“So, when do they put the food on around here?” Irons asked no one in particular.
“That depends on your answer to my question,” Bea said. “Are you and Francis going to join us at the altar? Turn our ceremony into a double wedding?”
Harry grinned and nodded his head once. Francis turned to him, and all the hate drained out of her face, replaced by a smile that threatened to outshine the sun.
Dean turned to his aunt with a total calm that seemed to startle her. “Well, Aunt Ursula, I suppose if you’re ready to celebrate my mom’s new life, you’ll be welcome at our wedding.”
Hannibal wasn’t sure what was going on in Ursula’s mind, but after a brief hesitation she lowered herself to the picnic table bench opposite Dean.
Cindy, who had stayed quietly on the sidelines, moved in to put an arm around Hannibal’s waist. He realized he had just watched the resumption of a conversation that had been interrupted more than ten years ago. His sense was that Ursula would come around, and that eventually she and Francis would reach some sort of peace. He looked at Dean again, strong but relaxed, and realized that once in a while broken people could be healed too. He turned toward the volleyball net, where a few of the other guests were starting a game. Cindy squeezed his hand. The sun felt good on his neck. Life was good.
And they were finally starting to serve those barbecued ribs.