I head back downstairs for bread or crackers, dread for Emma a seething knot in my belly. The kitchen gleams, the frenzy of cooking over, and the women are gone. Everyone must be in Jo’s study. I pour myself a glass of iced tea and take two fragrant cheese biscuits out of a basket. Dex and Nicolet settle in on either side of me.
Suddenly starving, I inhale the tender, flaky biscuits, licking the end of my finger to capture every crumb from the napkin, and chug down half of the tea. Dex’s eyes sparkle at me in mirth, but he stays quiet.
While I let the food settle after so quickly making it disappear, my mind once again wanders over all too familiar ground. Something’s been bothering me since I heard it mentioned earlier. I don’t know if they will be allowed to tell me about it, but I fig
