“You beat Robin Hood?” Adam laughed as he cut through a pancake. “Is that possible? My faith in the show has been completely destroyed.”
“It was his overconfidence that cost him the match,” I said.
“No,” Steve said, “I think it had something to do with your being president of your archery club. She didn’t let me know about that beforehand.”
I smiled at Adam. “You can see it’s a sore subject with us.”
“One of these days we’ll have to have a rematch,” Steve said.
I laughed and ate my pancake. Then I took another. The breakfast went on in the same light tone, with Steve and his family making small talk about the show and old family friends.
I thought the subject of my relationship with Steve had completely passed, but out of the blue, Mrs. Raleigh said, “I’m surprised I haven’t seen anything about you and Annika in the tabloids.”
“Well, that won’t last,” Steve said. “They caught us yesterday and followed us halfway here. That’s how we damaged the car. We went over a median to lose them.”
Adam leaned back in his chair. “It’s nice to see your driving hasn’t changed over the years.”
Steve glanced at me but didn’t correct his brother.
I said, “I hope we don’t run into paparazzi today. I’m wearing the same clothes. They’ll either think I have a very limited fashion sense or you’ve taken up with a homeless girl.”
Steve didn’t even crack a smile. He looked down and turned the fork in his hand slowly. “About today,” he said, returning his gaze to my face. “I called Dean’s assistant and told him I wouldn’t be in until the afternoon, but Dean called me back himself and told me they needed me in this morning. I have to leave for Burbank as soon as the rental car company drops off a car.” He glanced at his watch. “Which should be any minute now.”
My mouth opened to protest, but he went on. “I’ve talked to Adam about it, and he can drive you to Henderson today. Ron will book me on a flight to Las Vegas tomorrow night. I’ll come to the hospital as soon as we complete shooting for the day.”
It hurt to swallow. The words felt ragged as they came from my throat. “I already told my family I was bringing you with me.”
“I know. Unfortunately, the studio needs me.”
“My brother needs you more.”
His voice was thick with resignation. “I’m sorry. I tried, but it didn’t work out. I’ll be there tomorrow night.”
My fork shook in my hand, and I had to put it back down on the table. I could feel the weight of everyone’s stares on me. The clank of silverware at the table had gone completely silent.
I tried not to panic, or at least not to show that I was. “Jeremy has to see you before the surgery. He needs to believe that his wishes have power so he won’t be afraid, so it will go well. I explained it to you—”
Steve leaned toward me. “Annika, my visit isn’t going to make a difference in the outcome of the surgery.”
He might as well have said he didn’t care. It felt as though all the air had gone from my lungs. “Don’t say that. It isn’t true.”
His tone came out smooth, painless. “I can’t hold up the entire production schedule. I’m under contract.”
I wanted to say, “How can you do this to me?” but it was a stupid question. I’d only known him a day. What had I expected? And what had happened to me, anyway, that after one day I felt the two of us knew each other intimately? I would have moved heaven and earth to fulfill Jeremy’s wish. Steve wouldn’t even skip a day of work.
Steve’s family had all gone back to their breakfasts, pointedly pretending that it wasn’t awkward to hear all of this.
“Tell Jeremy I’ll be there tomorrow night,” Steve said. “He’ll understand.”
Jeremy might, but I refused to understand. My voice came out as a whisper. “What if tomorrow night is too late?”
The doorbell rang. Steve glanced in that direction and then back at me. “It won’t be.” He pushed his chair away from the table. “That’s got to be the car.”
Everyone watched him. The warmth, all the feelings of coziness had drained from the room.
Steve stood up but turned to his father. “I’ll have Ron wire some money for the towing charge. Let me know how much it comes to.”
An edge crept into his father’s voice. “You don’t have to. We can cover it.”
“You shouldn’t have to cover it. It’s not your car.”
“You don’t need to pay us anything. We don’t need your money.”
