grandfathers, I could cal your father Grampy Sam, and his
father Great-Grampy.”
“Works for me,” Olivia said with obvious relief, giving
Robbie a nod of thanks.
“And you can cal me ‘darling,’” Isabel said, rushing over
to grasp Henry’s arm. “Come on, sweetheart; let’s go finish
building our dream castle together.”
Peg jumped up. “Sorry, darling,” she said with a laugh,
grabbing her daughter by the hood of her jacket. “We
womenfolk have to go throw together a cookout. Come on,
Charlotte, I need your help, too.” She turned and started
walking backward to see Olivia and Sophie fol owing. “You
boys come, too. Jacob, why don’t you show Henry your new
book about ocean creatures? And you menfolk can build
the campfire and cut some sticks for the hot dogs and …
and the kebabs,” she finished lamely, spinning away from
Duncan’s quiet laughter.
Peg shooed the kids into the bathroom as soon as they
got in the house, tel ing them to wash up and then go play in
their respective bedrooms, promising to cal them when it
was time to start lugging stuff outside. She then waited until
Olivia was done giving Mac instructions on what to bring,
and pul ed her friend into the kitchen as soon as Olivia
slipped her cel phone in her pocket.
“I’ve changed my mind again,” she said, opening the
pantry door. “I’m back to thinking the picnic is a dumb
idea.”
Olivia sighed behind her. “For the love of God, why?”
“That’s why,” she said, turning to point at the kitchen
table. “Jacob woke up from his nap and decided Duncan
needed a hero’s badge for saving him this morning.”
Olivia went over and picked up the badge that Jacob and
Peter had worked on for over an hour. “What a great idea.”
She turned, holding it against her chest. “Duncan
MacKeage, our hero,” she said dramatical y before
suddenly sobering. “Don’t you see, Peg? Instead of being
scared of Duncan for pul ing him off the excavator the other
day, now Jacob sees him as a hero.”
Peg snorted and turned back to the pantry to hunt for the
hot dog rol s. “Yes, everyone loves a hero.” She turned back
to Olivia. “Aren’t we lucky to have both been married to
such fine, upstanding men?”
Olivia went perfectly stil . “You’re angry at Bil y? Oh, Peg, I
had no idea you felt that way,” she whispered, tossing the
badge on the table and rushing to her. She took hold of
Peg’s shoulders and smiled sadly. “But I do know what it’s
like to feel guilty for being angry at someone who’s dead.”
“Keith died a war hero, but would you please tel me
what’s so heroic about saving a bunch of stupid buildings
in some stupid town? Bil y broke his little girls’ hearts. And
mine,” she said, thumping her chest. “And now I’m going to
have to spend the rest of my life sleeping in an empty bed
and go to every school play and graduation alone, and
Bil y’s brother wil be the one taking the girls to father-
daughter dances.”
Olivia gently pul ed the crushed rol s away from Peg, led
her to the sink, and grabbed a cup towel. “Wipe your eyes,”
she instructed, handing it to her. “Nobody but Mac knows
this, but my marriage to Keith died two years before he
did.”
Peg lowered the towel in surprise. “It did?”
Olivia nodded. “But that doesn’t negate the fact that he
broke his daughter’s heart,” she said softly. “So I
understand your anger. But what I don’t understand is why
you’ve decided Bil y’s dying means that your life is over,
too.”
Peg turned and braced her hands on the sink to look out
the window. “Because it isover—at least my love life is—
because I’m cursed.” She looked past her shoulder at
Olivia’s snort, and turned and folded her arms under her
breasts. “Nobody but my mom and my aunt know this, but
al the women in my family became widows before their
husbands reached their thirtieth birthdays. And when my
mom and aunt waited until they were in their forties to
remarry, both of their second husbands died within a few
years in freak accidents.”
“Are you serious?” Olivia said in surprise. She suddenly
shook her head. “Those are coincidences, Peggy. There’s
no such thing as curses.”
“Yeah, wel , they’re damn freaky coincidences.” She
glanced toward the bedroom, then glared at her friend.
“And I’m not about to risk my children getting their hearts
broken again just to prove you wrong. Or is it right? Hel , I
don’t know anything anymore,” she muttered, burying her
face in the towel again.
Olivia pul ed her hands down and held them. “Are you
saying you shouldn’t go on a simple picnic because you’re
afraid if you … what … that if you happen to fal in love with
Duncan that your family’s curse is going to kil him?”
“Five generations of women descended from Gretchen
Robinson, Olivia; al widowed the first time before their
thirtieth birthdays for a sum total of twelve dead men,
including second husbands. If that’s not a curse, then what
in hel is it?” She pul ed her hands free and used the towel
to point out the window as she arched a brow. “Should we
see if Duncan can make it a nice baker’s dozen?”
Olivia’s mouth opened but nothing came out, and
she closed it and walked to the table and sat down. She
frowned at Peg, then started fingering the badge on the
table.
Peg went to the fridge and took out the hot dogs and set
them on the counter, then started dragging out condiments.
She opened a cupboard and took down her dinner plates
because she didn’t have any paper ones, then opened a
drawer and gathered up fistfuls of forks and knives.
“I’m pretty sure it’s going to take more than a curse to kil
Duncan MacKeage,” Olivia said into the silence, making
Peg stop and stare down at the open drawer. “From what I
understand, his entire family is … wel … let’s go with
charmed. And Duncan told me his father is eighty-two
years old but looks and acts like he’s barely sixty.”
“Bil y was big and strong, too.”
Peg heard Olivia walk over, then felt a hand press onto
her shoulder. “You can’t love a person to death, Peggy,”
Olivia said quietly, turning her around. “And you can’t—
ohmigod,” she gasped, her eyes widening. “You think
you’re responsible for Bil y dying. Peggy, that’s crazy
because it’s impossible.”
“Okay, then,” she growled, taking a swipe at her eyes
with her sleeve. “Does that mean you wouldn’t have any
problem with Isabel marrying Henry when they grow up?”
She smiled tightly when Olivia dropped her hands in
surprise. “Or your father, Sam, fal ing madly in love with my
mother and marrying her even though she’s already kil ed
off two husbands?”
“Peggy Thompson, you’re outrageous.” Olivia made a
crisscross over her chest. “And scout’s honor, I absolutely
wouldn’t have a problem with Henry marrying Isabel.” She
snorted. “Henry might, though.” She held up her hand when
Peg tried to speak. “As for your mom and Sam … wel , I’d
be more worried about Jeanine than Dad.”
Peg felt her mouth twitch. “Yeah, so would I.” She blew
out a sigh and went to the pantry. “Okay then, let’s forget the
Robinson curse and focus on my kids getting attached to
Duncan—or any other man, for that matter.” She grabbed a
smal plastic bin, threw in a rol of paper towels, and carried
it over to the counter and set everything inside it before
turning to Olivia. “Weren’t you afraid Sophie would get