have come sooner�wouldn't he have?
But Hope didn't know how long he had been there. She had tried to stay awake, had tried to do what her mother did when she was feeling lonely or down, which was work. But she could only recheck her homework so many times, and the book she was reading hadn't held her thoughts. So she had fallen asleep.
She hated the thought that her mother might have died while she slept.
If that had happened, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.
She was debating waking her father when his eyeballs began darting around behind his lids. Seconds later, his whole body tensed and he jerked awake. He stared at the ceiling, sat quickly up, pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. He was in the process of pushing them into his hair when he spotted her.
He sounded shaky. "You should have woken me up."
"I figured that if you could sleep, Mom's okay, " she said, holding her breath, watching him for the slightest sign of denial.
"She's okay, " he said. "She needs to do a lot of mending, but she's okay."
"Did you talk with her? " "No. She was sleeping. But I think she knew I was there."
"She isn't dead? " "She isn't dead."
"You're sure? " He seemed about to speak, then stopped, and her heart stopped right along with it. She drew herself straighter and didn't look away. She was thirteen. If her mother was dead, she wanted to know. She could handle the truth.
Something crossed his face then, and she knew she had made her I. E point. His voice was different, more reassuring. "No, Hope, she isn't dead. I would never lie to you about that. Deal? " She nodded, breathing again. "When can we go? " "Later this morning." He looked at the cat. "So this is the thing that showed up at the front door one day all bitten and bruised? " Hope fingered the tabby's ear. "The bites healed."
"Gwendolyn, is it? " "Guinevere. Did you learn anything about Mom's accident? Sam said she didn't know how anyone could survive driving off a cliff."
"Your mother didn't drive off the cliff. She was hit by someone else, and she did survive, so Sam was wrong."
"Is her leg in a cast? " "Uh-huh."
"Will it heal? " "Sure. Broken legs always heal." Hope hated to contradict him, but she knew better than he did on this.
"Not always. Things can go wrong. There can be permanent damage.
That'd be awful for Mom. She'd have trouble with the hills." Those hills meant the world to Rachel. She loved hiking them with Hope and Samantha. Hope had one favorite spot. Samantha had another. But Rachel? Rachel had dozens. Like the eucalyptus grove. Rachel said that a person didn't have to be sick to be healed by the smell of eucalyptus.
Hope couldn't count the number of hours she had sat in that grove with her mother, smelling that smell, listening to the distant bleat of Duncan's sheep, thinking about things that needed healing. Hope usually thought about Guinevere. And about Jack. She wondered if Rachel did.
"Your mom's leg will heal, " Jack said now. "Trust me on that." Hope wanted to but wasn't sure she could. He had missed every one of her birthdays for the last eight years, and only six of those had come after the divorce. He had promised he would be there those first two times, then had been out of town, away, somewhere else. It didn't matter that he called and apologized and celebrated with her later He had broken a promise.
Samantha said he cared more about buildings than kids. Samantha said that Rachel was ten times more trustworthy than Jack.
Only, Rachel wasn't there.
"This comes from the doctor, " Jack insisted. "Her leg will heal. " Hope lowered her head, smoothed Guinevere's ruff, and was starting to silently repeat the words in a precious mantra when Samantha's voice came from the door.
"WHEN DID YOU get here? " she asked Jack.
He looked up and, for a minute, muddled by fatigue and nerves, thought he saw Rachel. It was partly the hair�blond but no longer as fine as Hope's, now as wavy and textured as Rachel's when they had
But Hope didn't know how long he had been there. She had tried to stay awake, had tried to do what her mother did when she was feeling lonely or down, which was work. But she could only recheck her homework so many times, and the book she was reading hadn't held her thoughts. So she had fallen asleep.
She hated the thought that her mother might have died while she slept.
If that had happened, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.
She was debating waking her father when his eyeballs began darting around behind his lids. Seconds later, his whole body tensed and he jerked awake. He stared at the ceiling, sat quickly up, pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. He was in the process of pushing them into his hair when he spotted her.
He sounded shaky. "You should have woken me up."
"I figured that if you could sleep, Mom's okay, " she said, holding her breath, watching him for the slightest sign of denial.
"She's okay, " he said. "She needs to do a lot of mending, but she's okay."
"Did you talk with her? " "No. She was sleeping. But I think she knew I was there."
"She isn't dead? " "She isn't dead."
"You're sure? " He seemed about to speak, then stopped, and her heart stopped right along with it. She drew herself straighter and didn't look away. She was thirteen. If her mother was dead, she wanted to know. She could handle the truth.
Something crossed his face then, and she knew she had made her I. E point. His voice was different, more reassuring. "No, Hope, she isn't dead. I would never lie to you about that. Deal? " She nodded, breathing again. "When can we go? " "Later this morning." He looked at the cat. "So this is the thing that showed up at the front door one day all bitten and bruised? " Hope fingered the tabby's ear. "The bites healed."
"Gwendolyn, is it? " "Guinevere. Did you learn anything about Mom's accident? Sam said she didn't know how anyone could survive driving off a cliff."
"Your mother didn't drive off the cliff. She was hit by someone else, and she did survive, so Sam was wrong."
"Is her leg in a cast? " "Uh-huh."
"Will it heal? " "Sure. Broken legs always heal." Hope hated to contradict him, but she knew better than he did on this.
"Not always. Things can go wrong. There can be permanent damage.
That'd be awful for Mom. She'd have trouble with the hills." Those hills meant the world to Rachel. She loved hiking them with Hope and Samantha. Hope had one favorite spot. Samantha had another. But Rachel? Rachel had dozens. Like the eucalyptus grove. Rachel said that a person didn't have to be sick to be healed by the smell of eucalyptus.
Hope couldn't count the number of hours she had sat in that grove with her mother, smelling that smell, listening to the distant bleat of Duncan's sheep, thinking about things that needed healing. Hope usually thought about Guinevere. And about Jack. She wondered if Rachel did.
"Your mom's leg will heal, " Jack said now. "Trust me on that." Hope wanted to but wasn't sure she could. He had missed every one of her birthdays for the last eight years, and only six of those had come after the divorce. He had promised he would be there those first two times, then had been out of town, away, somewhere else. It didn't matter that he called and apologized and celebrated with her later He had broken a promise.
Samantha said he cared more about buildings than kids. Samantha said that Rachel was ten times more trustworthy than Jack.
Only, Rachel wasn't there.
"This comes from the doctor, " Jack insisted. "Her leg will heal. " Hope lowered her head, smoothed Guinevere's ruff, and was starting to silently repeat the words in a precious mantra when Samantha's voice came from the door.
"WHEN DID YOU get here? " she asked Jack.
He looked up and, for a minute, muddled by fatigue and nerves, thought he saw Rachel. It was partly the hair�blond but no longer as fine as Hope's, now as wavy and textured as Rachel's when they had
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