beaded dress and ripped it in half.
Katie laughed. “You should have seen the looks on your faces.”
Relief tasted sweet. Francesca wrinkled her nose. “Aren’t you the humorous one. Where’s the real dress?”
Katie pulled out a picture of a sleeveless wedding gown with a scooped neck. The dress was fitted to the waist before flaring out into a full skirt. Seed pearls were scattered across the bodice and skirt. There wasn’t a speck of lace in sight.
“We could practically do this in a weekend,” Francesca said in surprise.
“I know.” Katie looked pleased. “I love the dress and you guys are going to owe me for picking something simple. A win-win.”
Kelly took the picture and studied the gown. The Grands got up from their seats and crowded around her.
“What do you think?” Katie asked, coming over and pointing at the picture.
The twelve-year-old sighed. “The dress is beautiful.” She glanced up. “Do you think I could help with the beading?”
“Sure. There’s plenty of work for everyone.” Katie lowered her voice. “Maybe you could help Francesca. She’s really awful at sewing.”
“I heard that,” Francesca said sternly.
Kelly giggled.
Katie touched her chest. “What? I didn’t say anything.”
“Uh-huh.”
The Grands disappeared into the kitchen only to reappear with big bowls of salad.
“Because all the sweets weren’t enough,” Brenna muttered. “I’ve got to get out of here before I end up looking like a sumo wrestler.”
Francesca followed her out of the dining room. At the backdoor Brenna pulled on a baseball cap.
“The kid seems okay. What happened to Teen-zilla?”
“I don’t know. She was her usual surly self on the drive over. I guess the Grands are working their magic. If this keeps up, Sam is going to be thrilled.”
“And how exactly will he show his appreciation?”
Francesca grinned. “I’m not going to tell you.”
“That’s okay. I can imagine, which is really depressing. Just don’t go falling for this guy. Remember-Katie’s relationship with Zach aside-marriage sucks.”
“I know. I’m not about to go there a second time. I don’t love Sam, I’m just using him for sex.”
Brenna laughed. “You make me so proud.”
“Their house is huge. It’s really pretty and there are vineyards all around. Brenna is the sister who knows the most about wine. Katie runs some company that organizes parties, and Mia-I didn’t meet her-she’s in Washington, D.C., studying languages and stuff. The Grands were great. There was so much food. It was like a buffet or something, but it was just their house. And then we talked about Katie’s wedding, and the whole family makes the dress. Well, just the women. But Katie said I could help.”
Kelly paused and sucked in a breath. “With the sewing and stuff. And I’m going to. Not because it’s like fun or anything, but to be polite.”
Sam actually rubbed his eyes. He checked the clock over the stove and saw the second hand moving in the normal direction.
So if he hadn’t fallen into an alternative universe, what the hell was going on?
He didn’t recognize the girl sitting across from him at the dinner table. She looked like his daughter, but she didn’t sound like her. Plus, this kid was smiling. Until this second he hadn’t known Kelly had teeth.
“I’m glad you had a good time,” he said cautiously.
Francesca gave him an “I told you so” smile. “The Grands loved Kelly. I’m afraid she might have a bruise from all the cheek-pinching, though.”
Kelly rubbed her cheek. “Grandma Tessa pinches really hard, but she’s still nice.”
“I agree,” Sam said as he cut into the lasagna. “They provided us with dinner.”
“They would have given you enough for a week if I’d let them,” Francesca told him. “When I mentioned you didn’t have anyone to do your cooking, I thought maybe Grandma Tessa was going to move in.”
“Grammy M made these scones,” Kelly said. “They were really good. And there were cookies. We brought a pie back for dessert.”
Sam shook his head. Francesca could crow all she wanted, and he wouldn’t complain. She’d been a hundred percent right. Kelly had been transformed by grandmotherly affection and a big family.
He smiled at his daughter. “Several boxes were delivered to the office today,” he said. “I’m guessing it’s your things. I already put them in your room.”
Kelly’s eyes widened. She bounced to her feet, then actually hesitated. “May I be excused?”
Sam almost fell out of his chair. “Ah, sure,” he said.
She ran out of the room.
He turned to Francesca. “Was she just polite?”
Francesca grinned. “I know. It’s incredible. As it turns out, she’s been hiding good manners from us. You should have heard her with the Grands. She even said ma’am.”
“I’m stunned.”
“I’m thrilled. I think this is a big breakthrough, Sam. Kelly had a good time, but more important, she relaxed. Once she feels safe and secure, you’re going to see a whole new child.”
“That would be terrific. So how did it go with your family?”
She patted her mouth with her napkin. “As expected. They’ve picked out china for us, but not the flatware.”
“You okay with that? You didn’t have to take her. Not that I’m not grateful for the transformation.”
She sighed. “I tell myself it’s for a good cause. And it is. But there were lots of questions and speculations.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault.” She smiled. “I only have my gene pool to blame.”
“But I do owe you. Kelly is a different kid, and I’ll pay a lot to keep her that way.” He chuckled. “Name your price.”
He expected her to tease him or be suggestive. Instead her expression turned apologetic. “It’s nothing so simple as money. My family has a big Fourth of July party every summer. My mom invited you and Kelly to attend. Kelly has already accepted on your behalf.”
Sam didn’t mind. “A party sounds fun, as long as I can bring my grandfather along. With Elena out of town, he’d be all alone.”
“No problem. It’s just two hundred of our closest friends.” She swallowed. “The thing is my family now thinks you and I are more than friends, and there’s going to be fairly serious matchmaking. You need to be prepared.”
He smiled. “Are they going to talk about how wonderful you are?”
“No, more likely they’ll want to see your last two tax returns, check out your teeth, and get you to commit to a wedding date.”
“The hard sell, huh?”
“They will redefine the term.”
“I can handle it.”
She shook her head. “You say that now, but you haven’t faced them yet.”
“I can handle anything.”
A sudden explosion of sound made the house shake. Sam winced and glanced up at the ceiling. The steady beat of a drum vibrated through his chest.
“I guess she has a CD collection,” Francesca said helpfully.
“And a powerful set of speakers.”
