Charlie held out her hands. “Uncle Sean did my nails. And my hair.”
Lily nodded in approval. “I see.” Over Charlie’s head, she caught Sean’s eye, but he was acting busy as he organized the baby’s diaper bag. A bit of self-conscious color touched his cheeks.
Uncle Sean, it seemed, was developing an unexpected talent for doing hair. It had started with Charlie’s return to school. Lily never knew what the child would look like on any given morning. Over the past few weeks, she’d arrived in the classroom sporting any number of looks—B-52s, Princess Leia, Pippi Longstocking and Alicia Keys were favorites.
“We should get going,” Sean said.
Cameron was the last to join them, sliding into the car just as Sean was about to lose his patience.
“Hey,” Charlie squawked, “get your muddy feet off me.”
“They’re not on you,” Cameron muttered. “Move over.”
“On the way home,” Sean said, “maybe you’ll do some of the driving.”
Cameron opened a can of Coke and took a slug. “I forgot my learner’s permit.”
Sean held up a small leather sleeve with a plastic window. “You’re in luck. I found this on top of the refrigerator.”
Sean had told Lily that Cameron was avoiding driving. Most boys his age couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel. But of course, most boys hadn’t lost their parents in a horrific accident.
“I don’t feel like it,” said Cameron, and he turned to glare out the window.
Lily shifted sideways in her seat so she could talk to the kids. The social services supervisor had given Sean permission to appropriate Crystal’s car. Since his truck only had three seat belts, they couldn’t go anywhere as a family in it.
She told herself not to resent him for moving into her best friend’s home, looking after her kids and taking over her life. It seemed to be the most compassionate arrangement for the children at this time, maybe for good. But being pushed out of the picture didn’t feel right at all. She didn’t know where she stood—teacher, family friend, fifth wheel? After encountering Maura this morning, she was more confused than ever and more bothered by the fact that she had no authority here, no control.
“How’s school going?” she inquired, trying to engage Cameron’s interest.
“Okay,” he said, predictably.
“I deserved that,” Lily admitted. “All right, let’s try this again. How’s your state-history project coming?”
“It’s coming.”
“He hasn’t even started,” Charlie said.
“Shut up.” Cameron elbowed her.
“Don’t talk like an ass,” Sean warned him. “I mean, a jerk.”
“Do you need help with it?” Lily asked.
“I don’t need anything.” He took a slug of Coke.
She wanted to ask Cameron about all sorts of things. She wondered if he felt like talking about his worries when it came to driving, but that conversation was not for here or now. That was something she was learning about the dynamics of this patchwork family. You had to pick your moment.
As they passed Echo Ridge, Sean slowed the car. “What the hell?”
Lily was going to chide him for his language, but when she looked at the golf course, she forgot to speak. A police squad car was parked on the side of the road and an officer made notes on a pad. Someone had trenched the putting green closest to the road. The green had been charred, too, by lighter fluid splashed on the grass and then set aflame. In the water hazard adjacent to the fairway, a golf cart lay half submerged. Workers and members from the course stood around, probably trying to decide where to begin fixing things.
Sean pulled over and got out.
“What do you make of that?” Lily asked Cameron.
He shrugged. “Maybe someone had too much time on their hands last night.”
She felt a strange flutter in her stomach. “How do you know it was last night?”
He rolled his eyes. “I doubt something like this would happen in broad daylight,” he said.
“I don’t understand. Why would anyone do such a thing?”
He shrugged again. “I guess some people trash things for no reason.”
Sean returned to the car. “Vandalism,” he said. “They’re assessing the damage at five thousand dollars for now. Ten times that if they have to replace the whole green.”
“Do you need to stay?” asked Lily. By asking, she was giving him an out. An escape hatch. A perfect excuse to let her take the kids by herself.
“I told them I was busy,” he said, clipping his seat belt in place. “They’ve got my cell phone number.”
The rest of the way to the city, they speculated about