a couple of days. I don’t know for sure.”
“You
do
know this Thursday is Thanksgiving.”
“I’ll try to be home by then.”
“Grandma Mary is expecting us for dinner.”
“Oh, God.”
“I’m not going to be the one who has to explain to her why you aren’t there.”
“I’ll be there. I’ll go, meet this girl, take the test, come home.”
“You really think it’s going to be that easy?”
Caroline shrugged. “Please try to understand, sweetheart. I’ve spent the last fifteen years regretting one decision. I don’t want to spend the next fifteen regretting another.”
Michelle sank down on the bed. A noise halfway between a sigh and a scoff escaped her throat.
“What?”
“I was just wondering if you’d be going to all this trouble if it had been me, and not Samantha, who’d disappeared that night.”
Caroline felt the words form a sword and pierce her heart. Instinctively, she reached for Michelle. “Oh, God. You can’t really think…”
Michelle jumped to her feet, resumed her pacing. “It doesn’t matter what I think, does it? You’ve proved that over and over. You proved it again tonight. My opinion doesn’t matter. It never has. I don’t know why I’m surprised. I should be used to it.” She turned and bolted from the room.
“Michelle!” Caroline raced after her daughter, following her down the hall and into her bedroom. She watched her pull an overnight bag out of her closet and toss it onto the green-and-white comforter on her bed. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Michelle walked to her dresser, opened the top drawer, and threw a handful of undergarments into the bag. “A couple of days, you said?”
“What are you talking about?”
“One sweater should be enough.” She threw a navy wool turtleneck into the bag. “The jeans I’m wearing will be fine. And I have that ski jacket Dad bought me in Aspen last year. It should be in the closet downstairs. Hopefully Calgary won’t be absolutely buried in snow.”
“Stop,” Caroline said, stilling her daughter’s hands before she could add more items to the bag. “You can’t come with me.”
“I can’t? Why not?”
“Because…”
“You don’t want me to come?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“You said it yourself. It’s a crazy idea.
I’m
crazy.”
“All the more reason for me to go with you.”
“No.”
“Don’t give me a hard time, Mother. ‘Whither thou goest,’ and all that crap.”
“Michelle…Micki…”
“Give it up, Mother. It’s not going to work this time. So what’s it going to be? Are we going to Calgary tomorrow or not?”
Caroline saw the determined set of her daughter’s jaw and the angry hurt in her eyes. She knew it was pointless to argue. “I’ll book the tickets,” she said.
“D id I tell you that Jerrod got us tickets for
Dance with the Devil
?” Rain said, casting her heavily blue-shadowed gaze around the table before bringing it to rest on Caroline.
“What’s that?” Caroline asked, sneaking a glance in the direction of her suite and then at her watch. She put down her fork and pushed away what was left of her lobster dinner, which was most of it. She’d been too nervous to eat. It was almost time to check on the kids.
“They were fine when I checked on them thirty minutes ago,” Hunter whispered under his breath, his lips barely moving. “They’re fine now. Finish your meal.”
“
Dance with the Devil
? It’s only the hottest show on Broadway,” Rain said, answering the question Caroline had already forgotten she’d asked. “It’s impossible to get tickets, especially on Thanksgiving weekend. But Superman here managed to do it.” She threw a proprietary arm across her husband’s shoulders, causing her breasts to all but leap out of her dress.
“So you’ll be spending Thanksgiving in New York,” Becky said. “Lucky you.”
Rain flashed her best veneer-enhanced smile. “What are
“You
do
know this Thursday is Thanksgiving.”
“I’ll try to be home by then.”
“Grandma Mary is expecting us for dinner.”
“Oh, God.”
“I’m not going to be the one who has to explain to her why you aren’t there.”
“I’ll be there. I’ll go, meet this girl, take the test, come home.”
“You really think it’s going to be that easy?”
Caroline shrugged. “Please try to understand, sweetheart. I’ve spent the last fifteen years regretting one decision. I don’t want to spend the next fifteen regretting another.”
Michelle sank down on the bed. A noise halfway between a sigh and a scoff escaped her throat.
“What?”
“I was just wondering if you’d be going to all this trouble if it had been me, and not Samantha, who’d disappeared that night.”
Caroline felt the words form a sword and pierce her heart. Instinctively, she reached for Michelle. “Oh, God. You can’t really think…”
Michelle jumped to her feet, resumed her pacing. “It doesn’t matter what I think, does it? You’ve proved that over and over. You proved it again tonight. My opinion doesn’t matter. It never has. I don’t know why I’m surprised. I should be used to it.” She turned and bolted from the room.
“Michelle!” Caroline raced after her daughter, following her down the hall and into her bedroom. She watched her pull an overnight bag out of her closet and toss it onto the green-and-white comforter on her bed. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Michelle walked to her dresser, opened the top drawer, and threw a handful of undergarments into the bag. “A couple of days, you said?”
“What are you talking about?”
“One sweater should be enough.” She threw a navy wool turtleneck into the bag. “The jeans I’m wearing will be fine. And I have that ski jacket Dad bought me in Aspen last year. It should be in the closet downstairs. Hopefully Calgary won’t be absolutely buried in snow.”
“Stop,” Caroline said, stilling her daughter’s hands before she could add more items to the bag. “You can’t come with me.”
“I can’t? Why not?”
“Because…”
“You don’t want me to come?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“You said it yourself. It’s a crazy idea.
I’m
crazy.”
“All the more reason for me to go with you.”
“No.”
“Don’t give me a hard time, Mother. ‘Whither thou goest,’ and all that crap.”
“Michelle…Micki…”
“Give it up, Mother. It’s not going to work this time. So what’s it going to be? Are we going to Calgary tomorrow or not?”
Caroline saw the determined set of her daughter’s jaw and the angry hurt in her eyes. She knew it was pointless to argue. “I’ll book the tickets,” she said.
“D id I tell you that Jerrod got us tickets for
Dance with the Devil
?” Rain said, casting her heavily blue-shadowed gaze around the table before bringing it to rest on Caroline.
“What’s that?” Caroline asked, sneaking a glance in the direction of her suite and then at her watch. She put down her fork and pushed away what was left of her lobster dinner, which was most of it. She’d been too nervous to eat. It was almost time to check on the kids.
“They were fine when I checked on them thirty minutes ago,” Hunter whispered under his breath, his lips barely moving. “They’re fine now. Finish your meal.”
“
Dance with the Devil
? It’s only the hottest show on Broadway,” Rain said, answering the question Caroline had already forgotten she’d asked. “It’s impossible to get tickets, especially on Thanksgiving weekend. But Superman here managed to do it.” She threw a proprietary arm across her husband’s shoulders, causing her breasts to all but leap out of her dress.
“So you’ll be spending Thanksgiving in New York,” Becky said. “Lucky you.”
Rain flashed her best veneer-enhanced smile. “What are
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