Summer Island

“Ruby!”

Caroline rushed forward. Her hug almost knocked Ruby off her feet. As she held her sister; Ruby could feel how thin Caro had become, could feel the tremble in her sisters body.

At last, Caro drew back. Her mascara had run, ruining the impossible perfection of her face. “Im sorry,” she said, snapping her purse open, fishing for a lace handkerchief, which she found and dabbed at her eyes. Ruby could sense that Caroline was embarrassed by her uncharacteristic display of emotion. If old patterns ran true, Caro would pull back now, distance herself while she whittled her feelings down to an acceptable size.

Caroline closed her eyes for a moment. When she reopened them, she looked at Ruby with a kind of quiet desperation. Ruby recognized that look. Her sister was wondering why everything in life couldnt be easier; why they all couldnt simply love each other.

Silence fell between them, soft and cold as an early morning rain. In that quiet, Ruby heard the echo of a broken family; they were individual pieces, now separate, wanting a wholeness that had been shattered.

“So, how is Nora?” Ruby asked at last.

Caroline gave her a sharp look. “She still hates it when we call her Nora. ”

“Really? Id forgotten that. ”

“Ill bet you did. Anyway, she drove her car into a tree. Her leg is broken; her wrist is sprained. Shell be in a wheelchair for a few days. That makes it pretty tough to do the ordinary bits and pieces of life. Shell need help. ”

“I pity the poor nurse who takes that job. ”

Caroline looked at her. “Would you want to be cared for by a stranger?”

It took Ruby a minute to get her sisters drift. When did, she burst out laughing. “Youre delusional. ”

“This isnt funny. You saw the reporters out front. Theyre ready to tear Mom apart, and shes always been fragile. ”

“Yeah, in that pit-bull kind of way. ”

“Ruby,” Caroline said in her were-a-team-and-youre-not-playing-fair voice. “A stranger could sell her out to the tabloids. She needs someone she can trust. ”

“Then youd better do it. She cant trust me. ”

“I have kids. A husband. ”

A life. The implication was clear; and the truth of it stung. “Doesnt she have any friends?”

“It should be you, Ruby. ” Caroline looked disgusted. “Jesus. Youre going to be thirty in a few years. Moms fifty. When are you going to get to know her?”

“Who says Im ever going to?”

Caro moved closer. “Tell me you didnt think about it last night. ”

Ruby couldnt swallow. Her sister was so close. . . she smelled of expensive perfume, gardenias, maybe. “About what?”

“Losing her. ”

The words hit dangerously near their mark. Ruby stared down at the speckled linoleum floor. There was no doubt in her mind what she should do-go out those front doors and fly home. But it wasnt quite so easy this time, especially with the Cache article out there to write. A little time with Nora Bridge would certainly make the piece better. A lot better.

She took a deep breath, then turned to face her sister. One week,“ she said evenly. ”Ill stay with her for one week. "

Caroline pulled Ruby into a fierce hug. “I knew youd do the right thing. ”

Ruby felt like a fraud. She couldnt meet her sisters gaze. Weakly, she said, “A week with Nora. Youd better start a defense fund. ”

Caroline laughed. “Go tell her. Shes in six twelve west. Ill wait for you here. ”

“Coward. ” Ruby flashed her a nervous smile, then headed for the elevators. On the sixth floor, she began a room-to-room search until she found 612.

The door was ajar.