by Joy Fielding
“How are things going in Miami?”
“Still settling in. It’s dreadfully hot here. Gerry says it’s much better in the winter months, but I don’t know…We’re heading to Chicago next week for a competition, so that should be a nice break from everything.”
You should only break a leg, Paige thought.
“Anyway, I’ll get going and let you rest. How are the kids?” she asked, an obvious afterthought.
“They’re doing great. Paige and her mother have been looking after them—”
“Yes, well, you know I would be there if I could,” Jennifer interrupted. “It’s just that, well, the timing couldn’t be worse.”
As if there were a good time to get shot, Paige thought.
“Things are so hectic, what with the honeymoon and the move and preparing our routine for the competition…”
“I understand.”
“…plus you know how much I hate hospitals.”
As opposed to the rest of us, who love them, Paige thought.
“And once I knew you were out of danger…”
“It’s okay, Mom. Really.”
“Yes, well. I should go, let you rest. Wish me luck in Chicago.”
“Good luck,” Chloe obliged her by saying. “Oh, and Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Maybe when I’m better, the kids and I could come see you dance.”
There was a moment’s silence.
“That would be very nice,” her mother said.
Another silence.
“Okay, well,” Chloe said. “Thanks for calling.”
“Take care.”
“Wow,” Paige said as Chloe handed her the phone to hang up. “That was pretty generous of you.”
“I’m not under any delusions here,” Chloe said. “I know she’s not going to change. But, what the hell? Life’s too short. Gotta watch your mother dance when you get the chance.”
Paige laughed. “How’d you turn out so great?”
“It’s a miracle,” Chloe said.
“You’re the miracle.”
Chloe smiled. “Yes, well, enough about Miracle Woman. I want to hear about you. Are you all excited about your new job?”
“So excited,” Paige said, thinking ahead to next week. “And a little nervous. It’s been a while.”
“Don’t be nervous. You’ll be great. They’re lucky to have you. And speaking of being lucky to have you, anything happening with you and Sam?”
Paige smiled. “I took your advice.”
“You called him?”
“I called him.”
“And?”
“We’re going out this weekend.”
Chloe smiled. “That’s so great.”
“Well, it’s early days. We’ll see how it goes.”
“Knock, knock. Can we come in?” Joan Hamilton poked her head in the doorway. “I have some people here who are most anxious to see you.”
“Mommy!” Josh and Sasha shouted together, racing for their mother’s bed.
“Careful. No running,” Joan cautioned. “No jumping on the bed.”
“Oh, my sweet angels,” Chloe cried, as they clambered into her arms.
“Careful,” Paige and her mother urged, their voices overlapping.
“The doctor said they could visit for a few minutes,” Joan explained, “providing they’re very gentle with Mommy.”
“Are we gentle, Mommy?” Sasha asked. “Are you okay?”
“I am now that you’re here.”
“When are you coming home?” Josh said.
“Soon, I hope.”
“Paige and Nana Joan are taking good care of us till you get better,” Sasha told her mother.
“I’m so glad.”
“Why isn’t Daddy taking care of us?” Josh asked, hazel eyes narrowing.
“We weren’t sure how much to tell them,” Paige whispered under her breath.
Chloe nodded. “I think this is a job for Miracle Woman,” she said. “If you could give us a minute.”
“You’re sure you’re up for this?” Paige asked.
“I’m sure.”
“We’ll be in the hall,” Joan said.
“Your daddy did a bad thing,” Chloe began as the door closed after them.
Paige leaned against the wall as her mother began pacing back and forth in front of her. “Problem?” Paige asked.
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? Please tell me you’re feeling all right.”
“I’m fine, darling. It’s Bev. She called earlier…”
“And?”
“Have you spoken to Heather lately?”
“Not since the day Chloe was shot. Why?”
“Neither have Ted or Bev,” Joan said.
“Well, they kicked her out of the house, so they shouldn’t be all that surprised. Heather’s pretty famous for holding a grudge.”
“I suppose.”
“And remember, she told me she was thinking of taking a trip, maybe going to Europe.”
“I told Bev that, but she can’t imagine Heather just taking off without letting her know, no matter how angry she was. She doesn’t think Heather even has a passport.”
“Well, there’s a lot about Heather her mother probably doesn’t know. I wouldn’t worry too much.”
“I told her that, too. But then she said that Ted called the bank this morning and found out that Heather hasn’t touched any of the money he transferred into her account. Bev said if they don’t hear something by the end of the week, they’re going to call the police.”
Paige shrugged. “She probably just met some guy. She’ll turn up when she’s good and ready. Oh…”
“What?”
“I just had a thought. No, it’s too crazy.”
“What?”