Steve’s eyes narrowed. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Am I?”
Mrs. Raleigh put her hand to her mouth, but didn’t say anything. Adam looked up at the ceiling.
“Fine,” Steve said tightly. “Do whatever you want. It was great to see all of you again.” He turned and strode toward the kitchen door.
Mr. Raleigh said to me—although clearly for Steve’s benefit, “It’s always been this way. His job takes precedence over everybody else.”
Steve stiffened and muttered something under his breath, but he didn’t turn around. After a moment, the front door slammed shut.
I turned my attention back to the table and felt numb. Steve was right to have given me the news after breakfast. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to eat.
No one spoke. I felt them watching me, pitying me. I struggled to find my voice, and I looked over at Adam. “When do you want to leave?”
“Give me a few minutes. I’ve got to call someone about getting assignments.”
I was making him miss school. It made me feel even worse.
Mrs. Raleigh stood up and cleared dishes from the table. I helped her, trying to be polite, trying to do something so I didn’t have to think about what to say to Jeremy when I got home.
The genie ran into a problem with Robin Hood. Would Jeremy ever believe me about anything again?
If I had been thinking straight, I would have made Steve talk to him on the cell phone beforehand, but maybe Jeremy wouldn’t have liked that. Robin Hood never used a cell phone on the show.
As I helped her with the dishes, Mrs. Raleigh threw worried glances in my direction. “I’m sorry it’s been a difficult trip for you,” she told me. “I hope things go well for your brother.”
“Thanks. And thanks again for letting me stay here.”
“Maybe you’ll come back sometime.”
I hesitated. “Maybe.”
She read her own meaning into my hesitation. “It hasn’t always been this way between Steve and his father. They used to get along so well. I keep hoping . . .” She rinsed off a plate and slid it into the dishwasher. “Maybe you could talk with him about it. Sometimes a woman’s influence can—”
I didn’t let her finish. I couldn’t explain to her why I had no influence on Steve and why any conversation I had with him after today would be very limited.
“I have talked with him about it,” I said. It was, after all, the truth. We’d talked in the bathroom last night. “I already told him he should work on his relationship with you.”
“Really?” Mrs. Raleigh asked. The gratitude in her voice made me feel guilty. “What did he say?”
“Well. . . .” I couldn’t tell her that he’d brushed off my words, not while she looked at me so hopefully. “He’s stubborn—you know that—but he’s also said some nice things about you.” As I spoke, Adam and Mr. Raleigh walked into the kitchen. Their conversation died as they listened to mine.
I struggled to think of anything nice Steve had said about them. When that failed, I decided elaborations were in order. After all, I didn’t owe Steve any honesty. He’d run off and left me with his disgruntled family.
I looked over at Mr. Raleigh. “He told me about how you were a police officer and how worried he was when you got stabbed. He said when he works on Robin Hood and he needs to portray bravery, he thinks of you.”
Mr. Raleigh stared back at me, stunned, and didn’t speak. To Mrs.
Raleigh I said, “Steve told me about all the sacrifices you’ve made for him over the years and how he never would have succeeded if you hadn’t been there hauling him to all those auditions.”
Instead of putting her juice glass into the dishwasher, Mrs. Raleigh stopped halfway, then simply held on to it. I turned to Adam. “Steve misses you. He wishes the two of you were closer.”
It wasn’t real, but it was true anyway, so Steve couldn’t get mad at me for saying any of it.
The ride to Henderson took a long time—mostly because Adam never inched a mile above the speed limit. I didn’t know other people besides Madison actually drove this way. Apparently I’d found her soul mate. The ride wasn’t nearly as awkward as I anticipated, though. I mean, I didn’t know Adam. I’d barely spoken to him at all, but somehow my conversation in the kitchen had transformed me into his confidant. We’d barely pulled out of the driveway before he gave me his side of the story.
