at each pass until it reached the tree, and he would just have to do the edges.”
From the twinkle in her eyes, Sam could see disaster written all over this story. “So what happened?”
“Somehow, the mower ran over the rope and cut it. By the time Chris came outside to check on it, it was halfway down the block and had mowed through six neighbors’ flower beds. He was grounded for a month.”
Sam laughed. “I’m guessing he wasn’t too popular with the neighbors, either.”
“Not so much.”
The Thai chicken pizza arrived. Dana told him a few more stories while they ate. It was obvious she’d adored her older brother when they were growing up. What could have gone so wrong with his father that Chris would completely abandon his life and his sister? Sam had never pried into Chris’s previous life, but he was starting to wish he had. If he’d been lucky enough to have a sister, he couldn’t imagine leaving her behind.
A familiar face appeared behind Dana’s shoulder. Marge Hansen, Ursula’s closest neighbor and best friend. She waved and came over to their table. “Hello, Sam.”
“Hi, Marge. Dana, this is Marge Hansen. Marge, you remember my roommate, Chris? This is his sister, Dana Allen.”
“Of course I remember Chris. The two of you thawed my pipes when we had that early cold snap winter before last. I’m glad to meet you, Dana.”
“You, too. Actually, I’m Dana Raynott.” Sam blinked. Did he hear correctly? Dana extended her hand and smiled at Marge. They chatted for a few minutes, fortunately not noticing that Sam had lapsed into stunned silence.
Marge turned back to Sam. “Goodbye, Sam. I’ll tell your auntie I saw you.”
Once Marge left, Dana turned back and helped herself to another slice of pizza. “She seems nice.”
“Your last name is Raynott?” Sam had to be sure.
“Yes.” She raised her eyebrows at his tone.
“R-A-Y-N-O-T-T?”
“Right.”
“But you’re Chris’s sister. His name is Allen.” He knew he sounded like a simpleton, but he couldn’t seem to grasp what was happening.
“Allen was Chris’s middle name. Apparently, he changed it legally somewhere along the way. I don’t know why.”
“So Chris was a Raynott, too?”
She laughed. “Yeah. Why is that so unbelievable?”
“It’s an unusual name.”
“I know. I’ve never met anyone else with the same name. Why? Do you know another Raynott?”
Sam shook his head. “No. Just caught me by surprise, I guess. So tell me the rest of the story about Chris’s football career.”
Dana laughed. “It was over in the fifth grade. The first day of practice, Chris played receiver. He caught the ball, but when he turned around this two-hundred-pound twelve-year-old caught him and...”
Sam nodded and smiled in all the right places, but his head was spinning. Raynott. There had to be a connection. But he’d known Chris for years and years. If anyone had asked him yesterday, he’d have said he would trust Chris with his life. And all that time, Chris had never let on that he was one of the dreaded Raynotts. It couldn’t be an accident.
Dana kept chatting away. Whatever the big secret was, he’d lay odds she wasn’t in on it. Her panic when he arrived in the middle of the night was no act, and she was perfectly straightforward when she introduced herself to Marge. No, Dana didn’t know. But once Chris got home, he was going to have some major explaining to do.
She trailed off as she finished the story. “Sam, is everything all right?”
“Huh? Oh, fine. Sorry. I was just thinking of something I need to check into.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“I don’t think so, but thank you.” He smiled. “So, are you ready to go?”
“Sure, I guess so.” She set the half-eaten slice of pizza back onto her plate. “We can get a to-go box for the rest.”
“Okay.” Sam signaled the waiter for the check. He knew he was being rude, rushing her out of there before she’d even had time to finish, but he needed to get home, where he could be alone and think.
Raynott, the name his mother used to curse, the name on the check she’d torn to shreds. Who were these Raynotts and what did they have to do with his mother? And with him?
DANA SLID A muffin tin into the hot oven. She’d picked up the pan, as well as the ingredients, yesterday on the way back from hiking. Blueberry muffins used to be Chris’s favorite breakfast, and she’d hoped to surprise him this morning, to put him in a good mood and get him talking. But Chris still wasn’t back from his fishing trip. Hopefully Sam would enjoy the muffins.
What was up with him? Last night, they’d been having a great time. He obviously loved his job, and she found it fascinating to listen to him talk about how he did it. It would be wonderful to have a job she could feel passionate about like that. He seemed to enjoy her stories about Chris growing up. But at the end of the evening, Sam had suddenly withdrawn into himself, and she had no idea why.
Not that it was really any of her business. She needed to remember she was in Alaska to get the answers she needed, not for a vacation. Her phone beeped and she found a text from Ginny. When r u coming home?
A problem with Mom? Dana bit her lip and typed a reply. Not sure. Still working.
OK. Will handle. Handle what? Dana found she really didn’t want to know. Whatever it was, either Ginny would take care of it or Dana would deal with it when she got home. She had enough on her plate here. Which reminded her—she needed to call the women’s shelter where she volunteered.
“Hi, Jane. It’s Dana. How are things there?”
“Not bad. We got in a new family with three kids in elementary school who could probably use your help.”
“Ooh, sorry. I was actually calling to let you know I’m out of town and won’t make it in for tutoring next week and possibly the week after.”
“That’s too bad, but I’m sure Melinda and I can muddle through. Good thing we don’t have any kids in high school right now because I’ve forgotten everything I ever knew about algebra.”
“Maybe you can sit in on my next lesson. I’ll let you know when I get home. Bye, Jane.” Dana smiled as she hung up the phone. She loved tutoring the kids at the shelter. So many of them thought they hated math, but really they were just struggling with some basic concept. A little individual attention did wonders for their confidence.
While she had her phone out, she checked her voice mail.
