Mom had her work pants and shirt on by then. She brushed by me and left, saying, "I'll be fine. I'll get used to it. Melody has done more than I ever expected."
I stood in the room, staring at the door. She'd seen us. I knew it. Is she mad because she thinks I'm cheating on Barb or something else? It was the something else that I couldn't get off my mind.
I returned to the kitchen, fully dressed. Melody was at the stove, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, cooking eggs and bacon. "Hope you're hungry," she said. "We eat big and work big here." It was as if the last hour had never happened.
Mom sat at the island. "I asked Melody if she would let us help with the chores. I don't know much about farm life other than the work never ends."
Melody had three plates on the island. She turned from the