“I want to be close to Steve too, but he’s put me in the middle of everything. How am I supposed to get along with my parents and also be on Steve’s side?” Adam kept his eyes on the road, but I knew his concentration wasn’t there. “Besides, I’m not sure I agree with what Steve did. After all, for years our parents supported Steve—Dad was out on the street dodging bullets to put food on the table—Steve owes him some gratitude for that.” A hard edge crept into his voice. “Can’t he understand how it made Dad feel when Steve not only became more financially successful, but then cut his parents off?”
I kicked myself for even caring about all of this. If I ever saw Steve again, it would probably only be for a few minutes, and yet I still sat there in the car trying to solve his problems. I listened to Adam, agreeing, reassuring, suggesting, and in general trying to find ways to smooth things out between them.
The strange thing was that as I talked to Adam, I found a part of me loosening, coming alive again, as though ungripping my fist after holding it tightly for a long time. Things could be worse at my house, I realized. There were a lot of ways to lose a brother.
But as we pulled into Henderson, all my anxiety about facing my parents and disappointing Jeremy returned—and then some. We’d talked so much about Steve’s relationship with his family that we’d barely talked about me. However, one thing became clear: Adam thought I lived in California and was going back home to visit my brother.
I’d let Adam believe this because it seemed way easier than explaining the last two days. Steve had already told them we were dating—and besides, the Raleighs had been so eager to meet me and so touched by the things I’d told them. How could I yank that away from them now and tell them I barely knew Steve?
As we drove down the familiar streets to my house, it occurred to me I’d have to invite Adam inside. And once he met my parents, he was bound to say something that didn’t make sense to them, like, “It was nice to spend time with Annika. We don’t usually meet Steve’s girl-friends.”
This would call for all sorts of awkward explanations where I would either look like a girlfriend impostor or like I’d been carrying on some clandestine relationship with a guy in another state behind my parents’ backs.
We pulled into my neighborhood. I drummed my fingers against the armrest as I tried to think of a way around this.
“What’s wrong?” Adam asked. “It sounds like you’re trying to send a telegraph through the car door.”
I stopped my tapping. “Sorry. I was just thinking about our dogs. They get excited when new people come to the house.”
He smiled as though he liked dogs. “What kind are they?”
“We have two pit bulls,” I lied. “Dagger and Deathwish, but don’t worry; Mom and Dad usually muzzle them when they know someone is coming. They sort of have to now. Police orders.” I pointed to an upcoming street. “Turn left on Brooksfarm.”
He turned left. “Police orders?”
“Yeah . . . your dogs chase one salesman up a tree, and the police get all over your case.”
“Oh,” he said.
“It’s not like it was that big of a deal. I mean, okay, the dogs probably shouldn’t have eaten the guy’s shoes, especially while he was wearing them, but it’s not like they were expensive.” I shrugged casually. “Besides, if you can’t climb fast enough, those sorts of things are bound to happen to you.”
Adam didn’t say anything, but I noticed his grip tighten on the steering wheel.
“It’s not like people don’t have extra toes,” I said.
His posture stiffened.
“My house is right there,” I said. “The one with the big claw marks on the front door.”
He pulled into my driveway, but didn’t turn off the car. He looked over at me without letting go of the steering wheel. “It was really nice to meet you, Annika. I’m glad we had time to talk on the drive.”
“It was great to get to know you too.” I opened my door.
He fingered the steering wheel. “I would see you inside, but, uh, I’ve got to hurry and get back.”
I slid out of the car. “All right, next time, then. Thanks again for the ride.”
I watched him drive away and then walked slowly to my house. I’d only been gone a couple days, but it seemed like so much longer. Everything looked different, subtly changed somehow. I opened the front door and called out, “I’m home.”
I expected Jeremy to be the first one to greet me, but Mom and Leah walked into the front room. Mom actually stopped in her tracks when she saw me. “Good heavens, what have you done to your hair?”
