Page 19 of After Anna

“And my stepbrothers were solittle.” Anna grimaced. “I didn’t know them that well, but still. They were so cute. They were nice kids. It’s so awful. Michel and Paul. And my stepmom Nathalie was nice, too.”

“I bet.” Maggie heard Anna pronounce the names in an authentically French way, though her English was flawless. “It really is, and it’s hard for you to lose them, I know.”

“It shouldn’t be. Like, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, it’s not like I saw Dad so much, or them.” Anna frowned, blinking her eyes clear. “I hardly knew Nathalie. I met her for the first time when Michel was born. They flew me home for the christening. It was a big deal.”

“Oh?” Maggie kept her surprise from her tone. “But what about the wedding? You must have met her then.”

“No, Dad didn’t invite me. They had it in Morocco. He told me it was on impulse, like, they eloped? But I saw the pictures later. There were three hundred people there.”

“Even so, it’s hard for you to lose him.” Maggie simmered but tried not to let it show. It was Anna who mattered, not Florian.

“Yeah, it is, hard. It was a month ago, but it still, I don’t know, it messes me up. Ellen, my therapist, says that can be worse because conflicted emotions are harder to grieve. She says it’s normal to be depressed and crumbly.”

“Of course, that’s very normal, honey.” Maggie patted her hand again. “I don’t think you ever truly get over the death of a parent. My parents were gone before you were born, and I still miss them every day. I wish they got to meet you.”

“You only got to meet me today, for real.”

“That’s true.” Maggie let the awkward moment pass, though she felt proud of Anna for her honesty. “Well, it’s good you have a therapist to get you through something this difficult. And your friends.”

“Honestly, I don’t have that many friends.” Anna shrugged. “Congreve isn’t such a great place if you’re a boarder. Most of the other boarders are international and they’re not that friendly.”

“There must be some Americans who board.”

“Not that many. Congreve is popular with European families. American kids go to Andover or Moses Brown because they’re coed.” Anna shook her head. “I wanted to come stateside, but Dad said he would only let me go to Congreve.”

Maggie wondered if Florian had picked Congreve because it was so far from Pennsylvania, but whatever. “You make friends in your classes, right?”

“Not so much. And they separate themselves from the Parkers.”

“Parkers?”

“That’s what they call us.” Anna’s eyebrows slopped unhappily down. “The boarders live in Parker Hall, like, we’re parked.”

“That’s so mean.”

“But it’s true. I’mparked.”

“No, you’re not.” Maggie felt tears come to her eyes, hearing how lonely Anna must have been. Guilt made her heart feel heavy and hurt.

“Yes, I am,” Anna shot back, without self-pity. “Dad totally parked me. I talk about it in therapy. He wasn’t capable of more. My grandparents weren’t either. I wish I could leave but I don’t know where to go.”

“You mean leave Congreve?” Maggie blinked, surprised. “You’re seventeen, almost finished. You only have one year left before college.”

“I know, but I can’t make it here another year.” Anna brushed a strand of hair from her troubled forehead.

“What do you mean, ‘make it’?” Maggie worried that Anna was depressed. She herself had that tendency and wondered if Anna inherited it from her, like dimples.

“Dad was the one who wanted me to stay, but now that he’s, uh, gone, I wish I could leave. If I could get out of here today, I would.” Anna sipped her water. “I already talked to James about it. He’s our lawyer. He runs the trust that pays my bills. He said I could go to any boarding school I wanted and the trust would pay. But I can’t believe that it would be any better than here. Wherever I go, I’m parked.”

“Anna, listen.” Maggie was formulating an idea. “If you wanted to, you could live with me. Would you consider that? Because I would do it in a second.”

“I have to admit, Iwaswondering about that.” Anna smiled, cautiously. “Like, if living with you and your family was an option for me.”

“Of course it is! I’m yourmother!” Maggie’s thoughts raced. “I could get back in touch with my lawyer, and I may have to go to court, but I never lost legal custody of you, only physical, and that was way back when.”

“I mentioned it to James, and he said that would be a formality, but that’s all.” Anna shifted forward, with a new frown. “But first you should talk to him. His office is right in town. I already talked to him about you, and I talked to Ellen about you already, too. They think you abused me when I was little. You have to tell them what really happened, just like you told me.”

“I will. I can send them the papers from your custody case. I’ll call my husband and have him scan and email them, right now. But if we can explain it to them, I wouldloveto have you live with us! Please consider it, I would really love it so much and so would Noah.” Maggie felt her heart open at having Anna at home with her, a part of her and Noah’s family, with Caleb and Wreck-It Ralph.