As she spoke, she took hold of Harry Hall's arm, her eyes mischievously sparkling, saying:
"He'd rather not return to the Smith Family; I'm just not letting him have his way."
Harry Hall was amused by her, lifted his hand to gently poke her on the head, and said:
"Whatever you want to do, just go ahead and do it. No matter what, your husband's got your back. But, you still need to watch out for those two—dumb and wicked ones are the hardest to deal with."
"I got it, you really are naggy."
Helen Melendy rolled her eyes at him, then suddenly thought of something and said:
"Now that I've acknowledged them, we should find a time to pay them a proper visit soon, can't keep having them accommodate me."
She recalled her mother's gaze, always filled with flattery and expectation, and felt a twinge of heartache.
