Chapter 15: Plates

I picked up the folding tray with the paper plate on it.

"Hannah, don't carry that in," Lacey said quickly. "Leave it. You're being so sweet about this."

"I'm not being sweet."

I carried it to the dining room.

Everyone was standing behind their chairs, waiting for Mom to say grace.

Emmett's chair was already pushed back a foot.

He had begun to follow me to the kitchen, and he stopped when he saw me coming the other way.

I set the tray on the sideboard, paper plate and all.

Then I opened Mom's china cabinet, took down a blue plate from the stack, and carried it to the foot of the table.

"That's my seat, honey," Lacey said, from behind me.

"It was."

I put the blue plate in front of Lacey's card.

I picked up her card, read it, and set it on the sideboard next to the tray.

"Hannah," my mother said.

"Mom, I'd like to sit next to Emmett."

"There's a seat on the end. Lacey will move down."

"I know she will."

I pulled out the chair and sat.

It was a heavy oak chair, and it scraped.

For a moment nobody breathed, and then my aunt coughed into her hand.

Lacey stood there with her hands clasped in front of her sweater.

"Of course," she said, very brightly. "I don't mind. I'll sit by Chad."

She walked the length of the table with her chin up.

There was no seat by Chad.

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