“If Damon and I weren’t going to Japan tomorrow,” Savvy’s father, Jesse Hergarter, was saying, “I’d fly down and drive her back myself. I don’t like the idea of her renting a car and coming back alone.”
“She’s an adult,” said Savvy’s aunt. “And very capable. If that’s what she wants to do, you’ll have to let her.” The woman looked apologetically at her sister, Brionney Hergarter.
Brionney shook her head. With her golden hair and blue eyes, Savvy’s mother was a striking woman that reminded Tyler a great deal of Savvy, though Savvy’s hair was longer and her waist significantly smaller. “She’ll listen to us if we tell her our concerns. Of course, she’s capable, but it’s just too far to drive with a stranger. This girl could be everything Savvy thinks she is–or it could be, well, a scam.”
Tanner, Savvy’s cousin, arose from a brown leather sofa opposite a fireplace. He rubbed the dark five o’clock shadow that covered the lower part of his face. “I wish I could go, but Heather’s too close to her due date. I can’t forget that our first child came two weeks early.”
“There’s nothing for it,” Brionney said. “I’ll go. I’ve been wanting to meet that guy she’s been dating anyway. I’ll just have to miss the boys’ concert.” This remark was met by affronted stares from her dark-headed twins. “Come on, boys,” their mother added. “It’s not like I haven’t heard you both banging on those drums all summer.”
Tyler was having a hard time focusing. Savvy was dating someone? She hadn’t mentioned it last month when he’d talked to her on the phone. Why hadn’t she said something? But he knew why, and it made him sad. This gulf between them was mostly of his making.
Savvy’s youngest sister, Rosalie, jumped up from the couch, her short, light brown hair curling outward from her face. “There’s no way Savvy’ll want any of you to come. She’s an adult, for crying out loud. You need to trust her opinion about this girl. And as for her boyfriend, if she decides he’s for real, she’ll bring him home!” Rolling her eyes, she stomped from the room in disgust.
“I’ll go.” Tyler was surprised to hear his own voice, sounding loud in the sudden silence.
Everyone turned in his direction. Brionney smiled a greeting and walked toward him across the carpet. “Hi, Tyler. It’s so nice to see you. I’ve missed having you around.” She gave him a warm hug.
Tyler felt the tips of his ears turning red. Good thing LaNae hadn’t cut his hair yet, so his ears were still hidden. Savvy’s mom had a way of making him feel self-conscious, not only because she was beautiful but because he felt as though she could see thoughts in his head that he himself was not yet aware of. This was a talent she shared with Savvy. “It’s nice to see you, too,” he said, pushing up his glasses.
“We appreciate the offer.” Jesse closed the gap between them and shook Tyler’s hand. “But we’ll work something out.”
“I want to.” Tyler surprised himself by how true his statement was.
Brionney hesitated. “What about your job?”
“Actually, I was thinking about heading down there anyway for work in the near future,” he said vaguely. “I could go early.”
“How long would you be there?”
“Just a few days.” A few days would give him enough time to put out some feelers, maybe write an article or two. That he could help Savvy was beside the point. “I’ve been thinking about checking out newspapers there. Maybe put in a resume or two.”
Camille gaped at him. “You’d leave Utah?”
He shrugged, glad Rosalie had left the room. She would have somehow wormed the whole truth from him. Like Savvy, he thought. Savvy would guess in a minute that he’d lost his job. He flexed his hands.
“Just let her know I’m coming,” he said. “Or ask her if it’s okay.”
“We’ll call her in a bit,” Brionney said. “She was making lunch. But I’m sure she’ll look forward to spending time with you.”
Tyler hoped so.
Jesse looked thoughtful. “Would you be flying down or driving?”
“I think I’d rather drive. I may stop off at a newspaper in Vegas.”
“Are you sure? To get to Berkeley, it’ll take ten hours or so–and that’s driving straight through.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Okay,” Brionney said with a smile, “but we’re paying for gas. Don’t give me any argument. Jesse?”
