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But Ria knew that her sister would have shaved her daughter's head if it meant keeping her safe. So Ria had done what she needed to do.
"Well?" Megan asked, a need for approval in her uncertain gaze.
"You look gorgeous," she said with a reassuring smile. "Really beautiful. You'll take Eric's breath away."
Megan beamed at the compliment. "Do you think so?"
"I do." She suspected that the somewhat shy and awkward Eric would be speechless when he saw the stunning teenager in front of her. "This dress is a winner."
"It's a lot of money," Megan said. "Can we afford it?"
Ria hadn't checked the price tag yet, but she would find a way to make it work. "Absolutely. It's the prom. We'll make it work."
Megan ran over to her and threw her arms around her. "Thank you," she said, squeezing her tight.
"You're welcome."
As Megan stepped back, her gaze clung to Ria's. "I'm not just talking about the dress."
"I know." Moisture gathered in her eyes at the grateful look on her niece's face. "Why don't we celebrate finding the perfect dress with the perfect burger?"
"Sounds good. I'll change," Megan said, then returned to the dressing room.
Ten minutes later, Ria's wallet was a lot lighter, but it was worth it to see the light of happiness in Megan's face. Ria just wished her sister could have been here to see her daughter so excited about the upcoming dance. Unfortunately, she couldn't turn back time, no matter how much she wanted to.
They walked out of the store and down the street to Capone's Burgers, named after the famous outlaw who had ended up in Alcatraz, the island prison in the middle of the bay. Capone's appealed to both locals and tourists, who came to the restaurant not only for the great burgers but also to catch a glimpse of the prison memorabilia.
Ria and Megan slid into a booth and ordered their usual burger, fries and soda. While they waited for their food, Megan pulled out her phone and began to text.
The sight of Megan on her phone, being a typical teenager, made Ria both happy and afraid. In the first few months after they'd left the island, neither one of them had kept a phone or had a credit card or a bank account. But as time passed, Ria had used the false identification papers she'd purchased almost two years earlier to set up a life for them. They couldn't exist in the world without establishing records. Ria needed to work and pay taxes and have health insurance, and Megan needed to be registered at the school. Every time Ria signed a form, she felt apprehensive, but she simply couldn't avoid some links to technology; she just preferred to keep them as minimal as possible.
Megan looked up and frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said quickly.
"It's the phone, isn't it?"
"How many people have that number?"
"Only a few," Megan mumbled.
Ria was twenty-eight years old, and while she might not have been a teenager in a while, she did remember a time when she'd had dozens of contacts on her cell phone. "Just be careful."
"I'm always careful," Megan said, a hint of anger in her dark eyes. "But what's the point of being free, if I can't do anything?"
"It's not for forever."
"Don't you ever get tired of pretending?"
"I can't afford to get tired. And neither can you."
"It's been a long time. Do you really think anyone is still looking for me?"
"I hope not, but I don't know. So after the prom, you're going to lose that phone and get a new number."
Megan made a face at her. "Great. Eric will think I'm an idiot. Who loses their phone three times in six months?"
Ria gave her niece a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure as long as you give him your new number, he won't care. He's crazy about you."
"I like him, too." Megan cocked her head to the right and gave Ria a thoughtful look. "Have you ever been in love?"
The question took her by surprise. "I—I don't know," she mumbled.
"You don't know?" Megan asked doubtfully. "Wouldn't you know if you had been in love?"
Her mind flashed to Drew. But that was silly. She'd known him for less than twenty-four hours. Love didn't happen that fast. Did it?
