Page 9 of Breaking Rules
I looked at my sister with a raised eyebrow. “Now, where would she be getting the idea that you’re Indiana Jones?”
“I’m surprised that you know who that is, Alec,” Paris countered. “When was the last time you actually watched a movie?”
“We watched the dragon movies together,” Evanne announced. “All three of them.”
Paris looked at me, her dark eyes warm. “He’s a good dad.”
“The best.”
My daughter’s matter-of-fact agreement made me smile. What had I done to deserve such a sweet and loyal child? The answer was absolutely nothing, and I still hadn’t figured out how she’d ended up so amazing. It certainly didn’t come from me, and while Keli wasn’t a horrible woman, she wasn’t even close to the amazing person our daughter was becoming.
“Grandma said we could go shopping today.”
“I said we would go if it was okay with your father,” Theresa corrected gently. “He might have something for you to do today.”
“I don’t,” I said. “I think a day out would be just the thing.”
“Yay!” Evanne threw her hands in the air. “Can we go to the waterfalls?”
I gave Theresa a questioning look.
“Blackhawk Plaza in Danville.”
A flicker of memory brought the image of the shopping plaza, complete with waterfalls. Theresa had taken Evanne there to go Christmas shopping last winter, and Evanne had gone on and on about how much she loved the plaza and how pretty everything had been.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Theresa said to Evanne. “What if Aunt Paris came with us?”
Evanne immediately jumped out of her chair and ran around the table to Paris, begging her to come with them.
“She looks like she’s doing okay,” Brody pitched his voice low, his normally easy-going expression shifting to something far more serious. “Da told me what happened.”
“I wish I actually knew what happened,” I said honestly. “Either no one knows what happened, or no one’s talking. Rumors are everywhere, but I’m trying to ignore them.”
“But she didn’t see anything?”
I shook my head.
The relief on Brody’s face reflected just how much he loved his niece. Everyone in my family did. It didn’t matter if we were related by blood or by law, and it didn’t matter how difficult it had been for us to become accustomed to being a family. It’s what we were.
“While the lasses are off together, perhaps you lads will join me for a round of golf?” Da popped the last piece of sausage into his mouth.
“That depends,” Brody said with a grin. “Are you going to lecture everyone about how Americans have ruined a good Scottish game?”
The look Da gave my brother was stern, but that was just how he was. Ma had always said I was just like him. The older I got, the more I realized that she’d been right. If Theresa thought the same, she’d never mentioned it. She and I’d had a rocky start, but we’d eventually found our footing with each other. We just weren’t close.
Except she’d been the first person I’d called when Keli had dropped off Evanne and left for Italy. And she’d come immediately.
Maybe I still needed to try a wee bit harder with her.
“Aye, all right. I’ll behave myself,” Da promised.
It looked like we were going golfing.
* * *
I had not missedSan Ramon temperatures, something of which I was reminded as my brothers and I followed Da on the golf course. At least Evanne was getting a great day to go shopping at the plaza. Being in and out of air-conditioned stores on a sunny, mid-eighties day would be just what she needed to get her mind off what had happened at school.
It wouldn’t be as easy for me.