Nodding in agreement, Jesse pulled out his wallet and forced a few bills into Tyler’s unwilling hands.
“I’d go with you,” Camille said, “but I don’t want to leave right now.” Her secret smile told him clearly that she wanted to stay because of the guy she was dating. “What about your girlfriend. Will she mind?”
Tyler blinked in consternation. He’d completely forgotten about LaNae! What was wrong with him? He hated how wishy-washy his feelings seemed to be. Maybe his brother was right when he wondered aloud if Tyler would ever grow up.
I am an adult, he thought. I’ll show all of them. Still, he couldn’t help thinking how much easier his life would be if he wasn’t the youngest in his family. Aloud, he mumbled something about being sure it’d be okay with LaNae and was glad when Camille didn’t question him further.
After saying good-bye to the Hergarters, Tyler sat alone in his Jeep, studying the dissipating clouds through his windshield while debating whether to tell his family of his trip. Then again, there was really no choice. He couldn’t simply disappear for a few days. His mother would likely call the police and organize a neighborhood search party, complete with dogs and high-powered flashlights. No, better to come clean, though maybe he should leave out the part about submitting resumes. Having lost Mitch to exotic places for up to half the year, his mother wasn’t going to be happy contemplating losing Tyler as well.
Sighing loudly, Tyler turned on his engine, deciding to drive to his oldest sister’s house. Since his other siblings, Amanda and Mitch, were only a year apart in school and had been involved in many of the same activities, he and Kerrianne had spent a lot of time together by default. She was one of the kindest, wisest people he had ever known.
Of course, she was different now, since her husband, Adam, had died. Tyler had been on his mission when the news had come about Adam’s car accident, nearly four years ago. When he returned from Bolivia, Kerrianne was still mourning, and to him it seemed that she’d never quite been her old self again. She was distracted easily and no longer radiated contentment. He missed that contentment in her more than anything else.
But would she want to be her old self? Certainly, Adam’s death had affected her life in many ways, and she had grown because of the trials. Maybe it was okay not to return to normal after someone you loved died. What was normal anyway?
His Jeep traced the path to Kerrianne’s Pleasant Grove home as though it knew the way. She lived in the modest, two-story house with vaulted ceilings, a well-kept yard, and a porch with white railings that she and Adam had bought together. Tyler’s two nephews, Benjamin and Caleb, were playing outside in the driveway that had sunk slightly, which had caused the rain to gather in a huge puddle in the middle.
Six-year-old Benjamin came running to the curb. His brother, younger by two years, stumbled after him down the gentle slope of the front yard. Both boys resembled their mother, with narrow faces, blue eyes, and dark blond hair.
“Uncle Tyler, Uncle Tyler!” Benjamin shouted.
“Do me an airplane, Uncle Tyler!” Caleb pleaded as Tyler climbed from the Jeep. “An airplane. Please?”
“Me too, me too!”
Tyler grinned, squatting on the sidewalk that was already drying from the bright sun that had emerged overhead. After catching the boys in a warm embrace, he tucked an arm around each child’s stomach and stood, twirling them around. The boys giggled, extending their arms and flapping them like birds.
“Hey,” he teased, “airplanes don’t flap their wings.” That made the boys giggle and wave harder. He let them down on their bare feet on the concre
te and began tickling them.
“Stop! Stop!” little Caleb shouted after a few minutes of wild giggling.
Pulling the boys close, Tyler hugged them again.
“Hi, Mom.” Benjamin waved. Tyler looked over to where his sister had come onto the front porch to watch them.
“Uncle Tyler’s here,” Caleb added.
“I see that,” Kerrianne called. “Looks like the sun chased away the clouds.”
“That means we can play!” shouted Benjamin, heading again for the puddle. Laughing, Caleb ran after him.
Skirting the water, Tyler made his way up to the porch. “Where’s Misty?” Tyler asked Kerrianne.
“Next door, playing with her friend.”
Kerrianne watched the boys for a minute, smiling at their joyful splashing. “I have to get that fixed. The cement is starting to flake.”
