"Of course. For forty-seven years I eat dinner with my husband. Alone is hard. "
"Then you and I will eat together. Im alone, too. "
"Are you staying?"
"What do you mean?"
"Mira thinks you need someone to take care of you and a place to hide out for a few days. Running a restaurant in trouble is not easy. She thinks youll be gone in a day or two. "
Angie could tell that Mira spoke for others in the family, and she wasnt surprised. Her sister didnt understand the kind of dreams that sent a girl in search of a different life . . . or the heartache that could turn her around and send her home again. The family had always worried that Angies ambit
ion was too sharp somehow, that it would cut her. "What do you think?"
Mama bit down on her lip, worried it in a gesture as familiar as the sound of the sea. "Papa says hes waited twenty years for you to take over his baby--his restaurant--and he doesnt want anyone to get in your way. "
Angie smiled. That sounded so much like Papa. For a second, she almost believed he was here with them, standing in the shadows of his beloved trees.
She sighed, wishing she could hear his voice again, but there was only the sound of the ocean, roaring up to the sand. She couldnt help thinking about last night and all the tears shed shed. "I dont know if Im strong enough yet to help you. "
"He loved to sit here and watch the ocean," Mama said, leaning against her. "We have to fix those stairs, Maria. Thats what he said first thing every summer. "
"Did you hear me? Last night . . . was hard. "
"We made a lot of changes every summer. This place never looked the same two years in a row. "
"I know, but--"
"It always started with the one thing. Just fixing the stairs. "
"Just the stairs, huh?" Angie said, finally smiling. "The longest journey begins with a single step and all that. "
"Some sayings are simply true. "
"But what if I dont know where to start?"
"You will. "
Mama put an arm around her. They sat that way a long time, leaning against each other, staring out to sea. Finally, Angie said, "How did you know I was here, by the way?"
"Mr. Peterson saw you drive through town. "
"And so it begins. " Angie smiled, remembering the web that connected the residents in this town. Once, at the homecoming dance, shed let Tommy Matucci put his hands on her butt; the news had reached Mama before the dance was over. As a girl, Angie had hated that small town feeling. Now, it felt good to know that people were looking out for her.
She heard a car drive up. She glanced back at the house. A forest green minivan pulled into the yard.
Mira got out of the car. She was wearing a faded pair of denim overalls and an old Metallica T-shirt. In her arms were a pile of account books. "No time like the present to get started," she said. "But you better read em fast--before Livvy realizes theyre gone. "
"You see?" Mama said, smiling at Angie. "Family will always show you where to begin. "
THREE
ADRIZZLY RAIN FELL ON THE BRICK COURTYARD OF Fircrest Academy, giving everything a shiny, lacquered appearance.
Standing beneath the flagpole, Lauren Ribido looked at her watch for at least the tenth time in as many minutes.
It was six-fifteen.
Her mother had promised to be here for the college fair by five-thirty.