the time being, I suppose. He’s seeing someone, not that it’s any of my business.”
“Lily Raines Robinson, I swear you are blushing.” Violet leaned forward, intrigued. “What’s up with you and this guy?”
“Nothing.” Lily was annoyed. “We both want what’s best for the kids, that’s what’s up with us, but we don’t always agree on the way to approach this.”
“Since he’s the uncle—”
“Half uncle, if you want to get technical. A guy who barely knows them. Still, he’s the children’s only blood relative besides Dorothy, and according to social services, that trumps my claim to them. It’s so frustrating, Vi. Crystal wanted me to take care of them, but she never got around to discussing it with Derek. I’m sure she thought they had all the time in the world.”
“Wow. So are you going to try to get them placed with you?”
“Honestly, that was my knee-jerk reaction when this all came to light, but I backed off. The children need stability right now more than ever. If I initiated a legal action, it could disrupt their lives even worse. Even Crystal’s attorney said my chances of winning are slim to none, since the will isn’t valid and I’m not a blood relation. Still, sometimes it’s all I can do to keep from rushing in and taking over.”
“The guy might like it if you did. Ever think of that?”
“All the time,” Lily admitted, picturing Sean asleep on the sofa. More than I should.
“Wow. Rick and I have never even made wills.”
“You’re kidding. Vi, you’ve got two minor children. You really ought to put something in writing.”
She nodded, watching Megan and Ryan out the window. “Hey, Lily?”
“Yes?”
“When I do make a will, I’m appointing you guardian of the kids. Is that all right?”
“You really need to discuss this with Rick,” Lily said.
“He’ll go along with whatever I say. His parents are getting on in years and his sisters’ lives are too chaotic to take over raising kids. You’re the perfect choice, Lily. Please say you’ll agree.”
She reached across the table and touched her sister’s hand. “I’m honored.”
“Good.”
“You have to promise me I won’t ever have to serve.”
“Of course. I promise.”
Lily tried to remember if she’d made Crystal promise the same thing. She didn’t think she had, and deep down she knew it wouldn’t make any difference in the way she’d lived her life, anyway. Crystal was who she was—a woman who found herself in a car with her ex-husband on a stormy afternoon. A woman whose heart ruled her head, every time.
A while later, Rick arrived to pick up Violet and the kids. At the sound of his clanking Astro van pulling into the driveway, Violet’s face lit up. “He’s here,” she said, jumping up and running outside.
Lily stood and watched them from the window—a smiling man in an ill-fitting suit, embracing his exuberant, slightly overweight wife, while the kids swarmed around, welcoming him.
Lily wished she had a camera handy. In that moment, you couldn’t see that they were broke and living in a dump, that Rick was going to have to pick himself up, dust himself off and find a way to support them. In that moment, they made perfect sense, a complete world unto themselves.
Feeling intrusive, she went outside to say goodbye. After they were gone, she stood in the driveway. The days were getting longer, she thought. Ordinarily, she loved the springtime. The accelerated glide toward the end of the school year was filled with fresh energy as everyone prepared for summer. This year was different, of course. This year, Crystal was gone, the kids were in the care of Sean Maguire and she worried about them constantly.
Because of what had happened, her life was not her own. She’d had her summer all planned out. Now she had all these people in her life and things were no longer in her control. Never before had she changed her plans to accommodate other people.
She stood lost in her own living room. Had her house always been this quiet or did it just seem that way now? It had a curious sterility about it, too. Her sister described it as a freakish neatness. To fill the silence, she turned on the stereo. Bocelli singing “Mille Lune, Mille Onde” from a CD she’d bought to get her in the mood for Italy.
Now the silky tenor voice kept her company as she went to her desk and put away all her maps and guidebooks, her language tapes and itineraries. Then she called and