I’d forgotten about it, and I fingered the ends of my hair. “Oh, that. I dyed it so Steve Raleigh wouldn’t recognize me.”
Leah tilted her head at me questioningly. “And why would Steve Raleigh recognize you?”
Mom looked over my shoulder and around the room. “Where is he?”
“He got called back to the studio this morning. His brother, Adam, dropped me off.”
“He got called back to the studio?” Leah repeated.
“His brother didn’t come inside with you?” Mom asked. I could tell neither one of them believed me, which just proves karma exists, after all. I’d lied to the Raleighs and not been caught, so it figured that now when I told the truth, my own family wouldn’t believe me.
“Look, didn’t you talk to Madison? Didn’t she tell you how I met Steve Raleigh on the set?”
Leah and Mom exchanged a glance that I couldn’t interpret. The disbelief didn’t leave their faces.
“Okay,” I said, “Madison didn’t actually see me meet him on the set because she got kicked off for hauling a snake around, only she didn’t really do that. But I did. I mean, I did meet Steve Raleigh. And we had an archery match, and I won, so he had to come home with me. Only he got called back to the studio this morning and so he said he’d come tomorrow night, and I think he will, but I’m not sure because, hey, he said he’d come this time and he didn’t.”
My mother and sister stared at me silently, so I added, “See, I’m wearing his clothes. That proves it.”
“Really?” Leah said without emotion. “Did he write his name in them or something?”
I ignored her. “I’m not sure if I should tell Jeremy about Steve’s visit tomorrow. I want to tell him because then he’ll have something to look forward to, but I don’t want to disappoint him again. I think Steve will come because he’s a nice guy, and after all, he did tell his parents we were dating. You don’t do that and then not show up at a girl’s house. So maybe I should tell Jeremy. What do you think?”
Leah said, “I think you’ve lost your mind.”
Mom, in a gentle voice, said, “Honey, I don’t think you should tell Jeremy anything right now.”
“I’m telling you the truth,” I said. “The paparazzi even got pictures of us together.”
Leah let out a slow breath and shook her head. “This is so sad.”
I couldn’t argue the fact any further because Dad and Jeremy walked in the room.
“Look who’s home,” Mom said cheerfully, but both of them just stared at me speechlessly.
I knelt down and opened my arms to give Jeremy a hug. Instead of running to my arms, he walked up and touched my hair gingerly.
“What happened to your hair?”
“I dyed it.”
“It died?” Before I could explain, he added, “You mean when you cut it off in the underworld?”
“The underworld?” Leah asked. “Did you go there before or after you went to Hollywood?”
To Jeremy I said, “That was a story. It was just pretend.”
“But the underworld is real, though,” he said.
I didn’t know how to answer. Before I could think of what to say, he stroked my hair and said, “I bet the crows gave you new hair, didn’t they, because they wanted you to look pretty. When will you finish that story?”
I pulled him into a hug so I wouldn’t have to look at his face. His body felt so small against mine. I trembled and didn’t know how to stop. “I’ll finish it later. Don’t worry; I won’t leave us in the underworld, but I just got home. I need to change clothes.”
He pushed away from me. “Mom and Dad said you brought me a surprise. What is it?”
I didn’t say anything, but his gaze held me, expecting an answer. It physically hurt to speak. “The surprise didn’t work out like I’d expected. I’ll have to give it to you later.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mom shaking her head. She didn’t want me to say any more about it.
Jeremy leaned toward me. “Is it about the genie?”
I put my finger to his lips. “Shhh. You weren’t supposed to tell about that.”
The doorbell rang. I could tell by my parents’ expressions they weren’t expecting anyone. Right then, a sinking feeling came over me. I knew it was Adam. I must have left something in the car, or maybe he’d had some sort of car problems. In a moment I’d have to introduce him to everyone as Steve’s brother.
It wouldn’t help the case for my story or my sanity when he walked nervously into the room mumbling, “Don’t let Dagger and Deathwish get me!”