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cope with what happened to your friend,” Gretchen stated knowingly, shooting her another mournful look, this one was laced with a touch of pity.  “It’ll hit you soon and then you’ll realize that you do need people here for you.”
    Lanie felt like screaming.  Clearly, no one was ever going to believe that she was doing fine, so why keep saying it?  “Have you heard from Dad?” she asked, trying to shift the subject away from herself.
    “I have.  He’s out there…dealing with things, but he said he’d try to be home at a decent hour,” Gretchen answered, going back to stuffing things in the cabinets.  “I’ll stay here with you until he gets home.”
    Again, Lanie tried not to flinch.  She loved her Aunt Gretchen, but she really was not in the mood for company.  Usually, it was only her and her dad around the house.  Even though Gretchen lived three streets over, she was busy with her own life and usually only came over on Sundays to have family dinner.  Which was how Lanie liked it. 
    She liked the peace and the quiet, the time to think and sort out the thoughts in her head, the time to just…be.  She was the Sheriff’s daughter, after all, and when she was with her friends or out having a coffee or sitting in The Pub scarfing chili cheese fries, she always had eyes on her, people were always watching her or wanting to talk to her about some thing or other that they were having trouble with—the neighbor’s yipping dog, the stop sign on Fifth Street that was hidden by the shrubs that Mr. Lansbury refused to trim—so that she could then run the complaint to her dad.  But, at home she didn’t have to worry about that.
    Lanie pulled in a breath and cast a glance at Gretchen, who was back at the stove whisking madly.  She didn’t want to feel annoyed with her aunt.  The woman was only trying to help.  Everyone was only trying to help.  And this would soon pass.  Things would go back to normal, life would go back to normal, and she wouldn’t have her aunt hovering around, looking at her with those sorrowful, sympathetic eyes.  But, that would mean that Stacy would be laid to rest and…forgotten.  Which didn’t exactly sit well with her, either.
    “So, do you have any plans for this evening, Lanie?” Gretchen asked, finishing up putting the groceries away and going back to check the oven.
    Shrugging, Lanie made a non-committal sound in her throat.  “I dunno.  I had a date, but I have to cancel that.  I thought about watching practice, but I don’t know if I’ll go or not.”
    Gretchen glanced over her shoulder, her brow furrowed in thought.  “I think you should go out.  I mean, sitting around the house isn’t good for you.  You need to spend time with people who’ll support you.”
    Grrr!  She was fine !  She did not need support!
    “Maybe I’ll go to the field for a while,” Lanie told her aunt.  She would definitely go if Aunt Gretchen intended on staying for very long.
    “I’ll be here when you get back,” Gretchen smiled at her.  “We can watch some TV and have some popcorn and talk about things.”
    Yep.  She was going to watch football practice. 
    “I want you to eat before you go, though.  You don’t want to deny yourself food.  You’re so thin already it wouldn’t take much to make you sick,” Gretchen warned and Lanie gritted her teeth to keep from making a sound.
    Grrr !  She was not denying herself food!  She’d eaten two pancakes and some fruit for breakfast!  How was that denying herself food! 
    “Do you need a ride over to the field?” Gretchen asked, opening the oven and pulling out a pan of bubbling lasagna.  “I don’t think you should be driving right now.”
    Grrr !  Brady had said the same thing to her!  What was with everyone!  She was fine !  She was not the one who was suffering!  And she was the exact same person she had been before her dad had gotten that phone call!  She had not suddenly morphed into some weak