Page 190 of Avenging Angel

“She’s my bestest bestie in all the world, and I gave her a gift card to Nordstrom Rack last year,” I admitted.

Deb’s expression of horror had me cracking up.

There it was.

Proof!

That gift stunk.

“Exactly,” I said.

Deb immediately started quizzing me. “What’s she like to do?”

We got into that, with only Ryan coming home and calling hey then leaving again disturbing us.

We were kicked back, the second bottle of wine open and poured, and after Dad and Deb shared their gratitude and compliments for Cap’s cooking, when Dad prompted Deb, “Ask her.”

Deb turned her head to Dad. “I think you should ask her.”

“It was your idea,” Dad pointed out.

“It should come from you.”

“Raye’s a pretty laidback woman,” Cap broke in, sweeping a hand out to indicate the table. “And if you haven’t gotten it, she’s all the way down with mending this rift. So it really doesn’t matter who asks her whatever it is you’re talking about.”

Dad lounged deeper into his chair and sipped his wine.

I fought a smile, forgetting how stubborn he could be, and loving the experience of remembering it.

“Oh, all right,” Deb said. She fiddled with the stem of her wineglass and couldn’t quite meet my eyes when she said, “I suggested it, and your dad thinks it’s a good idea, that maybe…and we’ll pay for you to fly back, of course. Airline travel is so expensive these days, unless you want some cheapie flight where you’re practically sitting on the lap of the person beside you?—”

“Deb,” Dad said low to get her back on target.

She twitched her head a little and reined it in. “I was thinking we could have a little, you know, not a big thing, just a nice dinner and a big cake and an excuse to buy pretty dresses.”

She stopped talking, which was bad, because I didn’t know exactly what she was talking about.

“You want me to come home for…a nice dinner?” I asked, trying to get the full lowdown.

“It hasn’t been long, I mean, since the first, but, what I mean is a renewal of our vows,” Deb said really fast.

I stared at her.

“Just a little party. Close family. And a photographer,” she kept talking fast. “So you can be in the pictures.”

Dad was watching me.

Cap put his hand on mine where it was resting on the arm of my chair.

I was silent.

“I know, it’s a stupid idea,” Deb mumbled, looking away.

“No, I think it’s great,” I told her. “I’m just trying really hard not to burst out crying.”

Deb brightened up so vividly, I fought squinting.

Dad cleared his throat and became enthralled with one of Patsy’s planters.

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