Savannah would do enough worrying for both of them.
“Don’t try to tell me he’s only here for research,” Ernestine called out as Savannah climbed the stairs. “I saw him kissing you.”
“I’m not trying to tell you anything, Mother,” Savannah said quietly over her shoulder. “Good night.”
Ernestine was still muttering when Savannah reached the top of the stairs and turned down the hallway toward her son’s room.
MICHAEL SAT cross-legged in the middle of his bed, gazing reverently at the paperback novel in his hands. His twin sat beside him, looking at the book as if expecting it to sprout wings and fly around the room.
Honestly, Savannah thought, taking in the scene, who would have imagined her children would be so starstruck?
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us you know Christopher Pace,” Miranda breathed, staring at her mother as though seeing her for the first time.
“I only spent a few hours with him and I wasn’t sure I’d ever see him again,” Savannah explained honestly. “I didn’t see any real need to mention it.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “You didn’t see the need to mention that you met the Christopher Pace?”
Savannah decided not to explain that she hadn’t known Kit was “the Christopher Pace” until Miranda had told her. She certainly didn’t want her very bright children to even suspect that she had come heartstoppingly close to having a vacation affair with a man whose last name she hadn’t even known.
“I—er—guess I didn’t quite realize how famous he is,” she said lamely, instead.
“Mom, he won an Academy Award for the screenplay of his last movie,” Miranda protested. “How could you not know that? Don’t you even read the newspapers?”
“When I have time. And then only the news section. Not the gossip,” Savannah answered evenly, though she was shaken by this new piece of information about the man who’d tracked her down because he claimed that he couldn’t stop thinking of her.
“But the Academy Awards are news, not gossip,” Miranda argued. “Gossip would be all those articles about the beautiful movie stars he’s always dating.”
Savannah didn’t quite flinch, but she felt her stomach drop. “Get ready for bed, Miranda,” she said, just a bit more sharply than she’d intended. “I need to talk to your brother.”
Dragging her feet every step of the way, Miranda left the room.
“I know what I did was wrong,” Michael said the minute Miranda closed the door behind her. “And I won’t ever do it again, I promise.”
Savannah knew full well that he had just said exactly what he thought she wanted to hear. Again, she was concerned by the lack of true penitence in his tone.
“What were you doing on Bishop Road when you were supposed to be at Nick’s house? And how did you get there?”
“We rode bikes. I borrowed Nick’s, and he rode his dad’s. His dad said it was okay if we rode around town for a while. He said we couldn’t have much fun just sitting in a tent, so we met Russell and Jeremy over at the Freemans’, and then we went down Bishop Road.”
“And whose bright idea was it to knock over mailboxes along the way?”
Michael shrugged. “I dunno. One of the guys did it and then everybody started doing it. It wasn’t any big deal, really. We didn’t tear them up or anything. All they have to do is put ‘em back in the holes.”
“Michael, vandalism is a very big deal. And so is interfering with the mail. That’s a federal offense! Didn’t you hear a thing Officer Henshaw said?”
“Nick’s dad said Henshaw was making a big fuss over nothing. He said that we were just being kids and having a little fun, and he didn’t see what was all that bad about it.”
Savannah was appalled. “Nick’s father said all of that in front of you?”
Michael nodded. “They called him to come get the bikes. He told Henshaw off pretty good.”
Savannah planted her fists on her hips.
“You will call him Officer Henshaw, is that clear? He is an officer of the law and you will speak to him and about him with respect. As far as Nick’s father is concerned, if he chooses to raise his boy
to be a criminal, that’s between him and the police department. But you will follow my rules when you are out of my sight. Have you got that straight?”
Michael shrugged.