“I’m afraid not.”
“Because it’s too much work for you?” Alice looked anxious. “Is it our fault?”
“It has nothing to do with you. And this is all wonderful, as is the tidy house. I’m touched. Goodness, it looks delicious.” Liza reached out and picked up a cupcake. Were her girls really capable of this? She’d underestimated them. Or maybe it was simply that she’d never given them the chance. “But we do have some bad news about France. They called yesterday—they had a burst pipe and the downstairs is flooded.”
“Oh no!” Alice slumped onto the nearest chair. “But it’s our special time away as a family. We wanted to spoil you, and—can we find somewhere else? Caitlin and I can do a search.”
“That was our first instinct, but then we had a different idea.” Liza took Sean’s hand. “We have another plan, which I hope you’ll be excited about. It’s not France.”
“Not France?” Caitlin caught her sister’s eye. “But whatever you think would be fun, works for us, Mum. We want family time, that’s all.”
Family.
Liza smiled. “We can guarantee you family time of the very best type.”
23
KATHLEEN
BARSTOW~SANTA MONICA
Kathleen stood on the pier at Santa Monica and stared across the waves.
She’d crossed prairie and desert, seen the Grand Canyon and the bright lights of Las Vegas, and now she was here, at her final destination.
She felt Martha’s hand close over hers.
“We made it, Kathleen, and I didn’t drive into a lamppost.”
Kathleen said nothing, but clung to her hand. She couldn’t find the words to describe everything she was feeling.
Josh took her other hand and they led her closer to the beach. “That’s the Pacific Ocean, Kathleen.”
“Yes, I can see that. My eyes are the one part of me that still work.” The Pacific Ocean. Kathleen felt the sun on her face and the warmth of the breeze, but she couldn’t relax. All she could think about was Ruth. “She lives near here?”
“Not far.”
Kathleen turned back to the car. “Then let’s go. Let’s do this. I don’t want to wait any longer.” She saw Martha glance at Josh, as if they were calculating something. “What are you two plotting?”
“Nothing.”
She knew they weren’t telling her the truth, but she was too anxious about her meeting with Ruth to probe further.
What if it felt awkward? It had been almost sixty years since they last saw each other. They would have nothing in common except the past, and that wasn’t exactly a comfortable place to linger.
She slid back into the car that had been their home since they’d left Chicago. Kathleen had grown ridiculously fond of it, and also fond of Martha and Josh.
There was a new intimacy between them. Kathleen saw it in shared smiles, the brush of fingers, the promise in a look. She was thrilled for them, but their new closeness made her feel alone.
She’d always been an independent person. So why did she feel the need to lean on someone for this trip?
She made a supreme effort to pull herself together. If seeing Ruth ended up being an upsetting experience then Kathleen would simply make an excuse. She’d drink a cup of Earl Grey, say how nice it had been to see Ruth, and then she’d check into a hotel with a view of the ocean and pretend she was at home.
Having decided that, she wanted to get it over with. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?” She clutched the back of Martha’s seat, the other hand securing the hat she was wearing to protect herself from the California sunshine.
She’d agreed they should ride with the top down for this last section of the trip together.
It should have been relaxing, but how could she relax knowing that she was about to see Ruth after so many years?
“Yes.” Josh checked the navigation. “You need to make a left up ahead, Martha. And then pull over and wait.”
Wait for what?
“Turns no longer scare me, although I will never love a roundabout.” Martha glanced in the mirror. “Are you all right, Kathleen?”
“No.” Panic got the better of her. “I think this is a dreadful mistake. One should never revisit the past. Don’t make a left. Head straight down the coast.” She saw Martha glance at Josh.
“Kathleen—”
“If you’re about to reason with me then don’t waste your breath. I know what I want.”
Martha pulled over, swerving into a parking space in a manner so decisive that Kathleen was forced to shoot out a hand to steady herself.
“I thought your driving was vastly improved, but it seems I was premature in my assessment. I have no idea why you’re stopping. We should keep going, moving forward.”
Martha unclipped her seat belt and turned. “We’re visiting Ruth. She’s expecting us. But we’re going to wait here for a few minutes.”
“For what? You work for me, Martha. I decide on the itinerary.”
Martha reached between the seats and touched Kathleen’s knee. “This must be very scary—”
“Don’t soothe me, Martha. It’s patronizing.”
“I’m being a friend. Just as you’ve been a friend to me on this journey.”
Kathleen felt her eyes sting. Sand, of course. They’d spent too long near the beach. “Nonsense.”
“If it hadn’t been for you I wouldn’t have met Josh. I was so busy protecting myself I would have missed out on all the fun we’ve had.” Martha’s eyes twinkled. “Not to mention the best sex of my life.”
Josh cleared his throat and slid down in his seat. “Is this really—”
“Yes, it is.” Martha ignored his discomfort. “We’ve all done things that felt tough on this journey. I picked up a hitchhiker and deleted Steven’s number from my phone—”
“And about time,” Kathleen muttered.
“Josh went rafting—”
Josh pulled a face. “Not sure I want to relive that.”
Kathleen sighed. “Since when did this become a competition?”
“It’s not about competition. It’s about the support of friends. And you won’t be on your own today. We’ve got your back, Kathleen.”
She felt a strange pressure build in her chest. “You are nowhere near my back. You young people are so careless with language.”