teens, when she was still just a toddler. A beam fell on him and quickly destroyed their little family and her mother’s ability to cope. The irony? He had chosen construction instead of mining because it seemed safer.
I was worried. These weren’t good memories. “You’ll be okay going back tomorrow? Complete with film crew and me?”
“Tonight.”
I wondered what I had missed. “Tonight? Once we settle into the inn in Uniontown there’s a crew meeting to go over what we’ll be doing.” Mick had explained what would happen. Everything we would do each day would be covered at a meeting the night before, from a briefing on the topic to transportation arrangements, our roles, logistics for each location, what shots we would cover and estimated wrap time.
“Yes, I know. I’ll be briefed after the meetings on whatever I need to know.”
I continued. “So I was told that tonight we’d be going over details for filming in Randolph Furnace tomorrow and maybe the next day, depending on weather and whatever else happens.”
“That’s Mick’s plan. But I’ve made my own. I want to go back without the crew first.”
I was sure Mick wasn’t going to like that. The point was to document Cecilia’s initial reactions on film. Not leftovers or replays. Mick was after the truth, or as much of it as anyone ever knows.
“I won’t go to the house,” she said, as if she knew what I was thinking. “I just want to drive around town a little, get a feel for what it’s like now.”
“Why?”
“So I don’t turn tail and run.”
“Isn’t this going to be one of the easier places we visit?”
“The first time you do anything it’s never easy. Like sex. Remember? Or the first week of a diet? Or how about that first baby you pushed out? You were in labor for what, ten years?”
“It only felt like ten years.”
“Come with me. We’ll steal a car.” She laughed at the noise I made. “Actually we’ll take Wendy’s rental. She won’t tell because she thinks I’ll fire her if she disagrees with me about anything.”
Wendy was the blonde pixie from the airport entourage. She was Cecilia’s assistant, hairdresser and makeup artist—which meant she did whatever Cecilia asked and then some. Of course there was also Hal, the big guy, who was a combination bodyguard and gofer, and he didn’t look easy to fool. Cecilia was insisting on as little security as was absolutely necessary. The crew and Donny would be performing publicity sleight of hand throughout the trip. She wanted to be one of the gang.
“Won’t Hal know what you’re up to?”
“He’d better. That’s what I pay him for. But I’ll tell Hal hands off. He answers to me, whether he likes what I’m doing or not. Donny’s the only one who might cause a problem. But he’ll probably be meeting with people. We’ll be able to sneak out.”
“Did you have any idea we would so quickly revert to our past? You plan escapades guaranteed to get us both in trouble, and I go along because I love you?”
“Even the worst childhoods have their high points.” She rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes for the rest of the flight. I leaned against her and made myself comfortable, too.
Cecilia
Robin didn’t look happy when she slipped downstairs to join me after everybody else had gone up to their rooms for the evening. She had planned to call home and check on her family before we made our getaway, but I wasn’t sure asking how the call had gone was a good idea. I wasn’t sure she would be honest with me anyway. Donny, annoying insightful man that he is, had asked if I was trying to pave the path to divorce for Robin and Kris, and ever since I’ve wondered.
Do I need my sister’s love and attention so much I don’t want to share her with her husband? Despite my spectacular Australian collapse I hope I’m psychologically healthier than that. Whatever I am, though, I am absolutely sure I don’t want Robin to be unhappy.
“You okay?” I hesitated a second, then added, “Family okay?”
“No one set the house on fire.” As we let ourselves out the front door and headed toward the parking area, she dragged a smile into place. “Though Kris might be happier burning it down and moving into a condo next door to his office.”
I had to laugh. The smile had been an effort, I could tell, but she was digging for humor. “How’s the nanny?”
“Lord, we can’t call her that. The kids would have a fit. She’s the housekeeper. I only talked to Nik. Pet had dinner with a friend, and Kris was off picking her up. Nik says nobody misses me, which means he does. Elena made chicken and rice for dinner, and she told him she made enough for tomorrow, too. I guess I forgot to tell her my son doesn’t like leftovers.”
“Poor, poor Nik.”
“Maybe Elena will train him for me.”
“Is she going to train Kris, too?”
“Not so far. Nik said he was late coming home from work.”
“His problem, right?”
“That kind of thinking’s going to take a while.”
“Will she quit if he keeps it up?”
“Won’t Kris have fun if she does?”
I noticed Robin was carrying her purse and a camera case, along with a windbreaker. “You’re not planning to take photos, are you?”
“Get used to it.”
“I thought we could just hang out, you know, and insult each other, like sisters do.”
“I can insult you and take photos, too. I’m good.” She hesitated. “Or at least I used to be.”
I didn’t want to tackle that. It made sense that Robin wouldn’t feel fully comfortable yet, and I didn’t want to make more of that than necessary.
A platinum moon was beaming at us just beyond a stand of trees. Not everywhere we stayed would be as lovely as this. But for the next few nights Mick had booked us into a historic brick inn on a farm just outside town. We had enough rooms for everybody, divided between two houses, and tonight we had eaten at a farm table scattered with miniature pumpkins, in front of a fire that smelled of apple wood.
Autumn colors might be fading, but the trees are still spectacular, even now when they’re well past their peak. A field of drooping sunflowers greeted us as we drove in. I am such a sucker for sunflowers. I’m coming back next year when they’re at their peak.
Wendy’s rental compact was parked at the end of a short row. She and Fiona had brought us dinner from a local Italian restaurant so I was betting her car smelled like garlic.
When I opened my door I found it also smelled like
