The offer of an escort sent the slightest hint of a smile to Tatum’s lips.  Despite Carol’s scoldings and the ominous topics of conversation, spending time with Thomas had been the bright spot of her evening.  In fact, a small part of her felt that the rest of the evening was worth it to have visited with who she felt was one of the last sane people in the town.<br/><br/>Before Tatum could formulate a positive response, Beth stepped forward to interject.  “We’d love one!” Then, without even waiting for an invitation, she looped her arm through Thomas’s, her smile as bright and sunny as ever.<br/><br/>Tatum huffed a little mixture between a sigh and a snort and took up her place next to Beth.  An annoyed expression flickered quickly across her face.  But not annoyance at Beth.  Annoyance at herself.  Annoyance at the little flash of jealousy that flared when her friend took up the spot next to the ex-electrician.<br/><br/>To cover her irritation, she fussed with her hair, pulling the hairpins free and tucking them away in her jeans pocket.  The chestnut-colored hair tumbled free from the bun.  She raked a hand through her hair and tousled it free, the long strands dancing in the chill night air.  Only then did she pull on her own woolen knit cap, tugging it down over her ears.  Her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her wool pea coat as the trio stepped out into the street to begin to make their way home.<br/><br/>It was strange how quickly people adjusted to not using vehicles to travel.  It wasn’t that long ago that walking down the middle of the street would have been asking to be hit by a car but now, it was simply an extension of the sidewalk.<br/><br/>“Do you think we’ll have enough food to last through the winter and early spring?”  Beth’s question pulled Tatum from her thoughts.  For once, the blonde was being serious and not just prattling on about things that no one really cared about.<br/><br/>The lawyer waited a beat, trying to choose her words carefully.  “The women have been working on canning and preserving food.  I suppose we’ll have to carefully ration things.  We’ll all be losing some weight, I imagine, unless the men manage to bring down moose regularly.”  A shadow of a smile appeared at her own pathetic attempt at humor.<br/><br/>Beth glanced at Thomas, tightening her hold on his arm.  Even she was not entirely immune to the strange undercurrent that seemed to be rippling through the community.  She may not have understood it completely but it was an icy feeling that ran down a person’s spine.  “Maybe Wullie is right to try to cancel the feast.  We should be saving our food.”<br/><br/>Beth’s statement caught Tatum by surprise.  It was the first time her friend had dared speak out against the larger community and agree with the small amounts of dissidence that flared on the edges.  Unsure of what to say, once more Tatum looked to Thomas for the right thing to say.