JJ brought the girls in, and everyone (except Harlan, who was still sleeping) ate pizza and salad, with JJ and Grant sitting at the two ends. A cloud seemed to hang over the dining table, with eyes mostly focused on plates. Evie and Rachel peeked surreptitiously around the table and at each other when they thought no one was looking. Still, it was the quietest meal JJ had ever sat through with the girls.
“Thanks, JJ. I needed that,” Grant said. He glanced toward the bedrooms at the back of the house. “But I really should be—”
He was interrupted by his phone ringing.
“Excuse me,” Grant said, stepping away as he answered. “Yeah, go ahead, Beth.”
JJ had thought the table was quiet before, but now the entire house was silent, even the wind that had been brushing the eaves. Silent and waiti