“Aw, they love it so much.”
She smiled. “Exactly. Oh well, I guess I’m raising kids, not cement.” She laughed, and the laughter changed her thin face and somber blue eyes, making them come alive. She’d cut her long hair since the last time he’d seen her, and now the dark blonde locks layered around her face and curved gently at the back of her graceful neck. She looked well, though her face today was slightly wan and she was definitely too thin. As thin as LaNae, he thought, though he had never considered LaNae too thin before. Kerrianne wore baggy sweatpants and an oversized man’s T-shirt that must have belonged to Adam.
“What brings you here?” she asked. “I’m a mess. I’ve been cleaning.”
He sighed. “I’m not sure where to start.”
“Let’s go out on the deck and talk.” She glanced over at her children. “If you want lemonade, come around back in a few minutes.”
“Yay!” shouted the boys in unison.
Tyler followed Kerrianne through the small entryway, across the kitchen, and out to the back patio. “Have a seat,” she said. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
Tyler settled on one of the deck chairs, looking out over the yard. The grass needed trimming again, though he’d cut it at the first of the week. If he was longer than expected in California, he’d have to ask his dad to drop by. Though the yard wasn’t large, the fruit trees, garden area, flowerbeds, and the grass were too much for one person all the time. Adam’s life insurance and social security death benefits made it possible for Kerrianne to stay home with the children, but it wasn’t enough to waste on hiring someone to care for the yard. He and his family made sure they helped Kerrianne several times a month.
When his sister returned, she was carrying a glass pitcher of pink lemonade, two tall glass cups, and two small plastic ones. “I hate drinking lemonade from a plastic cup,” she said, setting everything down on the green wrought-iron table. She poured the lemonade. “Do you want raspberries?”
Tyler smiled to himself. Only Kerrianne would have raspberries on hand to put in lemonade. She had always been the epitome of the perfect hostess, homemaker, wife, and mother–until things had fallen apart with Adam’s death. Tyler guessed that in the face of such loss, raspberries didn’t mean much. Still, he was glad to see that some of her old self was shining through.
“I’d love some,” he said, sipping his lemonade.
She disappeared for less than a minute, returning with a bowl of fresh raspberries, chilled and slightly blended. For a moment, they sipped their raspberry lemonade in companionable silence. The sun shone down on them, feeling warm despite the light breeze that refused to leave them in peace. Tyler wondered what kind of weather they were having in California. Was it hot? Or were they having a summer storm?
Kerrianne eyed his shirt. “Did the boys get you dirty?”
“No.”
“I know that look–what happened?” She set her glass on the table.
“I’m going to California,” he said, glad he could tell her about that instead of his job. He quickly outlined the situation with Savvy.
“Hmmm.” Kerrianne’s eyes narrowed. “And you can just take off work like that?”
Tyler shrugged. “It’s not a problem.” He didn’t want to tell her about his job until he had some idea of what the future held for him.
“You’re not going to believe this, but for the past two days, I’ve been praying for an answer to a problem, and I think you’re it.”
He blinked. This was a vein of conversation he hadn’t expected. “What do you mean?”
“Well, Adam’s mother called a few weeks ago and wanted to know if there was any way I could take the kids down to visit her in Pleasant Hill for a few days–that’s thirty minutes west of Berkeley. It’s her birthday, and they’re her only grandchildren, but she hasn’t seen them for a year. Since the attack on the World Trade Center, she’s petrified of flying, and her health really isn’t good enough for her to drive all that way. I was thinking of taking the children, but I was worried about the expense of plane tickets. Driving would be less expensive, but going that far alone with three children didn’t sound very appealing.”
“You want to come with me?”
“Yeah, I think I do.”
“What about Misty and Benjamin? Don’t they have school?”
Kerrianne gave him a smile. “Not till the middle of next week. Besides, they can miss a few days if they need to.”
