Summer Chapter 9

In which Charity, adorned in a carefully altered hat and new dress, ventures with gentle trepidation to Nettleton on the Fourth of July, discovering the vibrant whirl of a holiday crowd through Harney’s companionable presence. The day unfolds with innocent pleasures—from gleaming shops and bustling streets to a quaint French café and a dazzling picture show—touched by a sudden, poignant reminder of darker realities glimpsed in the town’s corners.