liked electric ones better. I may change it out to propane when I get home, just in case we ever get in a bind like this again,” Tootsie explained.
“Wish I’d known that all I had to do was light one of them last night,” Diana grumbled.
“And miss all the fun of falling on top of me?” Luke joked.
Carmen whipped around. “What happened?”
“I only had a little flashlight, and it didn’t throw nearly enough light. I thought he was one of the ottomans.” Diana blushed.
“I might have been sleeping on the floor, but I don’t like to think that I look like a footstool.” Luke grinned.
“I stumbled over him and fell. It was an accident,” Diana stammered.
“And I found them all tangled up together like a bunch of baby kittens,” Tootsie giggled.
“Now we want the real story,” Joanie teased.
“That’s their story, and they’re stickin’ to it,” Tootsie chuckled.
“It’s the truth, and the bacon is ready,” Luke said. “Joanie, do you have the potatoes all cut up?”
“All ready when you are,” Joanie said. “And thanks so much for taking my day. I’ve never cooked over a fire like that.”
“I’ll take care of the fire and food as long as we’re without power,” Luke said.
Diana groaned.
“What? You don’t like that idea?” Luke asked.
“No, it’s my job that I’m worried about. I need to send things to the company on Wednesdays and Fridays at the latest. Then they send me work on Mondays and Wednesdays. No internet or—”
“I can help there, too. I have a device on my laptop that lets me access internet anywhere, anytime. But we’ll be running on battery and not electricity, so you’ll have to be careful how much power you use,” he warned. “I keep extra batteries for my business, so if you use up all yours, you can use my computer to send your work.”
“Thank you. That’s a load off my mind,” Diana said.
“Now that we’ve got everything figured out about how we’re going to survive in the wilderness, let’s get the table set.” Carmen tugged on Diana’s arm and motioned for her to follow her to the pantry.
“Paper plates and plastic cutlery,” Tootsie reminded them. “There’s no hot water to do the dishes.”
“What’s going on?” Diana whispered.
“I think this storm and power outage is a sign. Eli has been cheating on me for years. Couples therapy probably wouldn’t fix that. He’s betrayed all the trust I put in him,” Carmen said.
Diana gave her a side hug. “Without trust, there is no marriage. That’s what my counselor told me when I was trying to hang on to what was already gone. The only thing left is for you to get what is legally yours and to learn to survive.”
“That’s sure enough not easy.” Carmen drew in a long breath and let it out in a whoosh.
“No, honey, it’s not, but you will live through it, just like I did,” Diana said. “We’ve had each other’s backs for the past eighteen years. Remember when the girls all got mono at the same time?”
“And when I had that miscarriage two years after Natalie was born? I thought for sure I’d lose my mind from worrying about if I caused it, because Eli didn’t want more children and I wouldn’t tell him I was pregnant,” Carmen said.
“Are we remembering times when we had to lean on each other?” Joanie joined them at the middle of what Carmen said. “If so, how about when I fell off a ladder and broke my arm? The guys were gone, like they always were in any major problem, so y’all had to help for six weeks. You gave Zoe her baths every night and fixed her hair for school every morning, Carmen. And you did the cooking and cleanup for me, Diana.”
“What would we do without each other?” Carmen tiptoed and hugged Diana. Joanie took a few steps forward and made it a three-way hug.
“We’re sisters, not by blood but by the heart,” Diana said. “You won’t ever be without us.”
Chapter Eleven
The whole idea of cooking over an open fire, eating by candlelight, and listening to rain hit the roof wasn’t so bad the first day. But after breakfast on the second day, Joanie was ready to make a meal on a real stove, ready for the sun to shine through the window, and ready to use the lamps for decoration again. She’d gone to her bedroom and pulled a quilt up over her as she tried to read by the dim light coming through