Chapter 2: Five O'Clock and the Flowers Were Back
The alarm went off at five.
I was already awake.
I got dressed quietly, went out to the deck, and moved every single one of my mom's geraniums back to exactly where she'd placed them.
Every box.
Every pot.
Right back along the rail, right in front of that lounger.
Then I went inside and helped my mom make breakfast.
Susan came out around nine.
Iced tea.
Phone.
She walked straight to the lounger, sat down, looked up — and stopped.
She didn't say anything at first.
Just stared at the flowers.
Then she turned to my mom.
"I thought I told you about these."
My mom opened her mouth.
I got there first.
"She heard you.
I moved them back.
They're her flowers, Susan.
This is her deck."
Susan's eyes went to me.
Then to my husband, who was standing in the doorway with his coffee.
"Are you going to let her speak to me like this?"
He was quiet for a second.
Then he said:
"She's right, Mom."
Three words.
I didn't expect them.
Susan didn't either.
Her face did something I hadn't seen before.
She picked up her tea, went inside, and didn't come back out for two hours.
But that evening, when my mom was alone in the kitchen, I heard Susan say something to her — low, just the two of them.
I couldn't catch the words.
But my mom went very still.
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What did Susan say to my mom when no one was watching?
What my husband did next surprised everyone.
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