Driftwood Lane (Nantucket #4)(4)

Rita nodded. “You might as well know Noelle isn’t happy about that—no offense, she just doesn’t know you. The boys have been less vocal about their opinions. I left their schedule on the island in the kitchen and wrote down everything I could think of that might be helpful.”

“Thank you. That’ll make this easier on everyone.”

Rita folded her plump fingers in her lap. “I wasn’t sure if you’d ever visited.”

The truth embarrassed her, though she had no reason to feel that way. It wasn’t as if her dad had invited her into their lives. Well, he had now.

“No, I haven’t,” Meridith said.

“Well then, that makes your sacrifice all the more admirable. You must have a very big heart, and I’m sure God will bless you for it.”

Well . . . I’m only doing my Christian duty after all.” An awkward pause prompted her to continue. “Has there been any word from their uncle?”

“Unfortunately, no. You may know he’s traveling at the moment, and I guess he doesn’t carry a cell phone. Noelle says he checks e-mail sporadically, but I really wanted to tell you—”

A clomping on the stairs alerted them to Max’s appearance.

“She’s coming.”

Close behind him, Ben two-footed each step, hand on the railing, then ran to the couch and curled into Rita’s side.

“Here she comes,” Rita said.

At the top of the stairs, fuzzy purple socks appeared, then jean-clad knees, followed by the rest of Noelle. She was short and slight, with straight blonde hair.

When she reached the bottom of the steps she stopped, her thin arm curled around the thick balustrade.

“Well, come on over and meet your big sister, honey.”

Noelle approached, stopping just shy of the area rug. She favored her little brother in coloring and body frame, but her small triangular chin was a duplicate of Meridith’s.

“Hi, Noelle. I’m Meridith.”

Noelle pressed her lips together, crossed her arms. “Hi.”

Rita scooted to the edge of the couch, checking her watch. “Noelle’s into the computer, chatting, e-mailing, all that.”

“She chats with her boooyfriieeend,” Max said.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, runt.”

“Come sit down, Noelle,” Rita said.

Meridith thought the girl might defy the woman, but she walked around the armchair and plopped into it.

Ben loosened himself from Rita’s side, then squeezed into the chair with Noelle. She curled her arm around him.

Rita stood. “I hate to take off like this, but . . .”

“I understand.” Meridith walked her to the door.

“The kids can show you to your room. If you have any questions, anything at all, I left my cell and home numbers on the schedule. Oh, and dinner’s in the Crock-Pot.”

She was a godsend. “Thank you for everything.”

“Bye, kids.” Rita gave one last wave, snagged her purse and jacket, and then she was gone.

Meridith closed the door and turned toward the three faces of her siblings: Max wore a casual grin, Ben peeked from his sister’s armpit, and Noelle stared back defiantly.

Meridith looked at them, the silence opening a wide chasm between them, and wondered if she’d bitten off way more than she could chew.





Three

A rattle of some kind sounded from behind the wall, breaking the silence. Maybe the dishwasher was running.

The children seemed to be waiting for Meridith to make the next move. She crossed the room and set her hand on the sofa back. “Does anyone have homework?”

“We do it after school,” Max said.

Ben peeked out. “I don’t have none,” he said softly.

“Don’t have any.” Noelle tossed her hair over her shoulder.

Her brown eyes seemed older than her thirteen years and contrasted with the youthful smattering of freckles on her nose.

Ben was tucked into her side, though he was at least peeking at Meridith now. He had greenish eyes and small features that made him seem fragile. Who was she kidding? They’d just lost their parents. They were all fragile, including Noelle.

Meridith sat beside Max. “I’m really sorry, guys. I can only imagine what it’s been like for you, losing your mom and dad.”

“He was your dad too,” Noelle said. “How old are you anyway, like, nineteen?”

Not much younger than your mother, Meridith wanted to say. Instead she tried for a smile. “Twenty-five. I know there’ve been a lot of people coming and going, but I’d like to keep things as normal as possible. Routines are important at times like this.”

“Uncle Jay will be calling soon,” Noelle said. “And when he finds out what happened, he’ll come back.”

Meridith read the unspoken message. She and Noelle wanted the same thing, but Meridith had learned long ago to hold her cards close to her chest.

“I’m sure he will, Noelle.”

Max shifted, his eyes trained on his stubby fingernails.

“We want him to be our guardian, don’t we, boys?” Noelle said.

Max moved his head in a motion that may have been a nod or a shrug. Ben’s face disappeared into Noelle’s side.

“Why don’t we talk about this later,” Meridith said firmly. “How about you show me around so I don’t get lost.”