Luke opened the door for her. “Well, thank you. That sounds better than reading a book by flashlight.”

“Hey, we made a little pitcher of margaritas, and we’re getting out the cards. I thought y’all might be showing up soon,” Tootsie said.

“And I made a pan of brownies.” Joanie pointed to the top of the stove. “I’m surprised at how well stocked the pantry is in this thing.”

“Smokey took care of doing that before he passed on,” Tootsie sighed. “He did love to cook.”

“And we all loved to eat his cookin’,” Carmen said. “I’ll pour up the drinks, and then we’ll play cards. Canasta or gin rummy?”

“Canasta gets my vote, in honor of Smokey. He loved that game almost as much as he loved dominoes. And before you ask, his favorite set is in the dresser drawer. We never went anywhere without cards, dominoes, and a couple of those thousand-piece puzzles,” Tootsie said.

“Canasta it is,” Joanie said.

“I remember working those puzzles with Uncle Smokey the fall I spent with y’all up at the old house,” Luke said. “One of my favorite memories. To me, it was like fitting the pieces of computer code together to make a video game.”

“You always did have a big brain in your head.” Tootsie helped Carmen serve the drinks. “Smokey was proud of you.”

Luke blushed slightly. “He’ll always be missed. Now about this card game? Shall I deal?” He shuffled the cards with the dexterity of a blackjack dealer in a casino. He was smart, he could cook, and he liked puzzles and card games. Plus, he was downright cute with that chin dimple and those blue eyes.

If only he were ten years older, Diana thought as she sipped her margarita.

Fall was the time of year that Joanie would start shopping and sometimes even wrapping gifts. The Christmas tree always went up the day after Thanksgiving, and she liked to have presents ready to go under it. Even if it was only for a day or two, Brett was usually home, and she could pretend that they were a normal family instead of a military one.

Even though the aroma of barbecue filling the air at the Smokey Cook-Off that Saturday morning was far different from the ham, bread, and sugar cookies Joanie always baked, she was still reminded of the happy days of the past. A gust of wind spun a little tornado of fallen leaves right in front of her. Zoe would have already had her phone out and been taking pictures to send to Brett. She stopped in the middle of the gravel pathway and dug in her purse for a tissue.

Diana whipped one from her purse and handed it over to her. “It’s tough doing these kinds of things without our girls, isn’t it?”

“So you were thinking the same thing,” Joanie said.

“If it was about taking our girls to the carnival or the State Fair of Texas, you know I was.” Diana pointed toward the next vendor. “That looks good. Want to get one?”

Luke waved at them from a few feet away with an enormous ear of corn. He motioned toward the empty places at the picnic table where he was sitting, and Diana nodded.

“Zoe loves this kind of place. Corn on the cob is her favorite.” Joanie pointed to a vendor as she and Diana got in line behind a young couple wearing “Just Married” T-shirts.

“Congratulations,” Joanie said.

“Thank you.” The young woman smiled. “We just got married yesterday.”

The guy pulled his bride close and kissed her on the forehead. “And we’ve got a whole week of honeymooning before I go back to base.”

“Don’t that bring back memories?” Diana whispered.

The lady snuggled up close to her new husband. “Are y’all military wives?”

“Were.” Diana nodded.

“And am still,” Joanie answered. “Here’s wishing y’all many years of happiness.”

“Thank you,” the guy said as he handed the vendor a bill and he and his bride walked away with an ear of corn.

“Remember when we shared things with our husbands?” Diana chuckled.

Joanie stepped up to the window and ordered two cobs with extra butter. “Oh, yeah, but then the honeymoon ended. Remember when that day came in your marriage?”

“The first time Gerald went on a six-month deployment.” Diana took the stick holding the corn from Joanie when she offered it.

“You got it. We’d had this meet and greet so the wives could get to know each other. That was the evening the two of us and Carmen became best friends,” Joanie said. “I found out I was pregnant after Brett left. By the time he got home, I was six months and had gained forty pounds. It must’ve been a shock to him.”

“I was pregnant when Gerald left, and he barely made it home in time for Rebecca’s birth.” Diana started toward the picnic bench where Luke waited. “At least we had our babies’ fathers in the delivery room with us.”

Joanie followed behind her. “Do you think that maybe that’s been a problem all along? Eli didn’t bond with Natalie—she was two months old when he held her for the first time.”

“No, I think there’s another woman. He’s acting the same way Gerald did, refusing to go to counseling and try to work things out. The main difference is that I had the money saved to buy Gerald’s equity in the house since I’d worked the whole time we were married. And he had to pay child support, which helped with all of Rebecca’s school activities. Poor Carmen would be out in the cold if it wasn’t for us.”

“I’m with you, but I’m basing my suspicions on the fact that Brett won’t tell me that it’s not another woman. Code of brotherhood and all that shit,” Joanie said out of the side of her mouth.

“Why are you whispering?” Diana asked.

“I see Carmen and Tootsie headed this way. Tootsie’s bright-orange pantsuit stands out really well,” Joanie told her.

“Hey, y’all!” Carmen called out from no more than six feet behind them. “Tootsie and I have been lookin’ for you. I was just thinking about taking home a side of ribs for supper tonight.”

To see Carmen in a good mood lifted Joanie’s spirits. Bless Tootsie’s heart for what she was doing to help them get through all this turmoil.

“Remember now. I won’t be having supper with y’all,” Tootsie said as they made their way to where Luke waited. “I told you about Delores, my friend—she lost her husband a while back, and now that Smokey is gone . . .” Tootsie hesitated and wiped a tear from her eye.