Home Again

“I-I-I—”

“Angel!” Madelaine said on a burst of laughter, rising to her feet.

Angel laughed uneasily and slapped Zach on the back. “Just a little parent humor.”

Zach deflated and coughed up a wan smile. “Oh.”

“You’ll have her home by midnight?” Angel said sharply.

Zach nodded and showed them his watch. “I will.”

“You have batteries in that? If not—” Angel started to take the Rolex watch off his wrist.

Madelaine grabbed Angel’s arm, squeezing so hard, he made a little sound. “Don’t worry, Zach,” she said, flashing Angel a pointed look. “We trust you.”

Angel turned to her, and there wasn’t one iota of trust on his face. His thick black eyebrows were drawn forbiddingly together and his lips were pressed into a thin line. When he opened his mouth to speak, she shook her head firmly.

His gaze cut to Zach, then back to Madelaine. “I’ll go get Lina,” he said.

Madelaine almost laughed out loud at the sullenness in his voice. “You do that.”

Angel snagged the bouquet of roses and strolled down the hallway toward Lina’s room. To his credit, he didn’t look back once.

Madelaine smiled at Zach. “He’s just learning how to be a father.”

Zach pulled uncomfortably at his collar. “He’s doing a good job.”

Silence fell between them after that. Madelaine surreptitiously studied the young man. He looked rail-thin and awkwardly tall in his rented navy-blue tuxedo, his sandy hair a fresh-cut path across his brow. His cheeks looked like they’d been scrubbed with low-grade sandpaper.

Before she could ask how school was going, she heard Lina’s door open and she glanced down the hallway in time to see her step from her bedroom.

Madelaine’s breath caught. Lina stood in the hall, facing her father. The strapless blue velvet clung to her body in waves that looked electric blue in some places and black in others. Her jet-black hair was pulled back from her forehead and held in place by a glittery silver headband that matched her shoes and handbag.

She looked so grown-up. Madelaine felt a rush of emotion—regret, fear, pride. She realized suddenly that her little girl would be a woman soon, and then she’d be gone, and the realization brought a needling sting of tears to her eyes.

She dashed the tears away and stared at Lina and Angel, watching breathlessly as Angel gave his daughter the dozen roses. Even from this distance, Madelaine could see the tears that sprang to Lina’s eyes.

Oh, God, Madelaine thought. She wanted to tuck this moment in her heart like a treasured photograph. When she was old and gray, she’d bring it out, stroke it, remembering…

Instinctively she turned to look for Francis.

But he wasn’t there.

Wiping the moisture from her eyes, she glanced up at the ceiling, trying to imagine the stars sparkling in the black heavens beyond. I hope you’re seeing this, Francis … her first dance….

Lina came around the corner and stood beside the fireplace.

Zach gasped at the sight of her. “Oh, my God.”

Lina paled. Her hands flew to her hair, smoothing it back. “Is something wrong?”

“You look great,” Zach said, grinning from ear to ear.

A smile swept across Lina’s face, lighting her eyes until they looked like blue flames dancing between her thick black lashes. Pink tinged her cheeks. “Thanks.”

Zach surged toward her, thrusting out a small plastic box. “It’s a wrist corsage. The florist said they were the best kind.”

“Jeez,” Lina sighed, staring down at the delicate white blossom. “It’s beautiful.” She slipped the elasticized band on her wrist and lifted it for them all to see.