The Shortest Way Home by Juliette Fay

Author:Juliette Fay [Fay, Juliette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cookie429, Kat, Extratorrents
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2012-10-02T14:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 30

Unexpectedly, Deirdre showed up for dinner.

“To what do we owe the pleasure?” asked Sean, as he set another place at the table.

“He’s been working us so hard,” said Deirdre. “He gave us the afternoon off and said we should all go home and relax.” She gave a little eye-roll at the ridiculousness of that idea.

Aunt Vivvy sat quietly at the table, gazing out the window. “Windy,” she said.

It was, in fact, somewhat more breezy than usual, and the air made the leaves of the red maple in the backyard do a little staccato dance. Sean and Deirdre glanced at each other.

“So . . .” said Sean, ladling chili into Deirdre’s bowl. “You feel it’s going pretty well?”

“No. It’s not. I’m just barely getting in stride, and everyone else has had months to prepare.” She stared down at her meal. “I’m the weak link.”

“Come on,” Sean gently chided. “You’ve never been weak at anything. You’ll do fine.”

She glanced up at him. “Don’t,” she warned.

“Don’t what? I’m being supportive.”

She snorted derisively. “No, you’re being patronizing and clueless. You don’t know anything about the pressure I’m under, so don’t act like you do.”

Sean was slightly stunned by this declaration but recovered quickly. “You’re right,” he said. “I don’t. What I do know is that I’ve made it possible for you to do nothing but work and rehearse for the past two months. If that comes off as patronizing, I can stop right now.”

She glowered at him for a moment, then lifted a spoonful of chili to her mouth and ate. “Pretty good,” she said.

Sean nodded, accepting the apology. “In the developing world you get to know your way around a can of beans.” He glanced at his aunt, still staring out the window. “I think the chili’s cool enough now, Auntie.” She looked over at him as if he were speaking another language. He picked up her spoon, handed it to her, and indicated her bowl.

“Ah,” she said, nodding, and dipped the spoon in. They ate for some time in silence, Deirdre’s gaze unfocused and slightly ­perturbed-looking.

“Dee,” said Sean. “I know it’s a bad time to tell you, but there’s something I think you should know.”

“Oh, God,” she said. “What.”

“I got a phone call the other night. From Da.”

She blinked at him a moment. “Our da?”

Aunt Vivvy looked up from her meal.

“Yeah.”

“He’s still alive?”

“Apparently. And he wants to see us.”

Deirdre shook her head. “No.”

“No,” Aunt Vivvy echoed. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

Deirdre squinted at her uncomprehendingly, then turned back to her brother. “I don’t even know him,” she said. “And I sure as hell don’t want to get into it now. You know what this means to me, Sean—I can’t afford to lose one ounce of focus.” She scooped another spoonful of chili, but set it down in the bowl without eating it. “Are you going to see him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why would you? He dumped us.”

Sean was reminded that over the years Deirdre had felt the ­repercussions of that blow more than anyone, raised from early childhood only by their stoic aunt.

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