decision she’d made. Should she and Hugh have stayed married no matter what? Would moving yet again make things better or worse? There was no question that what Teddy needed was stability. To live in one place, to go to one school, to end the constant moving that was an integral part of life with Hugh. Neither she nor Teddy could get any traction in their lives living this way.
    â€˜She’s struggling, Amelia, and it breaks my heart. She wants to be good, but something inside her wants to be bad too. I hate that term,
acting out
, but it’s exactly what she’s doing. So. She needs stability and she needs limits, and that’s what she’s going to get.’
    â€˜Stability?’ Amelia said. ‘You’re moving again.’
    â€˜One last move. So we can go home and stay put.’
    Amelia set a small stack of envelopes on the table by Olivia’s plate and took a sip of her Grey Wolf Ale. ‘Just keep in mind that things may get worse before they get better. And by