We could not farm the whole plantation, but Henry had enough money saved that we could hire a few hands, and we had a pretty decent, even if small, cotton crop. I was so proud when we brought it all in and had made a good profit. Henry had sworn he’d never come home to the South, but we both needed a change, and we got it. Henry remarried to a woman who’s a little older than him. She grounds him and is an excellent manager, and I remarried a wonderful man with the farm next to ours. My third child was born in March, and I’m so happy. Money can’t buy happiness. Only love can do that. Jenny is now nine years old, Samuel is seven, and the new little girl, Lily, is healthy. God has given me a second chance. I’m so grateful.

“Did Grandma name you Lily after that little girl?” Holly asked.

“I believe she did.” Lily vaguely remembered her mother telling her that she was named for an old ancestor.

“It’s kind of strange reading about our relatives like this, isn’t it, Mama?” Holly asked. “But I’m glad we got to read that Matilda’s awful husband finally left her. Why did she wait for him to leave, though? Why didn’t she kick his sorry ass—I mean butt—out the door when she found out about him cheating on her? I’m so glad I didn’t live in those days. I couldn’t put up with that.”

“Hypothetical question,” Lily said. “What are you going to do if you’re dating a boy and he’s going behind your back, say with Rose or Ivy, and kissing them when you’re not there?”

Holly snapped her fingers and did her head wiggle. “Goodbye, sucker. Don’t come around me anymore, and then I’d tell whatever friend he was kissing that they weren’t my friend either for doing that behind my back.” Then she got serious. “Was Victoria your friend before”—Holly’s brows drew down in a frown—“you know, before Daddy left?”

“No, she wasn’t, and honey, I didn’t know your dad was seeing her until he packed his things and left.” Lily didn’t ever want her daughter to think that she knew and put up with that kind of behavior. She wanted her to be strong and stand up for herself.

Chapter Eleven

Lily opened the shop on Monday morning, turned on the lights in all three rooms, and then shoved her purse and jacket under the counter. Being there alone for the first time was a little eerie, but Sally had called that morning and said that she was going to an estate sale in Boerne. She wouldn’t be in until noon.

Lily started in the furniture room at the back of the store and made her way to the front, straightening things as she went. She’d just finished the job when the bell above the door jingled and Polly waved at her.

“I brought a thermos of hot coffee and doughnuts,” Polly said.

Lily turned and headed toward the break room. “I’ll get the cups and a roll of paper towels.”

Polly set the thermos and a box with a dozen doughnuts on the counter. Then she took off her coat and scarf, tossed them on the counter, and sat down in a metal chair. “Sally keeps sweet tea and soft drinks in the back room, and she’s got a little hot pot so you can make hot tea or instant coffee, but I can’t stand that instant crap, so when I pop in, I bring my own.”

“Here we go.” Lily brought in two mugs, filled them with coffee, and then opened the lid on the box of doughnuts. She took out one with maple frosting and sat down beside Polly.

“Sally kind of caught us up on everything last night when I called her.” Polly chose a doughnut with chocolate sprinkles.

“Where have you been?” Lily sipped at her coffee.

“Me and your mama always had this dream that someday we’d go on one of those over-fifty cruises,” Polly said between bites. “We kept putting it off for years, and then your mama passed. But I got this last-minute deal in the mail a few weeks ago, and two of my cousins said they’d go with me. Seemed like an omen. We just packed our bags and drove down to Galveston, got on the ship, and went. Who knows how long any of us will be aboveground? I’ve decided to start spending my savings and do everything I can while I’m still able.” Polly reached for her second doughnut. “It was amazing. Vera would have loved it.”

“Why did you wait so long? Why didn’t you and Mama do the cruise while she was alive?” Lily asked.

“Vera wouldn’t leave your daddy, and he wouldn’t go because he got sick if he even went out on a fishing boat. And then she was so depressed after he passed away that I was lucky to talk her into going out to dinner once a week. Then she passed, and losing my best friend put me in a depression. I thought that I couldn’t go without her, so I kept putting it off.” Then Polly leaned forward and whispered, “But I kind of took her with me in spirit. I’ve got an old black-and-white photograph of the two of us when we were little girls, so I took it along. Everywhere I went, whether it was to a musical production, to watch a movie, or just to have our meals, I took the picture with me and set it up so she’d be right there with me. My cousins thought it was weird, but I didn’t give a damn.”

It took two sips of coffee for Lily to swallow the lump in her throat. “She never mentioned a cruise to me.”

Polly laid a hand on her knee. “Honey, that was our own dream—something we saved our dimes and nickels for. I’m surprised you haven’t found her stash somewhere in the house. When we got fifty dollars in change saved up, we’d cash it in for a bill.” Polly shared the last of the coffee between the mugs. “It took us years to get that first fifty dollars. I made each of us a little light-blue velvet bag to keep our fifties in. I have enough left in my bags to go on another cruise in the summer. This time I’m going to Alaska. Want to go along?”

“Thank you, but I won’t have enough vacation time by then,” Lily answered.

Polly opened her purse and brought out a small album. “I had two of these made. One for me, and one for you. I tried to get the picture with Vera in each one.”

“Thank you.” Lily managed to keep her tears at bay as she flipped through the pictures. She wished she’d known that her mother was saving change for such a thing—she’d have given her rolls of nickels and dimes for Christmas and Mother’s Day. “This is amazing. I’ll treasure it forever.” Lily held the album to her chest.