Since I’m a sucker for western clothes, I detoured through the women’s clothing department and found two rhinestone shirts a little on the tacky side that I couldn’t live without.
My last stop was the candy aisle. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I’m the only one in my family. Sophie loved old-fashioned horehound candy. Jake had a thing for lemon drops. Dawson could eat black licorice by the truckload, and Hope preferred maple nut goodies. I bought two packages of each and wondered what kind of candy Lex liked.
I flashed back to Levi as a kid and how crazy he’d been for circus peanuts-those disgusting molded blobs of orange fluff. But I hesitated to throw in a package. Sometimes the simplest thing would start Hope on a crying jag. She’d gotten better in the last few months. At least now she and I could talk about Levi without either of us breaking down every time.
I loaded everything into the truck and finally started for home. I’d managed to shove aside the morning’s events during my shopping foray, but as soon as Rapid City reflected in my taillights, those suppressed thoughts surfaced unbidden and unwanted. Dammit. I’d been in such a happy-albeit girly-place with the lunch and the shopping. Needing to stay out of my head, I cranked the country music and belted out tunes about cheating, drinking, and more drinking.
Hope’s car was parked next to Sophie’s. I unloaded everything myself. After I dragged the last bag into the kitchen, I heard Sophie and Hope talking in the office. Or were they arguing?
“She says she’s fine, but I know she ain’t telling me all of what the doctor said.”
Another conversation about the perils of Penny Pretty Horses.
“Well, it’s stupid that she doesn’t let you go to the doctor’s office with her,” Hope retorted. “You never should’ve let her get away with it the first time. Demand to go with her.”
Sophie shook her finger. “Don’t be pretending you know what it’s like to have this kind of confrontation. You always back down from conflict. Always. And you’re tellin’ me to make demands of my daughter… who is dying?” She snorted. “You have no idea-”
“I’ve lost a child, too,” Hope snapped.
This discussion was headed into dangerous territory, so I cut in. “Hey, ladies, what’s going on?”
Hope’s angry gaze flicked to me from behind our father’s desk. “Hey, Mercy. Sophie is leaving early to spend time with Penny.”
Sophie gave Hope her back. Her eyes were hard, and her jaw was tight.
“I know this is hard on you. Is there anything I can do, Sophie?”
A beat passed. She shook her head, but a sly smile appeared. “Just don’t leave no more of your clothes in the kitchen, hey.”