They were two lessons our household badly needed.

PART 20

Violet invited Paige to dinner on what would have been Rose’s forty-fifth birthday.

Paige asked me to accompany her.

I wondered whether Violet would see my presence as intrusive, but she greeted me at the door with genuine warmth.

The table was set for four.

Denise had come too, bringing a cake made from Rose’s favorite lemon recipe.

We ate slowly and talked about ordinary things first.