Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

"Turning a new leaf, are you?"

"Yes, Mom," she said in a tired voice. "With Mr. Skeeter?"

"Can we sit down and talk like two adults. please?" Rhona pleaded.

"Two? Are you saying Mr. Skeeter or you ain't adult?"

"Mom?"

"I'll make some tea," Mrs. Westington relented. You can use the guest room at the end of the hall upstairs. It's clean. My girl cleans it once a week no matter if anyone uses it or not, so don't mess it up so it looks like that pig pen you're driving out there. Put on some decent clothing, clean yourselves up so you're both fit to be in the same room with decent people, come down to the living room and get you get down to brass tacks."

"Brass tacks?" Skeeter asked, smiling widely and looking at Rhona.

"Mom has a colorful way of speaking. We already brought our things to that room, seeing mine was messed up."

"Messed up? It's twice as neat as your best day in it."

"Okay, Main. Just come on," she told Skeeter, and headed for the stairs.

I had been climbing slowly so as to hear their conversation. I sped up behind Echo and continued toward her room with her to help her put away her new things. I could see she was quite stunned with her mother's unexpected appearance.

"That's my mother." she signed to me as soon as we entered her room and she had put her bags and boxes down on the bed.

"I know."

"She looks different," she told me.

"People change. You haven't seen her in a long time," I said. "Let's put your things away."

I began to hang up clothes for her and she began to put things in her dresser drawers. She was full of questions, of course. Her hands were moving too quickly for me to follow, so she began to write. "Is my mother staying here now?"

"I don't know."

"Who is that man? Is he my father?"

Again. I wrote. "I don't know. I don't think he's your father. however. I think she met him long after you were born. Echo."

"I don't like him." she wrote. and I laughed.

"I don't think your grandmother is particularly fond of him either."

She thought a moment and then wrote. "Why didn't Tyler say hello to us?"

"He was in a big rush. As I explained to you, something must have happened at their business," I told her. She thought about my answer and for the moment that seemed to suffice.

I was going to ask her about her nightmare last night and her coming to my bed, but on second thought. I decided she had been through enough turmoil already today. It could wait for a time when we had a quiet moment together. I told her I was going to put my new things away.

-When I entered my room. I found Rhona there, rifling through her closet, tossing garments onto the bed. She turned as soon as she realized I was standing there,

"These are my things," she said. "I'm not taking anything that belongs to you."

"I know."

She stared at me a moment and then turned to me completely, her hands on her hips. "Who are you anyway? How come you're living here?" she demanded.

I began to explain, describing how I arrived at the vineyard after Uncle Palaver's death. I told her who he had been and what we had done together.

"So that's why there's a motor home and a car back there. My mother just took you in?"