his beard. “You’ve given me too much already.”
“It’s all right, really,” said Bill, placing the little box in her hand. “Trust me.”
“Okay.” Lucy prepared herself to accept another lavish gift, promising herself that she would quietly return it for a refund when she got back from New York. What could it be? A diamond pendant to match the earrings? A gold bangle? What had he gone and done? She set the box in her lap and pulled the ends of the red satin bow. She took a deep breath and lifted the top, then pushed the cotton batting aside.
“Oh my goodness,” she said, discovering a bright red plastic watch wrapped in cellophane. “It’s got lobster hands.”
“That’s because it’s a lobster watch,” said Bill. “They gave them out at the hardware store. Do you like it?”
“Like it? I love it,” she said. “I think it makes quite a fashion statement.”
“And it tells time,” said Bill, pulling her close.
Lucy took a second look at the watch. “Was it really free?”
“Absolutely. Positively. Completely.”
“I’ll wear it the whole time I’m away,” said Lucy. “I’ll be counting the minutes until I get home.”
“That’s the idea,” said Bill, nuzzling her neck.
The wrapping paper underneath the tree crinkled and rustled as Libby rolled over. Instinctively, just as they had when they’d briefly shared their bedroom with the newest baby, they held their breaths, afraid she would wake up. They waited until she let out a big doggy sigh and her breathing became deep and regular, then they tiptoed out of the living room.
As they joined Sara and Zoe in the family room, where they were watching a “A Christmas Story,” Lucy resolved to enjoy the few remaining hours of Christmas. She’d have plenty of time on the plane to break the news to Elizabeth and to try to come up with a solution. A ten-thousand-dollar solution.
Chapter Two
THE ONE BEAUTY AID YOU CAN’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT!
“Mom, we have to turn back. I forgot something.”
Lucy and Elizabeth were driving through the prime-time darkness, approaching the on ramp to the interstate. They were running late because Elizabeth’s round of farewells had taken longer than expected. When she’d finally arrived home she decided the clothes she’d packed were all wrong for New York City. The result was a frantic rush to get organized at the last minute.
“What did you forget?” demanded Lucy, slamming on the brakes and pulling to the side of the road. “Your asthma medicine? Your contacts?”
“Water.”
Lucy couldn’t believe her ears. “Water?”
“Yeah. In the last issue of Jolie they said you should take it along whenever you fly. Flying is very dehydrating and you need to drink lots of water.” Elizabeth flipped down the visor and checked her reflection in the mirror. “Especially if you’re older, Mom.”
Lucy signaled and eased the Subaru back onto the road.
“We’re not going back for water. You can get some at the airport.” She turned onto the ramp.
Elizabeth’s eyebrows shot up and her voice became shrill. “But I bought a gigantic bottle of Evian. That’s what the models drink, you know. It cost a fortune, and those weasely little worms will drink it.”
“Please don’t refer to your sisters as worms.” Lucy checked her mirrors: not a headlight in sight. The road was clear and she accelerated, speeding down the empty highway as fast as she dared. “And why would they drink your water when there’s perfectly good tap water?”
“Just to spite me.”
“It would serve you right for wasting money like that. Our water comes from our own well, you know. It’s perfectly pure and good.”
“It’s not Evian.”
“It’s probably better.” Lucy sighed. “Besides, I’ve heard they won’t let you carry liquids onto the plane. There are all these new security rules, you know.”
“That’s ridiculous! Water’s harmless.”
“So are nail clippers and tweezers, but you can’t have them, either. And how are they supposed to know it’s really water? It could be some explosive or poison, cleverly disguised in a water bottle.”
Elizabeth yawned. “You’re getting paranoid.”
Lucy checked the speedometer and slowed to a speed ten miles above the legal limit.
“I’ll tell you what I’m paranoid about,” she said, lowering her voice. “I’ve heard they actually have machines that can see through your clothes. And sometimes they do strip searches.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Mom, nobody is going to strip search you.” Lucy was wondering what exactly she meant by that when Elizabeth chuckled. “But they probably will confiscate that lobster watch. They’ll call the fashion police.”
“Very funny,” said Lucy, flipping on the windshield wipers. “Do you believe it? It’s snowing. Again.”
When they arrived at the airport they discovered all flights were delayed due to the weather. The snow was accumulating fast, and the runways had to be plowed and the wings de-iced before any planes could take off.
“How long is this going to take?” fumed Elizabeth.
“As long as it takes,” said Lucy. “It’s never the thing you’re worried about, is it? I was worried about getting through security but that was a breeze. I never gave a thought to the weather.”
“How come they can send robots to Mars, but they can’t get our plane in the air?”
“Dunno,” said Lucy, propping her feet on her carry-on suitcase and opening her book. “There’s nothing we can do about it so we might as well relax.”
For once, Elizabeth was taking her advice. She was already slumped down in the seat beside Lucy, resting her head on her mother’s shoulder. Lucy decided it was as good a time as any to break the news about the increased tuition.
“Chamberlain sent a revised financial aid statement along with the tuition bill,” she said, getting straight to the point. “It came Christmas Eve.”
Elizabeth sat up straight. “What did it say?”
“That we have to pay sixteen thousand dollars for next semester.”
“That’s crazy!”
“You don’t have to tell me,” said Lucy, checking the flight status monitor hanging above them. Their flight was still delayed. “I’m going to call the financial aid office and beg for more help, but there’s a real possibility we can’t afford to send you back. They cut
