Page 131

the next room. It wasn’t like she could ask Quinn how she was

doing now either. What was going to happen when Dallas had

to get on that plane? She didn’t want to think about it. She’d

promised herself she was going to have as fun a night as

possible. The other heap of problems, as her mom liked to say

all the time, would still be there waiting at the end of the night,

or the next morning.

She was still standing at the window when the smoke died

away and the back door opened and closed. Dallas had the

absurd urge to run, but instead she just turned and shifted

uncomfortably from foot to foot.

It was soon apparent that when Ashton Smyth came in,

loaded with a tray of burgers so high that it looked like an

ac

tual burger mountain, that there would be no need to run. He

looked out from behind the mound and gave her the classic

grin that she remembered so well. Quinn’s parents had hardly

aged at all. They looked great. Almost just like Dallas

remembered them.

“Dallas!” Ashton said, kind of casual, as though he hadn’t

seen her for a few days rather than ten years. “It’s good to see

you again! Come for burgers and to help my little girl

celebrate?”

Quinn pretended to be offended by her dad’s comment.

“Hey! I thought I was your little girl.”

“You’re both my little girls. Thirty. Wow. Can’t believe it.

Where did all the time go?”

Dallas was so relieved that she didn’t have to apologize for

Willford’s passing again. Or for anything and everything else.

There were so many things she could say sorry for, but for the