Sophie hated good-byes, so Travis promised her that they would grill hot dogs and hamburgers that evening out in the backyard. And when she asked for a movie under the stars, he said they could set up the television on a couple of sawhorses on the back porch. But when Hannah made her way to the kitchen, she caught a flash of lightning. She pulled the window blinds up to see a slow, soft rain was falling. She found the remote and turned on the television, found The Weather Channel, and learned that the storm had settled right over Crossing. Rain with occasional lightning but no chance of a tornado was the forecast. Time to change plans. They would have a picnic in the house with the red-and-white plastic tablecloth on the kitchen table instead of the picnic table in the backyard. She’d make the hot dogs on the cast-iron griddle and they’d have a movie in the living room. She lifted a window so she could smell the rain. “You didn’t have to get up this early.” Elaine carried a used suitcase that Miss Rosie had brought over into the kitchen.
