Free Sunset: 4 (Sunrise) by Karen Kingsbury Page A

a depth in her voice that hadn’t been there before. She moved closer to Ashley so they were facing each other. “Tough week at work.”
    Ashley wasn’t sure she could handle a story about sick kids. She absently began chopping another carrot, looking back at Brooke so her sister wouldn’t think she was rude.
    “What happened?” Kari was finished with the cauliflower. She placed the pieces in the pan and added a little water.
    “You might’ve seen it in the paper. Ethan Teeple passed away.” Her eyes grew damp. “Fought as hard as any four-year-old I’ve ever seen, but the cancer was too much for him.”
    A rush of nausea came at Ashley. “I . . . I didn’t know.”
    “Peter and I will attend his funeral tomorrow.”
    “That’s so sad.” Kari rested the pan on the counter.
    Brooke nodded slowly, and a sad smile hung on the corners of her lips. “He wanted to marry his nurse when he got older.”
    Silence settled between them for a few moments.
    Brooke drew a slow breath. “But there was good news too. At Sarah’s Door.”
    Ashley’s heart skipped a beat. With the auditions and the exhaustion she was feeling, she hadn’t heard news about their new crisis pregnancy center in more than a week. “Tell us.”
    “Two teenagers and a college girl made decisions this week not to abort. Three in one week!”
    Somehow hearing the report made Ashley feel stronger than she’d felt all weekend. Even now good was coming from Sarah’s death. So how could she allow herself to be so afraid of the future?
    The sisters marveled over the difference the center had made so far, and Brooke reminded them that their first client’s baby was due in April. They talked about Luke’s absence tonight and agreed to keep praying for his marriage. Ashley enjoyed thinking about something other than babies. She promised she’d spend time with Luke, find out how things were really going and whether the Baxters were doing enough to help.
    “Hey, there’s something else we need to talk about.” Kari added a splash of olive oil to the vegetables, set them on the stove, and turned on the gas flame beneath. “What about a wedding shower for Elaine?”
    It took Ashley a beat, but she liked the idea. “With people from church, you mean?”
    “No.” Kari covered the vegetables and faced her sisters. “Maybe just us girls at my house. Dress up a little, make her feel special.”
    “And welcome.” Brooke’s eyes shone. “I like it.”
    Ashley gave her sisters a thoughtful smile. “That’d be nice. Elaine’s wonderful.” She was no longer dreading her father’s June wedding, but no matter how much she liked Elaine, it was still bittersweet seeing him marry someone new. A shower would help all of them have their hearts in the right place.
    They had barely finished talking about the idea when Elaine breezed into the kitchen and glanced at her casserole. “Looks good.” She used the pot holders sitting beside the stove and removed the glass dish from the oven.
    “Here.” Brooke rushed to spread a towel out on the counter.
    As Elaine set the dish down, she smiled at Brooke and then at the others. “Smells wonderful in here.”
    “Tell that to the boys.” Ashley laughed. “Cole wanted pizza and ice cream.”
    Kari put her hands on her hips and grinned. “Mom would’ve told him there’s a time and a place for pizza, and it’s not Sunday din—” She seemed to realize who was in the room and cast a regretful look at Elaine. “I didn’t mean . . .”
    “Don’t apologize.” Elaine’s smile was warm and genuine. “Your mother was my friend.” She pulled Kari into a hug. As she drew back she kept her hands on Kari’s shoulders. “I want you to talk about her. It would be strange not to.”
    The three sisters seemed to release a collective sigh of relief. Ashley watched Elaine, the easy way she had about her and how she moved from Kari to Brooke, putting her hand on Brooke’s arm and asking how the girls were.