“Well, remember that guy, Mr. Right Now, the man I was supposed to go out with the night Chloe was shot…?”
“The one who’s disappeared off the face of the earth?” her mother asked.
Paige nodded. She’d tried both calling and texting him to apologize, but the number he’d given her was no longer in service and his profile had been removed from all his dating sites. “I’d left my phone charging on the counter,” Paige continued, thinking out loud. “When we got home, I saw that he’d texted me to say he’d be waiting. Maybe Heather read the message and decided to go meet him herself.”
“You’re thinking she ran off with your Mr. Right Now?”
“I wouldn’t put it past her.”
“Me neither,” Joan agreed. “I’ll tell Bev and Ted. Who knows? If she doesn’t call them soon, it might be worth mentioning to the police.”
Josh pulled open the door to Chloe’s room. “Mommy says you can come back inside now.”
Joan took a step forward.
“Mom? Wait.” Paige took a deep breath. “I was thinking that maybe we should invite Harry over for dinner one of these nights.”
“Really?”
Paige slipped her hand through her mother’s arm. Harry had put the spark back into her mother’s eyes. Chloe’s words echoed in her ear. “Life’s too short. Gotta watch your mother dance when you get the chance.” “Really,” she said.
“I’m sure Harry would be delighted.”
“Then it’s settled.”
“Thank you, darling. This means a lot to me.”
“You mean a lot to me,” Paige told her. “And just in case I don’t say it enough…I hope you know how much I love you.”
Joan leaned over to kiss her daughter’s cheek. “I know, darling. I love you, too.”
TO WARREN, WITH LOVE ALWAYS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This is probably the hardest part of writing my books: trying
to remember—and properly thank—all the people who have helped shape my efforts and supported me through periods of doubt and general chaos. As always, I want to thank my family: my husband, Warren, of (gasp!) forty-five years; my beautiful daughters, Shannon and Annie; my son-in-law, Courtney; my two glorious grandchildren, Hayden and Skylar; and my sister, Renee. I love and appreciate you all.
As always, I have to acknowledge my stalwart first readers: Larry Mirkin, Beverley Slopen, and Robin Stone. Your advice has once again proven invaluable and I’m honestly not sure what I’d do without you.
Thank you to Tracy Fisher, my wise and beautiful agent at William Morris Endeavor, and to her assistant, Alyssa Eatherly. Thanks also to her previous assistant, Fiona Smith.
Heartfelt thanks to my editor at Ballantine, Anne Speyer, who is patient, tactful, and a real joy to work with. I knew from our past experience on The Bad Daughter that we’d make a good team, and I’m happy to say my instincts were correct.
I’d also like to acknowledge the team at Ballantine that has worked so hard on my behalf: Jennifer Hershey, Kim Hovey, Kara Welsh, Cindy Murray, Allison Schuster, Steve Messina, and Scott Biel. (It was Scott who designed the gorgeous cover.)
My gratitude to everyone at Doubleday, part of Penguin Random House Canada, for their constant support over these many years. In particular, I would like to thank Amy Black, Kaitlin Smith, Val Gow, Robin Thomas, Susan Burns, and Emma Ingram. Also a shout-out to Kristin Cochrane and (the now retired) Brad Martin for their unwavering loyalty over the years.
Thanks to my various publishers all over the world—I will dearly miss you, Georg—and to all the translators who do such a good job of interpreting my stories.
Thank you to Corinne Assayag, who is responsible for designing and running my website—joyfielding.com—and to Peter Baraian, whose name was misspelled in my last acknowledgments—so sorry!—for coming to my frequent rescue when I’m having a meltdown over problems with my computer.
Finally, thanks to Aurora and to Mary for making my life easier.
And, of course, my thanks to my readers. What can I say? You’re the best.
BY JOY FIELDING
All the Wrong Places
The Bad Daughter
She’s Not There
Someone Is Watching
Shadow Creek
Now You See Her
The Wild Zone
Still Life
Charley’s Web
Heartstopper
Mad River Road
Puppet
Lost
Whispers and Lies
Grand Avenue
The First Time
Missing Pieces
Don’t Cry Now
Tell Me No Secrets
See Jane Run
Good Intentions
The Deep End
Life Penalty
The Other Woman
Kiss Mommy Goodbye
Trance
The Transformation
The Best of Friends
Home Invasion—a special project designed to encourage adult literacy
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JOY FIELDING is the New York Times bestselling author of The Bad Daughter, She’s Not There, Someone Is Watching, Charley’s Web, Heartstopper, Mad River Road, See Jane Run, and other acclaimed novels. She divides her time between Toronto and Palm Beach, Florida.
joyfielding.com
Twitter: @joyfielding
Instagram: @fieldingjoy
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