“He tried, but we refused to believe him. We knew you, and we knew Oren. We believed you. He always gave me the creeps.”
“Well, you were smarter than I was, then, because I never suspected he was capable of what he did to me.”
“I don’t want to hang up. You won’t disappear again, will you?”
“I think I’ll be easy to find after the events of the last few days.” We exchange phone numbers before reluctantly ending the call, promising to talk again soon and text each other every day. For a long time after, Flynn holds me while I cry tears of unmitigated joy.
“I’m so happy for you all, sweetheart. We’ll get them out here as soon as we can—and as soon as they can do it.”
“I can’t believe I just talked to Candace. I’ve fantasized about how it might be to talk to them again, but I was always afraid to reach out to them because I didn’t know if they’d been turned against me. It would’ve killed me to find them and to hear they hate me.”
“She sounded just as happy to talk to you.”
“I know! Thank you so much.”
“For what? I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did. You dragged me into your life, refusing to take no for an answer, and now I have my sisters back.”
“I hate to point out that you skipped a rather traumatic portion of the story.”
“Don’t you see? It was all worth it because not only did I get you, but them, too.”
His smile lights up his eyes. “You’re so beautiful when you’re happy.”
“Then I must be the most beautiful woman in the world right now.”
“You won’t hear me arguing.”
We pass an absolutely blissful couple of days in which we don’t see anyone but each other and the security personnel who are nearby if we need them, but mostly out of sight. I exchange texts with both my sisters nonstop, and finally get to talk to Olivia when she gets a chance to call without our mother around to hear her. We’re not ready to tell her we’re back in touch. They’re both really busy with school and work, so we’re trying to find a time to get together in the next few weeks.
Every day, Flynn takes me out to practice my driving. He says it’s the perfect opportunity to show me Southern California. One day we drive north to Santa Barbara. Another day we drive down the Pacific Coast Highway, from Long Beach almost to San Diego and back again. We find out-of-the-way places to stop for lunch, and the security detail that follows us helps to ensure our safety and privacy.
Other than a few speechless waitresses and waiters, for whom Flynn signs autographs and poses for pictures, we get away with these outings. As I become more confident, I discover that I love to drive.
On Thursday evening, Flynn arranges a special trip to Disneyland in Anaheim. We have the place mostly to ourselves after it closes to the public. We go on every ride, a few of them twice, and have the time of our lives. As it’s my first time visiting a Disney park, I feel like a little kid again, and Flynn, who has been here many times before, says it’s like the first time all over again for him, too, because he’s here with me.
We check out Palm Springs and the Palm Desert, San Bernardino and Big Bear. One city and town at a time, I fall in love with Southern California. I’m not even all that bothered by the tremors from a small earthquake that shake the house on Friday morning. Flynn says the tremors are a fact of life in California, and as long as you know what to do, they’re nothing to be afraid of.
He takes the time to teach me everything I need to know about surviving a major earthquake, and then we don’t talk about it again, which is fine with me.
We spend hours—in the car, in bed, on the sofa, by the pool—discussing our plans for the foundation, trading ideas and making lists. With his extensive contacts, Flynn isn’t worried about raising the money we’ll need to get the foundation up and running. He’s far more concerned about making sure the money gets to those in need in the form of programs that make a real difference. That’s where the major brainstorming is needed.
I’m thrilled to be part of such an important project. It fills the void created by the loss of my job and gives me a sense of purpose. We talk about goals for the foundation, and Flynn says he won’t be happy until every kid in America gets three nourishing meals a day. Anything less than that won’t be enough for him—or me. We’re in complete agreement on that point.