They were treated like social events where everyone cooked and baked enough food to feed half the county. My dad had been very clear with his funeral orders. A short church service, and after, everyone was to go to the farm and celebrate, not hole up in the basement of the church and sip lukewarm coffee. The food and drink would be served at the farm in the open air. The church was filled to capacity, with more people milling around outside. My mother passed the word around town that if anyone approached me for an autograph or to say something vile, she would let Maggie take care of matters. When Dave and his family showed up, he volunteered to keep the crowds in order. He’d protected me for over a year; he wasn’t about to stop now. “You doing okay?” Dave asked. I shrugged and let the man pull me into a bear hug. I wanted to ask if he still worked for Jade or if he knew anything about him, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask. It would hurt too much if I knew he was doing well.
