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Everything in my body said yes. Her parents were self-involved and probably enjoyed bragging rights that their daughter was on a TV show. How had they not protected them? How had they allowed both girls to get caught up in the TV spotlight?
Every single one of those parents should have said no. The fact that they didn’t told me there was a culture of fame-seeking in that community. Alice felt ashamed to have wanted those things, but when everyone around you valued it, it would have been impossible to escape.
And as a result, Alice was adrift. Unsure of her life path. Doubting herself for whatever happened before.
“You ready for lunch?” I asked the girls when I approached.
“Yes!” Maggie exclaimed as she jumped to her feet.
“I should probably get back,” Alice started.
Determined to override her excuses, I said, “You rode with us. I’m sure you’re hungry. What are you in the mood for?”
“Pizza,” Maggie said.
“You’re always in the mood for pizza,” I said, wanting to include Alice.
“Pizza sounds good,” Alice said as we headed down the sidewalk in the direction of the restaurants and shops.
Maggie skipped a few steps ahead of us.
I leaned in. “You don’t have to give in to her, you know. I know how persuasive she can be.”
Alice’s lips twitched. “I don’t mind.”
I wanted to ask when she stopped letting herself be seen. When she started to hide behind everyone else. Because that’s what it seemed like she was doing—making herself small so no one else could see her. Instead, I asked, “What do you like on your pizza?”
Alice shrugged. “Anything is good, really.”
Determined to make her smile, I asked, “You like everything? So, if I got anchovies, you’d be cool with that?”
“No fishies on my pizza, Daddy,” Maggie said at the same time Alice shot me a look.
Alice shook her head. “That’s not fair, and you know it.”
My lips twitched. “Because no one likes anchovies, but you just said you like everything.”
“Yes.” Her voice was tight, as if she were irritated with me, but a smile played on her lips.
“If you always go with the flow, won’t you be unhappy?” I said, trying for a lighter approach.
Her lips settled into a straight line. “I don’t need the psychoanalysis. My sister has done it enough over the years. Trust me.”
I bumped shoulders with hers. “Maybe she’s on to something. She wants you to be happy, and she sees you hiding yourself away, refusing to shine your light.”
Alice gave me a look as I opened the door to the pizza place. “I don’t even know what that means.”
“I think you do,” I said as she ducked under my arm to follow Maggie inside.
Alice talked to the hostess, and I followed them to a booth near the back.
My interest in Alice’s motives, or lack thereof, hadn’t waned. It had only grown deeper. Why would someone who grew up in that world hide away in Telluride?
I slid into the booth next to Alice, my thigh touching her leg.
Alice tensed next to me.
I wasn’t sure why I sat next to Alice other than to throw her off. She liked to create these walls and boundaries between us, and I wanted to break them down. It was probably smart to keep some sense of professionalism between us, but I was too curious for my own good.
