own so much, and I just . . . I miss you a lot.”
My dad comes closer and takes my hand. “We miss you every single day,” he says. “Every day. Do you know that?”
I nod. Although I’m not sure yes is the most honest answer.
“Just because you’re here and we’re there, that doesn’t mean we ever stop thinking about you,” my mom says.
Sarah nods and looks away and wipes her eyes. And then she puts her hand on my knee. She looks me in the eye and smiles. “I don’t know about these guys, but I love you like crazy,” she says.
C arl and Tina moved to Pasadena a few years ago. They sold the place they had while we were in high school and downsized to a Craftsman-style house on a quiet street with lots of trees.
It’s almost eight by the time Gabby, Mark, and I get to their place. Mark ran late at the office. He seems to run late at the office a lot or works late into the night. I would have thought that being a dentist was kind of predictable. But he always has last-minute stuff come up.
We pull into the driveway and head into the house. Gabby doesn’t bother to knock. She goes right in.
Tina looks up from the kitchen and walks toward us with a big, bright smile and open arms.
She hugs Gabby and Mark and then turns to me. “Hannah Marie!” she says, enveloping me in a hug. She holds me tight and rocks me from side to side, like only a mother does.
“Hi, Tina,” I say to her. “I’ve missed you!”
She lets go of me and gives me a good look. “Me, too, sweetheart. Me, too. Go on in and say hello to Carl. He can’t wait to get a good look at you.”
I walk on, leaving Gabby and Mark with Tina. Carl is in the backyard, pulling a steak off the grill. That’s certainly a point for Los Angeles: you can grill twelve months out of the year.
“Do my eyes deceive me?” he asks as he’s putting the steak down on a plate and closing the grill. “Could it be the Hannah Martin in front of me?”
Carl is wearing a green polo shirt and khakis. He almost always looks as if he’s dressed for golf. I don’t know if he actually has ever golfed, but he’s got the look down pat.
“The one and only,” I say, putting my arms out to present myself. He gives me a hug. He’s a big man with a tight grip. I almost can’t breathe. For a moment, it makes me miss my dad.
I hand Carl the flowers I brought.
“Oh, why, thank you so much! I’ve always wanted . . . chrysanthemums?” he asks me. He knows he’s wrong.
“Lilies,” I say.
“I was close,” he says, and takes them out of my hand. “I don’t know anything about flowers. I just buy them when I’ve done something wrong.” I laugh.
He gestures for me to pick up the plate with the steak on it. I do, and we head inside.
We enter the house through the kitchen. Tina is pouring wine for Gabby and Mark. Carl steps right in.
“Tina, I bought you these lilies just now. You’re welcome,” he says, and winks at me.
“Wow, honey, so romantic,” she says. “It’s nice to know that you got them yourself. That you didn’t rudely take the flowers that Hannah brought us.”
“Yeah,” Carl says as he hugs Gabby. He shakes Mark’s hand and pats him on the back. “That’d be terrible.”
Gabby takes her purse off her shoulder and takes my bag from me. She puts them both down in the hallway. “You can take off your shoes, too,” Gabby says. “But just hide them.”
Igive her a confused look. Tina clears it up. “Barker,” she says.
“Barker?”
“Barker!” Carl yells, and down the steps and into the kitchen comes a massive Saint Bernard.
“Oh, my God!” I say. “Barker!”
Gabby starts laughing. Barker runs right to Mark, and Mark backs away.
“I forgot my allergy pills,” he says. “Sorry. I should hang back.”
“You’re allergic to dogs?” I ask.
He nods as Gabby gives me a look. I can’t tell what the look is, because in one swift motion, she’s down on the floor, rubbing Barker’s back. Barker is only
My dad comes closer and takes my hand. “We miss you every single day,” he says. “Every day. Do you know that?”
I nod. Although I’m not sure yes is the most honest answer.
“Just because you’re here and we’re there, that doesn’t mean we ever stop thinking about you,” my mom says.
Sarah nods and looks away and wipes her eyes. And then she puts her hand on my knee. She looks me in the eye and smiles. “I don’t know about these guys, but I love you like crazy,” she says.
C arl and Tina moved to Pasadena a few years ago. They sold the place they had while we were in high school and downsized to a Craftsman-style house on a quiet street with lots of trees.
It’s almost eight by the time Gabby, Mark, and I get to their place. Mark ran late at the office. He seems to run late at the office a lot or works late into the night. I would have thought that being a dentist was kind of predictable. But he always has last-minute stuff come up.
We pull into the driveway and head into the house. Gabby doesn’t bother to knock. She goes right in.
Tina looks up from the kitchen and walks toward us with a big, bright smile and open arms.
She hugs Gabby and Mark and then turns to me. “Hannah Marie!” she says, enveloping me in a hug. She holds me tight and rocks me from side to side, like only a mother does.
“Hi, Tina,” I say to her. “I’ve missed you!”
She lets go of me and gives me a good look. “Me, too, sweetheart. Me, too. Go on in and say hello to Carl. He can’t wait to get a good look at you.”
I walk on, leaving Gabby and Mark with Tina. Carl is in the backyard, pulling a steak off the grill. That’s certainly a point for Los Angeles: you can grill twelve months out of the year.
“Do my eyes deceive me?” he asks as he’s putting the steak down on a plate and closing the grill. “Could it be the Hannah Martin in front of me?”
Carl is wearing a green polo shirt and khakis. He almost always looks as if he’s dressed for golf. I don’t know if he actually has ever golfed, but he’s got the look down pat.
“The one and only,” I say, putting my arms out to present myself. He gives me a hug. He’s a big man with a tight grip. I almost can’t breathe. For a moment, it makes me miss my dad.
I hand Carl the flowers I brought.
“Oh, why, thank you so much! I’ve always wanted . . . chrysanthemums?” he asks me. He knows he’s wrong.
“Lilies,” I say.
“I was close,” he says, and takes them out of my hand. “I don’t know anything about flowers. I just buy them when I’ve done something wrong.” I laugh.
He gestures for me to pick up the plate with the steak on it. I do, and we head inside.
We enter the house through the kitchen. Tina is pouring wine for Gabby and Mark. Carl steps right in.
“Tina, I bought you these lilies just now. You’re welcome,” he says, and winks at me.
“Wow, honey, so romantic,” she says. “It’s nice to know that you got them yourself. That you didn’t rudely take the flowers that Hannah brought us.”
“Yeah,” Carl says as he hugs Gabby. He shakes Mark’s hand and pats him on the back. “That’d be terrible.”
Gabby takes her purse off her shoulder and takes my bag from me. She puts them both down in the hallway. “You can take off your shoes, too,” Gabby says. “But just hide them.”
Igive her a confused look. Tina clears it up. “Barker,” she says.
“Barker?”
“Barker!” Carl yells, and down the steps and into the kitchen comes a massive Saint Bernard.
“Oh, my God!” I say. “Barker!”
Gabby starts laughing. Barker runs right to Mark, and Mark backs away.
“I forgot my allergy pills,” he says. “Sorry. I should hang back.”
“You’re allergic to dogs?” I ask.
He nods as Gabby gives me a look. I can’t tell what the look is, because in one swift motion, she’s down on the floor, rubbing Barker’s back. Barker is only
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