“When did this happen?” said Lisa in bewilderment. She hoped Molly would provide her with evidence that Graham had not been hiding in the fort that morning, even though she knew Molly was too vague to be a reliable source of information.
“He left a little while ago,” said Molly. “We were planning to eat breakfast together, but he didn’t show up. When he finally stopped by the house this afternoon, he was a dreadful sight. He was completely covered with sand. His shoes were all soggy, and his suit was practically ruined. He said he had tried to set up a romantic proposal on the water, but the boat somehow got lost. He was so afraid of being rejected that he was trembling.”
Lisa tried to modify her opinion of Graham to compensate for his trepidation and found that she was not comforted. If he and Molly got married, he would be in the vicinity for an indefinite period of time. Molly had made it clear that he was not from the local area. It made no sense for him to suddenly put down roots.
“He’s not taking you away, is he?” she said.
“No, of course not,” said Molly. “He’s going to live here with me. There’s plenty of room, and the house won’t be nearly as lonely with him around. He’s not going to move in until after the wedding—speaking of which, we’ve already made some plans. One of Graham’s friends is the caretaker of an old mansion on the other side of the river. We’re going to have the ceremony there.”
“Hamilton Estate?” said Lisa.
“Yes,” said Molly. “How did you know? Graham showed me some pictures, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It looks just like a castle. I’m so excited! Lisa, will you be my maid of honor? You’re like the daughter I never had.”
Lisa didn’t want to be complicit in the permanent integration of Graham into her life, but she couldn’t bear to disappoint Molly, so she agreed. Molly’s excitement bubbled over in a series of shrill giggles that eventually compelled her to sit down and catch her breath before she could speak again.
“I never imagined something like this could happen,” she said. “We’ll have so much fun picking out dresses and flowers and music and decorations. I was thinking we could put little garden gnomes on the tables.”
Lisa shrugged. “If that’s what you want,” she said.
“You’re excited about the wedding, aren’t you?” said Molly.
Lisa heard the change in her voice and looked up. Molly’s eyes pleaded for approval. Lisa decided her life was so messed up already that Molly and Graham getting married couldn’t make it any worse. She didn’t want to ruin Molly’s happiness. Besides, the wedding would provide a distraction from everything else.
“I think it will be wonderful,” she said.
Chapter 5
At breakfast the next morning, Sabrina informed her children that she had cancer and that the family would remain in Silvertree indefinitely so she could get the best treatment. She made the announcement with a surprising degree of gentleness, but she couldn’t conceal the severity of the situation. Stephen was too upset to eat. He sat there looking positively ill while Veronica attempted to comfort him. Shannon and Josh were also visibly devastated. Only Yvonne remained cheerful because she didn’t understand.
Despite her hatred for Sabrina, Lisa couldn’t find anything to smile about. Sabrina’s demise seemed inevitable, but there was no resolution in sight. Her parents refused to speak to each other. Lisa hoped they were merely preoccupied, but she suspected their fragile relationship was creeping toward the breaking point because of Sabrina, and she wondered how much longer they could live together in misery.
Arthur held Yvonne in his arms, but he didn’t pay any attention to her. Richard stared down at his newspaper. His eyes didn’t move across the page. The only one who seemed to be alive was Sabrina, even though she was no longer able to maintain the illusion of health. Her face was pale, and she fidgeted in her chair.
“School will start again in a couple of days,” she said to Josh, Shannon, and Stephen. “You’ll be going to the same place as Lisa and Veronica. Your dad and I are meeting with the director this morning to figure out your schedules and get everything sorted out. The circumstances are unfortunate, but I’ve always wanted to send you to a private school, and I’m sure you’ll like it. Nora has kindly offered to take you to the uniform store this afternoon and get you whatever you need.”
Lisa couldn’t understand why her mother was being so nice, and she stopped concealing her irritation, although her father kept frowning in her direction. He clearly wanted everyone to shut up and play along, but she wasn’t planning to cooperate with him. She tried to think of a way to cause trouble, and an opportunity presented itself sooner than she expected.
“Do we really have to wear uniforms?” said Shannon.
“The school has high standards,” said Sabrina. “It will encourage you to do your best. You can’t just wear whatever you want and expect to perform up to your full potential. Those ratty jeans you like so much have probably already damaged your future prospects, although we won’t know for sure until your college applications are evaluated. It’s high time you started dressing like a civilized young woman.”
“What do you mean by civilized?” said Shannon.
“Just follow Lisa’s example,” said Sabrina.
Shannon gave Lisa a withering look.
“I think it’s stupid,” she said. “How am I supposed to learn anything if I’m dressed up like a carnival monkey?”
“You’ll look just like all the other students,” said Sabrina.
“I hope not,” said Shannon. “No offense, but they sound like a bunch of entitled brats. Sorry, Lisa. I’m sure you’re a nice girl, but I’m not planning to marry a slimy politician and spend the rest of my life looking pretty at charity events.”
“It’s fine,”
