As she held her sister close and looked up at Neal, she couldn’t prevent the tears that welled up and threatened to spill. Mandy was no longer the little girl that needed her sister to become a mother. She was no longer wearing pigtails, playing with her dolls, or telling her how disgusting boys were. She was a woman who in less than a week would be able to make her own decisions, dead set on proving that she’d certainly outgrown her stilted opinion of boys. Charlotte wanted nothing more than to turn back the clock to a time when what she said had an impact instead of being viewed as nothing more than a quick source of reference and material support. “Charlotte, I know you’re going to think it’s too soon, but it’s not,” Mandy declared, pulling away far enough to hold onto Charlotte’s hands. Seeing the joyful light in her baby sister’s eyes was almost too much to take. What could be said to make her see the reality of the situation? “Life is too short. The candle ceremony for Becky made us realize that we shouldn’t wait until after I attend nursing school or Garreth takes over his church.
