She sat upright, flicked on the light. “What is it?”
Alison stood there, clutching her wubbie. Her face was moist with tears; her eyes were red. She looked impossibly small in the open doorway. “I can’t sleep.”
She looked so much like Claire.…
“Come on up here, honey. Come sleep with me. I’ll keep you safe.”
Alison bolted across the room and clambered up into the bed, then snuggled close against Meg, who held her tightly. “Your mommy used to sleep with me when she was scared, did you know that?”
Alison popped a thumb in her mouth and closed her eyes. Almost immediately, she was asleep.
Meghann loved the smell of her, the little girl/baby shampoo sweetness. She cuddled in close to her niece and closed her eyes, expecting to start thinking about tomorrow again.
Amazingly, she fell asleep.
The telephone woke Claire up. She sat up fast. “What time is it?” She looked around for the bedside clock, found it. Five forty-five A.M. Oh, God. “Bobby, the phone—”
She scrambled over him and picked it up. “Hello? Meghann? Is Ali okay?”
“Hey, darlin’, how are you?”
Claire released a heavy breath and climbed out of bed. “I’m fine, Mama. It’s five-forty-five on Kauai.”
“Is that right? I thought y’all were the same time zone as California.”
“We’re halfway to Asia, Mama.”
“You always did exaggerate, Claire. I do have a reason for callin’, you know.”
Claire grabbed her robe out of the closet and slipped it on, then went out onto the balcony. Outside, the sky was just turning pink. In the backyard, a rooster strutted across the lawn; hens clucked along behind. The morning smelled of sweet tropical flowers and salt air. “What is it?”
“I know you don’t think I’m much of a mother.”
“That’s not true.” She yawned, wondering if there was any chance of falling asleep again. She looked through the windows at Bobby, who was sitting up now, frowning at her.
“It is so. You and Miss Perfect are constantly remindin’ me that I did a poor job raisin’ you. I consider it ungrateful to say the least, but motherhood has its burdens, as you know, and misunderstanding is mine.”
“It’s a little early for drama, Mama. Maybe you could—”
“The point is, I do some things poorly and some things well. I’m like ordinary people in that way.”
Claire sighed. “Yes, Mama.”
“I just want you to remember that. And tell your bigmouthed sister. No matter what y’all remember, or think you do, the truth is that I love you. I always have.”
“I know, Mama.” She smiled at Bobby, mouthed: Mama, then: coffee.
“Now put your husband on the phone.”
“Excuse me?”
“You do have a man in your bed right now?”
Claire laughed. “I do.”
“Let me talk to him.”
“Why?”
Mama sighed dramatically. “It’s another of my burdens to be saddled with suspicious daughters. It’s about a weddin’ gift, if you must know. I heard y’all didn’t like the car.”
“There’s no room for Alison.”
“Does she have to go everywhere with y’all?”
“Mama—”
“Put Bobby on. This present is for him, since you were so ungrateful.”
“Okay, Mama. Whatever. Just a second.” She went back inside. “She wants to talk to you.”
Bobby sat up. This can’t be good, he mouthed as he took the phone from Claire. “How’s the sexiest mother-in-law in the world?” After a moment, his smile faded. “What?” Then: “You’re kidding me. How did you do it?”
Claire moved toward him, placed her hand on his shoulder. “What’s going on?”
He shook his head. “That’s incredible, Ellie. Really. I don’t know how to thank you. When?” He frowned. “You know we’re here—oh. Yeah. I understand. At the ticket counter. Yes. Okay. Of course we’ll call right away. And thank you. I can’t tell you how much this means. Yes. Good-bye.”
“What did she do?” Claire asked when he hung up the phone.
Bobby’s smile was so big it creased his whole face into pleats. “She got me an audition with Kent Ames at Down Home Records. I can’t believe it. I’ve been playing shit-ass honky-tonk joints for ten years waiting for a break like this.”
Claire threw herself at him, holding him tightly in her arms. She told herself it was foolish to have been afraid, worried, but still her hands were shaking. Too many bad years with Mama, she supposed. She always expected the worst. “You’ll knock ’em dead.”
He twirled her around until they were both laughing. “This is it, Claire.”
She was still laughing when he eased her back to her feet.
“But …,” he said, not smiling now.
That worry came back. “What?”
“The audition is Thursday. After that, Kent is leaving for a month.”
“This Thursday?”