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um. 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—”
