A tear’s trying to escape the corner of Fiona’s eye. If my Amelia were here now, she would’ve given her a big hug and told her it was going to be okay. But Miguel just stands there with his arms hanging at his sides.
“I’m sorry,” she says again. “I didn’t mean to upset you, or overreact about the dog, either.”
“This isn’t just some dog, Mom. It’s Harold,” says the otherAmelia, kneeling beside me. She puts her arms around my neck again.
“Love bug, please be careful,” says Fiona, who’s batting her lids like she’s caught in a sandstorm.
“Can’t you tell he’s nothing like the kind of dog you’re afraid of? Are you?” The other Amelia’s peering into my eyes again. Strangely, I don’t want to look away. “Can they stay a while so I can hang out with him?”
“No, sweetheart.” She turns to Miguel. “I’m afraid I’ve already made a bad situation even worse.”
He glances down. “It’s not your fault. I should take a cue from your brother and steer clear of people for a while. Or more like indefinitely. Regardless, I apologize for overreacting. It’s still kind of…fresh.”
No one says anything now, and for once, I don’t feel like filling the silence by making someone pay attention tome.
“We’ll be going, then,” Miguel finally tells her, then he motions for Dane to follow him to the front door.
“I really do feel terrible about all of it. How long are you in town?” asks Fiona as she trails afterus.
The lines between his eyebrows deepen as he turns and regards her. “We’re supposed to leave tomorrow, but I’m not sure there’s any point in staying overnight now that we know Jonathan’s not here.”
She glances away quickly.
“Why do you ask?” says Dane, examining her.
“It’s just…I feel like I should be able to figure out something for you all—some way to help the store,” she says, raising her eyes again. “Are you free for dinner tonight, by any chance? Everyone’s invited.”
“Even Harold?” says the other Amelia, who still has her arm around my neck.
Fiona smiles tightly. “Even Harold.”
“Yay!”
I couldn’t have said it better myself! But those lines between Miguel’s eyebrows appear to be stuck, and he’s shaking his head. “I appreciate the invitation, but now’s not a good time,” he tells her.
What is this animated meat sack talking about? Now’s the best time! After all, it’s the only time we really have, and I’m certainly not getting any younger over here.
“Drinks, then? We don’t have to do a meal,” Fiona says. “I’d really like to hear about Lakeside.”
Miguel at least has the decency to look sheepish. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to leave Harold by himself in the home we’re borrowing from Dane’s friend. He might take the opportunity to leave a pile in the corner.”
Must he shame me? I only did that once or thrice when he overslept.
“I mean it—he can come, too,” she says, but she sounds uncertain. She reaches into the canvas bag on the counter and retrieves a small card, which she passes to him. “If you change your mind, here’s my number. I don’t know how, but I’d like to make this up to you.”
Miguel examines the card. “No,” he says softly.
“That’s it?” Fiona pulls her head back, incredulous. “Just,no?”
“If you won’t put me in touch with your brother, then there’s nothing you can do to make this up to us.”
Us.Maybe he just means me and Dane, but I somehow doubt it, and now I feel sad again because he’s back tothinking he’s failed Amelia. And his “no” means I’m almost certainly going to fail her, too.
Fiona smooths an imaginary wrinkle on her dress, then meets his gaze. “Isn’t that what you came here for? To get help?”
“I came here for answers.”
“And I don’t have the ones you want.”
