Inside, the house had that late afternoon heat, despite a new-looking fan that was plugged in on the kitchen counter. My mom was sitting at the table on the porch, in a bathrobe, a bottled water at her elbow. Her hair, damp, was wavy, like mine for once. In the hospital her steady annoyance had made her steely. Now she just seemed small and tired.
“Just a quick blood pressure check,” I heard someone say. A beat later, a girl with a short blond bob and large black-framed glasses came out of Juvie. She had on pink scrubs. “Then I’ll just lay out your meds and be on my way.”
“This is really not necessary,” my mom said. “The doctors gave me the all clear.”
“They did,” the girl replied agreeably as she sat down beside my mom, opening a blood pressure cuff. “But until the surgery, we just need to be extra careful.”
My mom rolled her eyes. But she let her wrap the cuff around her arm.
“… well, I think it’s time you put your foot down!” Liz said as she came down the hallway. Anne was behind her. “The wedding is in three weeks.”
“I just hate conflict!” Seeing me, Anne said, “You understand, right, Finley?”
Did I? I was still on my mom, the nurse beside her, that gauge.
“Did you meet Geralin?” Liz asked me, nodding at the nurse as she took a seat next to my mom. “Already a godsend. Geralin, this is Cat’s daughter, Finley.”
The nurse turned, giving me a smile. Her eyewear was clearly part of her look, the bulky frames taking up much of her face. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I replied, taking a seat next to Liz. Anne slid in by the dollhouse.
A beat later, Kasey came in. “The Tides are sending their eco-designer tomorrow to walk the property,” she told her sisters.
“Theirwhat-co designer?” Liz asked.
My mom snorted. Her scorn at this point was reassuring.
“Eco,” Kasey repeated. “Apparently, they’re interested in ‘doing due diligence on the preservation regulations.’ Whatever that means.”
“Maybe it means they won’t tear it all down,” Anne suggested, brightening. “That’s promising.”
“Unlikely,” Kasey told her. “They want the land, nothing else.”
“But we don’t know that for sure,” Liz said, patting Anne’s hand.
“It is supposed to be all new,” I said. “They’re calling it the Coast. They have plans and everything.”
“How do you know that?” Anne asked.
“Cardoon,” Lana said as she came out of our room, twisting her hair up on her head. She’d changed into a pair of shorts and a scoop-necked, flowered shirt, obviously part of her haul from Shannon’s. “So it is probably true. That is his personal brand.”
“Truth?” I asked.
“Honesty, character, et cetera,” she said, flipping a hand.
I needed clarification. “And that’s bad?”
“No,” she replied, although the slight wince on her face was in itself a contradiction. “It’s just different. I mean, for me.”
Anne smiled. “Lana prefers dirtbags.”
“Dirtbags?” Liz repeated.
“What I am comfortable with,” Lana countered, “is a known entity. I don’t like surprises. It’s just easier to stick with the same type.”
“Shealwaysgoes for the jerk,” Anne said. “That girl Marguerite, last summer? Cheated on her from day one.”
“Yes,” Lana agreed, “but she was very open about it.”