Tyler couldn’t think of any reason to refuse Kerrianne’s request. LaNae would certainly feel better about Kerrianne going–that is, if he could get her to talk to him. And Savvy? Well, she and Kerrianne enjoyed each other’s company, and the kids probably liked her better than they liked him. “Okay, but don’t worry about gas,” he said with a grin. “Savvy’s dad forced me to take some money. He has to leave for Japan tomorrow, and he’s really happy Savvy won’t be driving home alone.”
His two nephews picked that moment to come running around the side of the house. Spying the lemonade on the table, Benjamin called to his brother who was six paces behind him, “It’s time, it’s time!” They raced up the two steps of the deck and came to an abrupt halt before the table. Kerrianne passed them each a blue plastic cup, the kind with a straw. Tyler had always loved those cups as a child, and he grinned as the boys slurped up their lemonade.
Feeling better than he had all day, he pulled out his cell phone and tried to call LaNae. Surely they could work things out. She answered, but when he began to speak, she hung up on him.
So much for his good day.
Chapter Four
Savvy sat on a wooden bench beneath a huge palm tree in the backyard of her apartment building. Lexi stood a few feet away, nervously flipping a red, water-filled plastic ball in her hands. The ball was attached by a thick string to a ring she’d put on her finger, recalling to Savvy’s mind a yo-yo, though the plastic string didn’t roll up but stretched and rebounded unpredictably.
The scent of oranges perfumed the air, and wild birds chirped from the tall shade tree nearer the building. The grass was a deep green in the fading light, as were the vines that crept along the white-painted concrete wall lining the back property line. When she’d first moved to California, the palms and orange trees had been foreign to her, though now they were familiar, comforting. The vegetation was so different in Utah. In a few months, fall would arrive with her palette of colors, and the majestic mountains hovering overhead, a constant protective presence, would be preparing for their cold, white sleep. Not so in California, where the grass and bushes were green all year long.
A piercing longing caught Savvy’s breath, and for a moment, she yearned to be home with her family. If not for Lexi, she would have been with them now.
But she’s also family. Or was she? Didn’t the fact that Savvy’s birth father had given Savvy up mean there should be no lasting connection? Didn’t Savvy’s adoption mean never looking back?
Yet here was Lexi, and according to her, Savvy had a new brother as well.
“What’s his name?” Savvy asked.
Lexi glanced at her, blinking at the question. She looked di
fferent from that morning when she’d appeared on the doorstep–younger somehow, more fragile and lost. She’d bathed, washing the dark makeup from her face, and had traded her frayed shorts and tube top for oversized lounge pants and a snug top that showed a sliver of stomach whenever she reached to retrieve her ball. Savvy had to resist pulling the shirt down.
“Your brother,” Savvy prompted.
“Oh, him. His name’s Derek, like Dad, but we always called him Brenton. It was too confusing.”
“Does he live with you?”
Lexi threw the ball out to the side, snapping her hand sharply to pull it back. “He’s gone. I mean, he’s at college.”
“Must be dedicated if he’s studying during the summer. What’s his major?”
She shrugged. “I don’t see him much. He has a girlfriend.”
“Does he live close by you, then?”
No answer.
Savvy watched her toss the ball a few more times, almost wishing the plastic string would break. Couldn’t the girl just sit down and talk? They’d been out here nearly an hour without Savvy learning anything new.
A bird flew from the shade tree, winging overhead to land on a huge palm leaf where it was apparently intent on soaking up the light cast by the sun, now hanging low in the western sky. Following its movement to the palm, Savvy had an idea. “I like palms,” she said. “We don’t have any in Utah. When I first moved here it was so weird to see them. It’ll be strange not to have any around when I go home to visit.”
Lexi’s eyes flickered briefly toward the palm and then back to her ball. “I don’t like them much. They’re kind of ugly when the leaves are dying.”
Okay, so she’s not impressed, Savvy thought. That means she could have grown up with them.
Or not. Maybe she vacationed somewhere warm enough for palms.
“What about orange trees? I still have a hard time believing people can go outside and pick an orange whenever they want it.”
Lexi made a face. “Well, you’d get sick of oranges if you had to pick them up from the ground all the time.”
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