“I don’t know,” said Flora. Lee turned right out of the school driveway, accelerating maybe too fast but not so fast that shedeserved the crossing guard’s glare and whistle. “Fuck off!” Lee yelled at the crossing guard, feeling feisty.
Flora’s brow furrowed.
“Should I wait for Isabelle?” said Lee. “Well, never mind, too late! You snooze, you lose. Am I right, Flora?” Lee’s heart seemed to be racing, and she felt verygladall of a sudden—glad to be in Athens, glad to be the sort of person who picked up her sweet, sorrowful niece from school.
“I miss Mom,” said Flora.
Lee’s phone rang: Francine. “Sorry, sweetheart,” said Lee. “I’ve been avoiding my agent—this will be quick.” She put the phone on speaker. “Hi, Francine,” she said.
“Lee,” said Francine. “Why haven’t you called me back? I’ve been trying and trying! You’restill trending. You in that nightgown, you’re everywhere—TikTok, TMZ, gossip mags…and wait until you hear this, Lee! Are you ready, Lee? Are you ready?”
In the rearview mirror, Flora seemed forlorn, looking out of the window at the gridlocked Athens traffic. She turned to face Lee. “Auntie Lee?” she said.
“One second, Flora.”
“Are you ready?” cried Francine.
“I am ready,” said Lee.
“Lee Perkins, I’ve had a call from Ben Morris.BEN MORRIS!He wants you to read for his new film! This is the role of a lifetime, Lee!”
“Wait, opposite Jason?”
“Yes! Jason is confirmed for Lord Byron and they want you to read for Lady Caroline Lamb, his wild and wacky lover or something. I’ll set the call. OK?”
Lee was filled with euphoria. At last! Leeknewshe’d eventually be seen for the generational talent she was…and now it was actually happening. But she wanted to hide her joy from sad littleFlora—it was inappropriate to feel proud and thrilled while Regan was still missing. “Francine…” said Lee, eyeing her niece in the back seat.
“I know, I know, the timing is appalling! But I’ll set the call, Lee. Youhaveto take this call. You have to! And, oh, sorry—are you OK? Any word on your sister?”
“No,” said Lee. “No word.”
“Christ. And how are you…mentally?”
“Everything’s under control.”
“I’m glad. I’m very glad, honey. Ben said the photos are exactly what he’s been looking for. Raw. Real. ‘Authentic trauma,’ he called it—he says you’reperfectfor Lady Caroline—‘a gorgeous woman, unraveling in public, beautiful in her destruction.’ His exact words, Lee!”
“Wow,” said Lee, her good mood making it easier than usual to ignore the fact that yet another man in Hollywood thought Lee’s breakdown was more interesting than her acting abilities.
“Ciao bella! Or should I say…what the hell do the Greeks say for adios?”
“Antío,” muttered Flora.
“They say ‘an-dee-oh,’ ” said Lee.
“Well, whatever,” said Francine, ending the call.
“An-dee-oh,” repeated Lee, dreamily.
Flora was still glaring at her. Lee wrenched her gaze from the rearview mirror. Her niece was needing something, asking for something, and Lee was—like all the other adults in Flora’s life—letting her down. “Flora,” said Lee, her buoyant frame of mind startlingly unaffected by Flora’s misery. “Did you hear what Francine said?”
“Yeah, I heard,” scoffed Flora, looking at her hands.
Lee swerved and zipped through Athens traffic as if she were being guided. Lee was going to pull this off—all of it! She wasmeant to be famous again. She would win an Academy Award! And she would find Regan. “Obviously, I’m not going anywhere until we find your mom,” noted Lee.
“Sure,” muttered Flora.
Lee literally couldn’t bear to look at her niece. She had left her little brother and sister in Savannah to become famous, and she was going to leave this girl, too. But what else was she supposed to do?
