Chapter 5
The screened-in back porch at Laura’s house normally seemed spacious. Tonight it felt downright crowded and cramped and stuffed full of too many people.
This was one of those times when it felt much more like her parents’ house than hers.
The long glass-topped table had seated up to ten people during big family gatherings, with smaller tables for the overflow off to the side, inside, or even out in the level, tree and flower-filled yard. Only four places were set tonight with her mother’s fancy pink outdoor dining plates and bowls and cups, with dark green woven placemats underneath and matching napkins with dragonfly napkin rings to complete the overpowering effect.
Sort of like a last desperate effort to hold on to the summer that had already passed them by.
A row of bumbl
