Brook threw her head back dramatically. “I work with Flora, and I really like her and Cassidy. They are going to hate me.”

“No, they are not!” Dana said emphatically. “If this happened to Cassidy, we wouldn’t hate Flora for it or Cassidy, either. But if she’s doin’ drugs, you better tell me.”

“She’s not, but she likes him a lot. I bet she’ll protect him,” Brook said.

Zed crossed the bridge and made the turn back to the resort. “Crazy what love will make a person do, whether it’s the old folks or the young’uns,” he muttered.

“What was that?” Dana asked.

“Just mumblin’ to myself.” Zed parked at the back of the café. “Y’all might as well come on in and get a glass of tea or a soda pop.”

“Sounds good to me. Got any of that gingerbread you were makin’ for lunch?” Brook asked.

“Little bit,” Zed said. “And kiddo, I’m real glad that you ain’t hurt or sick.”

“Me too, Uncle Zed.” She gave him a quick hug as the three of them entered the café by the kitchen door.

“Are you okay? Did someone hurt you? Do I need to go to the school and whip someone’s ass?” Harper started the minute they were inside. “I’ve been worried out of my mind. Talk to me.”

“I’m fine. Someone put a bag of marijuana in my purse, and I’m expelled until tomorrow morning,” Brook said as if that happened every day.

“What little bastard did it?” Tawny peeked through the serving window. “I’ll go up there and take care of him or her.”

“I’m not really sure, but he’ll get caught eventually. Thanks, Aunt Harper and Aunt Tawny, for worrying about me.” She grinned. “Now let’s have some of Uncle Zed’s gingerbread with lemon sauce.”

Tawny giggled.

“It’s not funny,” Dana said.

“No, it’s not, but I smarted off to my mother the other day about going to the school to score some marijuana. Looks like I was right,” Tawny said.

Harper’s hand flew up to her heart. “I can’t believe you said that to her.”

Tawny’s shoulders popped up in a dramatic shrug. “Did you think it was all rainbows and unicorn farts after you left? The only thing that changed was that I got all the bitchin’ instead of sharin’ it with you.”

Zed stuck a bowl of lemon sauce in the microwave and set half a pan of gingerbread on the table. “Life is what you make it, girls. The past is all over and done with. What you got is the present, because tomorrow might never get here. Annie told me that a lot when I got to frettin’ about things, so we worked hard at makin’ today a good one.”

“That’s a good sermon,” Dana said. “Brook and I’d better take our gingerbread to go since Flora will need to get back to her regular job.”

“Fifteen minutes more ain’t goin’ to make a difference,” Zed said when the microwave bell dinged. “Y’all sit down and have a snack and then we’ll all go back to work.”

“Will you sit with us?” Brook asked.

A grin spread across his face. “Naw, honey, I’m going to use my fifteen minutes to go outside and smoke a cigarette. You bring that pan of gingerbread to a table, Harper, and I’ll get this sauce. Y’all will be more comfortable out there in the dinin’ room.”

Dana didn’t realize that her heart was still pounding or that there was a knot the size of a grapefruit in her stomach until she sat down at the table. But she’d learned to handle fear by putting on a hard shell. Then, when the situation was over, she fell apart in private.

“So do you know who did this thing?” Harper asked Brook.

“Got a pretty good idea,” she answered.

“What are you goin’ to do about it?” Tawny asked.

“Keep my purse zipped up from now on.”

Harper chuckled. “And your backpack, right?”

“Yep, and if I’m right about who that weed belonged to, he’d better stay away from me. I don’t like bein’ a scapegoat.” She finished off her snack and carried her plate to the kitchen. “I’m going to the house and get into my work jeans. Flora will probably need some help since she’ll be behind and I’m the cause of it.”

When the back door slammed, Harper glanced over at Dana. “You got a really good kid there.”

“Yes, I do.” Dana’s voice cracked. “God, I was worried, especially when Uncle Zed went with me. I thought she’d died and they just weren’t tellin’ me.”

Tawny laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “We all worry, too. I came out here to get a glass of tea and Harper was pacing.”

“I was not. I was sweeping,” Harper said. “I’d spilled coffee on my shirt, so I went to change it. When I got back, Uncle Zed was gone. When I called the store to see if he was there, Flora told me there was a problem at school. But anyway, Brook can take care of herself, and if she’s not quite big enough, she’s got two aunts, a mama, and an uncle Zed who’ll help her out.”

Dana pushed back the uneaten square of gingerbread and laid her head on the table. “Thank you. I just need a minute to unwind.”