"That's, what, sixteen, seventeen?"
"Seventeen."
Tully nodded. "I went to see Wings in the Kingdome when I was about your age. What's the trauma?"
"My parents think I'm too young."
"They said no?"
"How lame is that? Everyone gets to do stuff like this except me. My mom won't even let me drive with boys who have their license. She still picks me up from school every day."
"Well, sixteen-year-old boys are notoriously bad drivers, and sometimes it's not . . . safe to be alone with them." She thought about that night in the woods, all those years ago. "Your mom is just protecting you."
"But we'll be in a group."
"A group. That's different. Nothing can happen as long as you all stay together."
"I know. I think she's worried about their driving."
"Oh. Well, I could take you guys in a limo."
"You'd do that?"
"Sure. Solves all the problems. Chaperone. Driver. We'll have a blast. I'll make sure no one gets hurt."
Marah sighed. "It won't work."
"Why not?"
"Because my mom is a bitch and I hate her."
That caught Tully off guard, shocked her so much that she couldn't think of what to say. "Marah—"
"I mean it. She treats me as if I'm a child. She doesn't respect my privacy. She tries to pick my friends and tell me what I can do. No makeup, no thongs, no belly ring, no staying out after eleven, no tattoos. I can't wait to get away from her. Believe me, once I graduate, it's sayonara, Mom. I'm going straight to Hollywood to be a star like you."
That last bit flattered Tully so much she almost forgot what had preceded it. She had to force herself back on track. "You're not being fair to your mom. Girls your age are more vulnerable than you think. A long time ago, when I was your age and thought I was invincible, I—"
"You'd let me go to the concert if you were my mom."
"Yes, but—"
"I wish you were my mom."
Tully was surprised by how deeply she felt those words. They found a soft spot inside her. "You two will get past this, Marah. You'll see."
"No, we won't."
For the next hour Tully tried to crack through Marah's anger, but it was a durable shell, impossible to breach. She was stunned by how easily Marah claimed to hate Katie, afraid that these two would never repair their damaged relationship. If there was one thing Tully knew, it was how ruined you could be without a mother's love.
Finally, the intercom buzzed and Edmond's voice came through: "The Ryans, Ms. Hart."
"They know I'm here?" Marah said, popping to her feet.
"It couldn't have been hard to figure out," Tully said, going to the intercom. "Let them up, Edmond. Thanks."
"They're going to kill me," Marah said, pacing, wringing her hands, and all at once she was a child again, gangly and tall and gorgeous, but still a child, scared that she was going to be in trouble.
Johnny was the first to walk through the open door. "Damn it, Marah," he said, "you scared the hell out of us. We didn't know if you'd been kidnapped or run away—" He broke his sentence off, as if he were afraid to say more.
