The Last House on Sycamore Street
Page 31
“Noah—freeze! Do not go near that parking lot!”
He stopped and sighed, but then he started jumping up and down as Grace and Ethan approached. Once they were within about twenty feet, Noah started up again and nearly tackled Ethan to the ground.
“Whoa, I guess someone is excited to see you, Ethan.”
Ethan giggled. “Guess what I have?”
“What?” said Noah.
He pulled some sort of foam contraption from Grace’s bag. “A stomp rocket.”
Noah’s eyes widened. “What’s that?”
“It’s a rocket you can send all the way to the sky.”
Noah beamed. “Can I try?”
“Yeah, come on, I’ll show you.”
The boys scampered off, and Amy reached in and hugged Grace. “It’s good to see you. How are you settling in?”
“Getting there. Lots of boxes.”
“I know what that’s like. Let me know if you need any help. A year ago, we were in the same position.”
When she thought about it, she got déjà vu. Almost exactly a year ago, she was sitting in this very park next to Grace, talking about how much unpacking she had to do. So much had changed since then.
“Do you like your place?”
She shrugged. “It’s fine. It’ll do for now. I mean, it’s an apartment. That’s definitely an adjustment. But it’s better than staying at my parents. We needed a fresh start.”
“You did the right thing. Plus, if you’re still there in the fall, isn’t your building in the same catchment as our elementary school?”
Grace smiled. “Yep, that was part of the reason I chose it.”
They walked toward a park bench and took a seat next to one another, breathing in the warm June air. It was a beautiful day—seventy-eight degrees and sunny, with almost no humidity, a perfect day for the park.
“How is Julian?” Amy asked.
Grace sighed. “Better, from what I hear. He’s been drug free for about six months now. Whatever program my parents paid for seems to be working.”
“That’s great.”
“It is. I’m really happy for him. I just hope he can stay the course. He seems committed.”
“Have you seen him yet?”
She nodded. “Yesterday. Ethan was over the moon. It made me realize how much he needs a dad. I think Julian saw that, too.”
“That’s good. It’ll keep him motivated.”
“Exactly. So what about you?” Grace said, changing the topic. She’d become more open about things, but she still didn’t like to linger for too long on the subject of Julian. “How are things?”
“Same old same, for the most part. Noah is excited to start camp next week. We’re planning a trip to Stone Harbor later in the summer.”
“Fun. Are you still doing stuff for Leroy Harris?”
“I’m officially working for him now, actually.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“You like it?”
“Love it.”
“That’s great! I’m so happy for you.”
Shortly after the Food Fight story broke, Leroy had called to apologize—not for going to the press (because on that front, he didn’t have anything to apologize for), but for putting Amy in the awkward position of being the go-between. Amy told him there was no need to apologize; she probably would have done the same thing in his position. He mentioned he’d been impressed with the work she’d done translating St. Luke’s mission for Food Fight’s fund-raiser and asked if she’d ever be interested in doing a little copywriting and editing work for him. She said sure, and what started as a few tasks evolved into a steady stream of work, and now she was in charge of their after-school education programs. The pay was average but consistent, and the work was meaningful. She finally felt as if she were a part of something again.
She and Grace leaned back against the bench and looked out toward the grassy field beside the playground, where the boys were stomping on an air bladder and sending the foam rocket soaring into the sky. They howled in delight.
“Look at them,” Grace said. “You’d never know they hadn’t seen each other in six months.”
It was true. Noah had developed a better relationship with Jake and many of the other kids in the class, much to Amy’s relief. But watching him and Ethan play together, it was clear their bond was something special. It was the kind that doesn’t come around all the time, the kind you hope you develop at least once in your life. She and Jess had a friendship like that. They could go months—years!—without seeing each other, and when they did, they picked up right where they’d left off.
“What they have is special,” Amy said.
“It really is.”
She looked at Amy and smiled, and something in her face—in her eyes, maybe, or in the curl of her lips—told Amy that maybe, just maybe, they would have a friendship like that someday, too.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Esi Sogah, Carly Sommerstein, Lulu Martinez, and the entire Kensington team. Thanks also to Scott Miller and the hardworking staff at Trident Media Group.
A big thank-you to my mom for being an early sounding board, and to Rog for the unfailing support. The publishing journey has been a long, crazy road, and you’ve been there every step of the way. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.
And to Alex and Charlie: thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself and for filling my life with such joy. I love you up to God’s roof and back.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
THE LAST HOUSE ON
SYCAMORE STREET
Paige Roberts
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included
to enhance your group’s reading of
Paige Roberts’s The Last House on Sycamore Street.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why do you think Amy feels so drawn to Grace?
2. How much of Amy’s perception of Noah is accurate, and how much is colored by her own experience?
3. Should Amy have told Grace about Ethan’s trust fund?
4. Why does Amy keep trying to help the Durants? Do you think she goes too far?
5. Do you think Amy should have called Tim? Do you think a call from her could have made a difference?
6. Amy tells her mother that Tim’s death wasn’t their fault; it was his. Do you agree? If addiction is a disease, how and when does blame come into play?
7. Early in the book, Ellen says Amy is judging Tim, but Amy says she isn’t. What do you think? How does she perceive Tim?
8. What role does 120 Sycamore play in the relationship between the Kravitzes and Durants?
9. How does Amy’s relationship with Ellen compare with her relationship with Noah?
Paige Roberts is a writer, journalist, and author of the forthcoming novel, Virtually Perfect. A graduate of Yale University and Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, she lives outside Philadelphia with her family and an ever-expanding collection of cookbooks.