"Not since her phone call four days ago?" Shane entered the conversation.

"No." Sam ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"Maybe she’s just really busy.." Shane shrugged as she ate a mouthful of baby-back ribs.

Sam wearily rubbed the back of her neck. "That’s what you said the last time.." She mumbled as she bit on a carrot stick.

"When will she arrive back in LA?" Alice asked as she waved her fork around in circles.

"Two days from now. She’s flying on her private plane from Heathrow to New York tomorrow. She’ll be staying in Manhattan with Peggy for a night then leave for LA first thing in the morning." Sam recounted what their childhood friend told her during their all too brief conversation a few days ago.

"Great. We’ll pick her up right?" Shane smiled as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

Sam nodded her head, a hint of a smile on her face. Her first true smile throughout their entire dinner.

——————————–

"Whoa.. slow down there honey!" Ken Kennard laughed as he watched his daughter eat across the dining table.

Tina merely looked at her dad and mumbled something incoherent as her mouth overflowed with food.

"What did you say?" Ken furrowed his eyebrows.

"I said," Tina started, when her mouth wasn’t as full. She gulped down half a glass of water before she continued. "I needed the strength for tomorrow." She lifted a large piece of roastbeef and some vegetables with her fork and stuffed it inside her mouth. She shrugged at her dad as she chewed greedily.

"Really?" Her dad smirked, amused by his daughter’s antics. "What’s happening tomorrow? Are you entering a competition or something?"

Tina shrugged."You could put it that way." She said as she swallowed.

Ken smiled as Tina got herself another huge spoonful of mashed potatoes and corn. "Care to share a little more info, honey?"

Tina shook her head. "Not now Daddy. Maybe after I graduate." Tina wiped the gravy on the side of her lips with the back of her hand.

Ken handed Tina a napkin as he looked sternly at his daughter. "Sorry." Tina smiled sheepishly as she took the napkin. The meal continued in relative silence as the two Kennards enjoyed the good food. When they lived in North Carolina, they always enjoyed big meals. But now in Los Angeles, where everything was on a tight budget in the Kennard household, it was a rare occurrence. They only indulged in big spreads when Ken was given some leftovers from the vineyard where he worked. As was the case right now.