Although she’d received a few texts from Charlotte, Sloane and Julian—saying things like,Time to eat, orWant to help me decide what to make for dinner tonight?or Want togo get some gelato?—this was the first time she’d ever received a call.
Assuming Steve had forgotten to tell her something, she picked up the phone and saw a picture of Penny on the screen. She hadn’t even realized Charlotte’s adoptive mother had her number; Charlotte must’ve given it to her.
“Hello?” she said tentatively.
“Hi, Lilly. It’s Penny.”
“I know. I... I saw your picture.”
“I didn’t want to bother Charlotte while she’s writing, but I thought I’d check in on you and see how you’re doing.”
“Good,” she said automatically.
“I was also wondering what your favorite color is.”
Why would she want to know that? Lilly wondered but didn’t ask. “Yellow, I guess.”
“Then I’m glad I didn’t assume it was pink or purple.”
Itwaspink. But when she’d told Steve’s mom her favorite color was pink, she’d wound up with curtains that were for a little girl. Pink could easily be misunderstood, she’d decided. She didn’t see how that could happen with yellow.
“I’m going to buy you a tennis outfit,” Penny explained. “I’m not sure I can find a yellow one, but I’ll do my best.”
“Tennis outfit?” she echoed.
“I’m a tennis player. Well, Iusedto be a tennis player. And then I was a coach. Nowadays I can’t play much. But I thought I’d take you to the club and have someone I used to coach teach you the game. That might be fun for you while Charlotte finishes her book. And if you like playing, I’ll make sure you get lessons.”
Lilly had taken band in the fourth grade. But then they’d moved, and she’d never had the chance to take any kind of lessons again. That was when she’d also had to leave her cat. “Does that mean... does that mean I’ll be living near you?” she asked.
“I’m hoping you’ll be livingwithus,” Penny replied. “At least for a while—until Charlotte moves out and takes you to whatever house or condo she decides to buy.”
Penny was assuming Charlotte would keep her. But even if Charlotte didn’t go back to Cliff, wouldn’t she rather be on her own, free to do whatever she wanted? What would she do when she got with another man? Would she want Lilly then?
“I appreciate that,” she said because she didn’t know what else to say.
“Charlotte doesn’t want me to push you. I don’t want to do that, either. I just... I wanted to let you know not to worry. That you have a home. We’ll make sure of it.”
“Thank you.”
They hung up, but before she even had the chance to think about their call, a knock sounded on the door.
“Come in.”
Sloane poked her head into the room. “Hey, you! Ready to go to Torre dello Ziro?”
Lilly scrambled off the bed. “Not yet. Has Charlotte finished writing?”
“She’s almost done—so chop, chop,” she said jokingly.
Lilly moved toward the dresser to put on a different shirt and a pair of shorts while Sloane continued down the hall, but a second later, Lilly called her back.
“What is it?” Sloane asked, once again poking her head through the doorway.
“Do you still think I should go live at the farm? Because I just talked to Steve. He said I can.”
She took a moment to respond, as if she was thinking it over. “That’s up to you. What doyouwant to do?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s hard.”
