Yvonne being with Bet was something Mrs. Moore was delighted by. She had always adored the girl, for reasons she couldn''t exin.


    Conversely, she''d had a visceral dislike for Ynda, another feeling that was just as inexplicable.


    So, seeing Bet and Yvonne together, she gave her full-throated approval.


    "It''s cold out here. Come on in, quickly," Mrs. Moore said, ushering them into the house.


    Bet led Yvonne into the Jones family''s home.


    In the living room, Mr. Moore and Bruce were sitting on the sofa, sipping tea and watching television.


    "Mr. Jones, Mr. Moore," Yvonne greeted them.


    They both greeted the men politely.


    "Bet and Yvonne are back!" Mr. Moore announced warmly. "We have dinner ready, just waiting for you."


    "We were just watching you on TV, Yvonne," Bruce added. "A youngdy should dress just like that. So festive and charming."


    Yvonne smiled shyly. Noticing Monica was absent, she asked, "Where''s Monica?"


    "She''s upstairs, in your old room. Why don''t you go on up and find her," Mrs. Moore suggested.


    Bet took off his coat and sat down on the sofa to chat with Bruce and Mr. Moore.


    Yvonne went upstairs to find Monica.


    The upper floor housed the bedrooms, and Yvonne''s old room was thergest and brightest.


    Monica was inside, tidying up.


    The room was as bright and clean as ever. On the desk were tes of the pastries, candies, and sweet roasted sunflower seeds that Yvonne used to love.


    "Yvonne, you''re here!" Monica''s face lit up with a warm, loving smile. She scooped a handful of sunflower seeds from a te on the desk and offered them to her.


    "Try these just roasted a new batch. And there are pastries and orange candies too. These were all your our Yvonne''s favorites when she was alive. I don''t know if they''re to your taste."


    "I love the sunflower seeds you roast. They''re so fragrant," Yvonne said, her voice catching as she looked at the seeds in her palm.


    It had been so many years since she''d tasted her mother''s roasted sunflower seeds.


    Every Christmas, Monica used to roast a huge batch for her. Whatever she couldn''t finish, she would share with her friends and ssmates.


    Yvonne popped a seed into her mouth and cracked it open. The taste was exactly the same-fragrant with a hint of sweetness.


    The familiar vor from her memories brought a sudden urge to cry.


    "Have a few pastries first. I''m going to the kitchen to help her. Once they''re cooked, we can eat," Monica said, then turned and left the room.


    Yvonne sat alone in the room.


    Everything was exactly as it had been. It felt as if she had just stepped out for a while and had now returned.


    Yvonne sat on the edge of the bed, took a pastry from the dish, and bit into it. She then reached for a book from the shelf and began flipping through it casually.


    It was a review book from her senior year of high school. The pages were filled with more of Bet''s handwriting than her own.


    He had been the one to make notes and highlight key points for her most dreaded subject, government.


    He was the one who exined the physics and chemistry problems she could never understand.


    Bet was one of those naturally brilliant people who was always at the top of his ss. He yed the piano beautifully, excelled at sports, and was skilled in just about every art form imaginable. He was the quintessential child every parent wished they had.


    "What are you looking at?" Bet''s voice suddenly came from the doorway.


    Yvonne looked up and saw him leaning against the doorframe, his tall, straight back rxed, his eyes watching her with incredible warmth.


    Yvonne held up the review book, her slender finger pointing to the strong, powerful script on the page. "I can''t believe you still have the study guides you made for me. Back then, you wrote more practice problems and notes for me than anything else."