silver and she wore a pair of trousers, which fit her perfectly, and a cream silk blouse. I'd never seen my grandma in a pair of shorts, even on the hottest day.
Her gaze focused on the door behind me.
"Where is he?" My sisters and I exchanged glances.
"He's..." I hesitated.
"Did you think my own son wouldn't call me? I've already heard the news. It's all over town. Where is he?"
"Grandma," Poppy said, "we're not sure it's Dad."
"Of course it is. Do you think I wouldn't remember my own son?"
Our cautious, rational grandmother had completely lost it. I took a deep breath. "You had to have heard about the doppelgangers?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with your father?" I recognized that stubborn look. It was the same one I'd get on my face occasionally.
"Maybe nothing, but we want to be sure it was him. Something seemed off when he visited me at Slim's."
"Off how?" Grandma sounded defensive.
"Why hasn't he contacted Mom?"
"Your mother is in Italy. He wants to talk to her face-to-face. Wouldn't you?"
She had a point. My memories of my dad had faded. And I didn't have the heart to extinguish that hopeful light in her eye. Evidently, neither did Poppy or Rose.
A key turned in the door, and a second later, Dad strode into the room. "Girls, I'm home!" he said cheerily.
A key chain with world's greatest dad on it dangled from his hand. I gasped. I remembered giving him one just like that for Father's Day when I was nine.
"Poppy," he said. "You've cut your hair." When my father left, Poppy still had hair down to her waist.
That stopped her in her tracks, but she recovered swiftly. "That long hair was a pain to take care of, Dad."
I could see that Poppy's resolve to keep Dad at arm's length until we were sure about his identity was fading fast. "Oh, Daddy, I'm so glad you're back," she cried, and rushed toward him. He embraced her in a rather stiff-looking hug.
As he hugged my sister, I studied his face carefully. He'd always been handsome, but age had added distinction to his good looks.
"And Rose," he said when Poppy finally let go of him, "I can't believe how you've grown. You're a woman now."
Rose shifted uncomfortably and mumbled a hello.
"Rafe, it's been so long," Grandma said.
"I know, Mama, and I'm sorry," he said. He embraced her, and I could see tears in Grandma's eyes.
"We have a lot of catching up to do," Dad said. "Do you mind if we go outside? Confined spaces make me nervous."
"Of course," Grandma Giordano said. "You poor thing. Locked up all that time." The two of them strode arm in arm out to the backyard.
I rolled my eyes. You could hardly call our spacious living room "confined."
After they were out of earshot, Rose said in a low voice, "What are we going to do?"
"There's nothing we can do, not as long as we don't know for sure who this guy is."
"What if he is Dad?"
"It's possible," I said.
"He had a key, Daisy," Poppy pointed out. "And it worked. He even had the same key chain as Dad. If it's not him, how do you explain that?"
I shrugged. "I don't know, but the timing is suspect."
"Not necessarily," Poppy replied. "Maybe there's a reason he hasn't shown up until now. Like, he didn't know what kind of reception he'd get. He has no way of knowing that Mom has been—"
"Pining for him? True, but I don't think we should say anything to her when she calls."
"What if he answers the phone?"
"We'll have to make sure that doesn't happen," Rose said. "Just until we can investigate him."
Poppy looked appalled. "Investigate our own father?"
"Investigate the man who might be our father," I said. "He could be a DoppelDad, remember? He said he doesn't recall how he was abducted, but I read his mind and found out that he does have memories of it. Why would he keep that knowledge from us?"
"Maybe to protect us," Poppy said.
"We can't just walk up to him and start asking questions," Rose said. "If he's a phony, he's not just going to confess to it."
"True," I replied. "But it's natural
Her gaze focused on the door behind me.
"Where is he?" My sisters and I exchanged glances.
"He's..." I hesitated.
"Did you think my own son wouldn't call me? I've already heard the news. It's all over town. Where is he?"
"Grandma," Poppy said, "we're not sure it's Dad."
"Of course it is. Do you think I wouldn't remember my own son?"
Our cautious, rational grandmother had completely lost it. I took a deep breath. "You had to have heard about the doppelgangers?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with your father?" I recognized that stubborn look. It was the same one I'd get on my face occasionally.
"Maybe nothing, but we want to be sure it was him. Something seemed off when he visited me at Slim's."
"Off how?" Grandma sounded defensive.
"Why hasn't he contacted Mom?"
"Your mother is in Italy. He wants to talk to her face-to-face. Wouldn't you?"
She had a point. My memories of my dad had faded. And I didn't have the heart to extinguish that hopeful light in her eye. Evidently, neither did Poppy or Rose.
A key turned in the door, and a second later, Dad strode into the room. "Girls, I'm home!" he said cheerily.
A key chain with world's greatest dad on it dangled from his hand. I gasped. I remembered giving him one just like that for Father's Day when I was nine.
"Poppy," he said. "You've cut your hair." When my father left, Poppy still had hair down to her waist.
That stopped her in her tracks, but she recovered swiftly. "That long hair was a pain to take care of, Dad."
I could see that Poppy's resolve to keep Dad at arm's length until we were sure about his identity was fading fast. "Oh, Daddy, I'm so glad you're back," she cried, and rushed toward him. He embraced her in a rather stiff-looking hug.
As he hugged my sister, I studied his face carefully. He'd always been handsome, but age had added distinction to his good looks.
"And Rose," he said when Poppy finally let go of him, "I can't believe how you've grown. You're a woman now."
Rose shifted uncomfortably and mumbled a hello.
"Rafe, it's been so long," Grandma said.
"I know, Mama, and I'm sorry," he said. He embraced her, and I could see tears in Grandma's eyes.
"We have a lot of catching up to do," Dad said. "Do you mind if we go outside? Confined spaces make me nervous."
"Of course," Grandma Giordano said. "You poor thing. Locked up all that time." The two of them strode arm in arm out to the backyard.
I rolled my eyes. You could hardly call our spacious living room "confined."
After they were out of earshot, Rose said in a low voice, "What are we going to do?"
"There's nothing we can do, not as long as we don't know for sure who this guy is."
"What if he is Dad?"
"It's possible," I said.
"He had a key, Daisy," Poppy pointed out. "And it worked. He even had the same key chain as Dad. If it's not him, how do you explain that?"
I shrugged. "I don't know, but the timing is suspect."
"Not necessarily," Poppy replied. "Maybe there's a reason he hasn't shown up until now. Like, he didn't know what kind of reception he'd get. He has no way of knowing that Mom has been—"
"Pining for him? True, but I don't think we should say anything to her when she calls."
"What if he answers the phone?"
"We'll have to make sure that doesn't happen," Rose said. "Just until we can investigate him."
Poppy looked appalled. "Investigate our own father?"
"Investigate the man who might be our father," I said. "He could be a DoppelDad, remember? He said he doesn't recall how he was abducted, but I read his mind and found out that he does have memories of it. Why would he keep that knowledge from us?"
"Maybe to protect us," Poppy said.
"We can't just walk up to him and start asking questions," Rose said. "If he's a phony, he's not just going to confess to it."
"True," I replied. "But it's natural
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