He leaned over and kissed me. “I’ll save you a seat.”

Max was over at the bar, refilling beer cups by himself. Had Wyatt left while Marco and I were dancing?

“Sorry I abandoned my post,” I said as I motioned to the dance area. “But Ruth pushed me out there.”

“I’m not sorry,” Max said, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s the best thing I’ve seen all night. As far as I’m concerned, you’re officially off the clock.”

I made a face. “That doesn’t seem right.”

“Don’t you worry, Ruth is too. I had her put the food table on the honor system. In fact, as soon as some of these rowdy teens take off, the bar will be too.” He winked. “But for now, I’ve got to make sure those kids don’t sneak some cups of beer.” He gestured to a group of boys, which included Ricky Crimshaw.

I was surprised Rob had let him out of his watchful eye, but then I realized I didn’t see Rob anywhere.

Max grabbed a cup and started to fill it. “As soon as I hand you these beers, I’m gonna need you to walk away. You and Marco were on fire out there, and I don’t want anyone thinkin’ you’re hittin’ on me. All the Marly lovers will have my hide.”

“Excuse me?” I asked with a laugh.

“That’s what they call you two,” he said. “There were bets on when you’d finally go public. Pickle won, by the way, so you might make him buy you a drink later with his winnings.”

I stared at him in shock, then laughed. “I’ll do that.”

He held out the full cup and reached for an empty one.

“Just a water for me. You might need me later.”

“Come on, Carly,” he said, filling it anyway. “You’re off for the night, and even if you do help with something, one beer’s not gonna make you drunk.”

“Okay,” I relented, because a beer did sound good. “But I want a bottle of water too.”

He finished filling the cup, then handed me the water, which I tucked under my arm, and the beer. “Well, look who just showed up.”

I turned around and caught a glimpse. “Bingham?”

“Him and Lula. It looks like they left the baby at home. Greta and her new boyfriend are with them.” He gestured to a table in the farthest corner of the set-up, in the dark area on the street.

Bingham and Lula were sitting at one of the church-borrowed tables with plates of food, eating. Lula and Greta seemed deep in conversation while Bingham’s gaze was slowly sweeping the area.

“Bingham hasn’t been around all that much,” Max said quietly.

Now that Marco mentioned it, he hadn’t. I shrugged. “I think marrying Lula and having a baby changed him.”

“Maybe so,” Max said, but he didn’t sound convinced.

I turned around to find Marco. He’d chosen a church table on the street too, although it was in the opposite corner from Bingham. Selena was sitting with him. As I approached, I could hear them discussing Marco’s glory days in high school.

“Hello, Miss Selena,” I said as I set down the beers and the water. “I’m so happy you came.”

“Me too,” she said. “Tonight is perfect.”

I knew what she meant. The temperature was in the seventies, and the sun had set, so the light was a soft glow from the twinkling lights and tiki torches flickering along the edge of the street. It felt magical, especially when I sat next to Marco and he pressed his leg against mine.

“I saw the Crimshaws were here,” I said as Marco handed me a hamburger that he’d doctored up.

“I was surprised to see Rob here,” Selena said. “But he left when he saw the Genslers.”

My mouth dropped open. Thad had been with the Gensler boy on the night of the accident. “They’re here?”

She gestured across the parking lot. “The couple with the little girl. Spencer’s over there with Thad.”

I glanced around and saw a middle-aged couple sitting at a table with a girl who looked about ten. I continued scanning the lot and saw Thad hanging out with two boys his age.

“They still let their son spend time with him?” I asked in surprise.

“They’re not friends like they used to be,” she said, “but they do see each other. It’s hard to prevent it in a school with so few students.”

I resisted the urge to glance back at the couple. “Does their daughter go to school in Drum?”

“Yes, she’s in the fourth grade.”

I put my hamburger down on Marco’s plate. “I’ll be right back.”

Marco snagged my hand and looked up into my eyes. “I thought we were going to just enjoy the evening.” I knew he wanted to say more, but Selena was watching.

I leaned over and kissed him. “I only want to make sure they know about Tutoring Club.”

He searched my eyes, and I found it disconcerting that I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Did he really not want me to take advantage of this situation? I’d been looking for a natural “in” with them, and it had been handed to me on an engraved silver platter.

Neither of us said anything for a solid two seconds, then he gave me a soft smile and nodded toward them. “Go give them the Tutoring Club pitch.”

“Thank you,” I mouthed and gave him a quick kiss.

Grabbing the bottle of water, I took a sip as I walked over to them, checking the crowd for other families with school-aged children who didn’t attend the club. I stopped to talk to another family with two younger children, one of whom looked like he was in first or second grade, figuring it would look better if I was making rounds.

“Hi,” I said as I took a seat opposite the family. I introduced myself and took a few minutes to tell them how Tutoring Club worked and assure them it was free. After I answered all of their questions, I made my way to the Genslers’ table, my stomach in knots. I really didn’t want to screw this up.

“Hi,” I said, smiling brightly. “I’m Carly Moore, and I’m a waitress here at Max’s.”

Mr. Gensler extended his hand. “I’m Donnie, and this is my wife, Kay.”

I shook hands with both of them. “And who is this?” I asked, gesturing to their daughter.

“Scarlett, say hello to Miss Carly,” Kay said.

She gave me a shy smile. “Hi.”

“This is so nice,” Kay said, her gaze scanning the party. “I hope Max does this again.”

“We’ve had a great turnout,” I said. I wasn’t sure how much money he’d made, but he’d definitely earned some loyalty. “I suspect he will.” I glanced over at their daughter. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I’m making sure families are aware that we have a tutoring program here twice a week from three-thirty to five. We call it Tutoring Club, and we try to make it fun with games and rewards. I don’t know if Scarlett or any other children you might have need help, but I just wanted to let you know there’s an available resource.”

Donnie frowned. “How much do you charge?”

“Oh,” I said, “I’m sorry. I should have mentioned that part first. It’s totally free.”

“Why would you offer free tutoring?” he asked suspiciously.