Casting About by Terri Dulong Page B

sinking into a deep depression that had locals concerned.
    I walked into the kitchen to find Adam pouring himself a cup of coffee while Clarissa finished up her pancakes.
    â€œGood morning, beautiful,” he said, placing a kiss on my cheek.
    I smiled as I joined him at the counter. “Did you sleep well?”
    â€œYeah, I think I was tired from the trip.”
    Not to mention the subtle stress that seemed to be in the air since Clarissa’s arrival, I thought.
    â€œYou like pancakes, huh?” he asked Clarissa.
    â€œYeah, they’re okay.”
    â€œYou know, I was thinking,” Adam said, after taking a sip of coffee, “we should have a party.”
    â€œA party?” both Clarissa and I said at the same time.
    Adam laughed. “Well, maybe not exactly a party, but a gathering with family.”
    Good idea, I thought. “Sure. What have you got in mind?”
    â€œWe’ll have a barbecue tomorrow evening. Invite my mother, Aunt Dora, and Saren. And Grace, of course. Grace is Monica’s best friend,” he explained to Clarissa.
    â€œOh,” was her response.
    Sounded good to me, and maybe Clarissa would be more talkative with a few people around. “I’ll call them later and let them know. What are your plans for today?”
    He looked at Clarissa. “Anything special you’d like to do?”
    She paused for a moment and then said, “Could we take a boat ride out to Atsena Otie?”
    â€œSure, we can do that. They have trips out there from the City Marina, and we’ve never done that during your summer visits. Wanna come with us, Monica?”
    An odd sensation had come over me. “I think I’ll stay here,” I told him. “I need to call everyone about coming tomorrow night. You two go. Clarissa will enjoy that.”
    Adam finished off his coffee. “Okay, I’m hitting the shower. You get ready, Clarissa, and we’ll take off.”
    When he left the room, I looked across the counter at her. “Why’d you choose the boat ride to Atsena Otie?” I questioned.
    Her eyes shot up to meet mine. She seemed hesitant to say anything and then replied, “The lady told me,” before leaving the kitchen.
    Â 
    â€œSo how’s she settling in?” Dora questioned when I called her.
    â€œIt’s really hard to tell. She barely talks at all. She’s a very fussy eater. Chicken didn’t work last night. I heard her crying in her room about two this morning. I don’t know, Dora—I don’t know if she’ll be happy here with us.”
    â€œShe’s just a child. You have to give her a chance. This is quite an upheaval for her, and although Carrie Sue isn’t the best of mothers, she is her mother. She’s probably missing her. Has she mentioned her at all?”
    I’d heard that before—that no matter the environment or circumstances, a child was usually loyal to the parent they lived with. “No, not a word. She isn’t showing any signs of missing Carrie Sue.”
    â€œThey usually don’t. They hold it all inside. Has Adam considered counseling for her?”
    â€œNot yet, but it might not be a bad idea eventually.” I went on to tell Dora about our planned gathering for the following evening.
    â€œI’m looking forward to meeting her. I’ll be there.”
    My next call was to Opal and then Saren. Both also accepted the invitation. I glanced at the clock and saw it was after ten.
    Before heading into the shower, I walked into Clarissa’s bedroom to make sure she’d made her bed. I momentarily thought perhaps a hurricane had hit that part of the house and left the rest unscathed.
    Piles of clothes lay in heaps on the floor. The wet towel from her shower the night before was now balled up on the carpet in the bedroom. Crumbs from an empty potato chip bag were scattered across the bureau. How the hell could a kid demolish a room in less than