Don't Say A Word(137)

He patted her hand. "I feel better when I drink. The pain is not so sharp."



"But Dad-"



"I know," he cut in. "Your sister already talked to me about it."



Julia looked at Liz in surprise. "You did?"



"You told me it was my turn to take action," Liz replied. "Dive in, take charge, stop being a spectator, you said. So I did. Dad and I had a long talk last night."



"I'm glad." Things were going so well, Julia wondered if she should push her luck; then she decided to go for it. "There's one other person I'd like to invite for next weekend's Sunday brunch."



"Alex?" Liz asked with a wry smile on her lips. "I should have figured."



Her heart flip-flopped at the sound of his name, but she shook her head. "No, not Alex. I was thinking about Susan Davidson, Sarah's mother, and your grandmother. I'd like the two of you to meet."



Gino glanced at Liz. "What do you think, honey?"



"I think it's a good idea," Liz said slowly. "If Julia is getting another sister, I might as well get another grandmother, if you don't think Nonna will mind," she said to Gino, referring to his mother.



"She'll be all right with it," Gino replied. "There's always room for one more."



"Good," Julia said with a smile. "You're both being really generous, and I appreciate it more than you know."



"What about Alex?" Liz persisted. "Why don't you invite him, too?"



"Because he's leaving. In fact, he's probably already gone. He couldn't wait to get back to his job." She blinked back a tear. She wasn't going to cry over Alex. She'd had a good time with him. And he'd been great. She'd known all along that what they had was only temporary.#p#分页标题#e#



"You love him, don't you?" Lizzie said quietly, with compassion in her brown eyes.



"I wish I didn't, but I think I do." She paused. "There's something else I need to tell you."



"There's more?" Liz queried. "I thought we knew everything."



"About the past, yes, but I want to talk to you about the future. I'm planning a little trip…"





Chapter 23



Two weeks later Julia could barely believe she was traveling by taxi through the streets of Moscow with Elena by her side. She smiled at her sister. "We're here," she said.



"I keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. Two weeks ago I didn't know you existed, and here I am in Russia with the sister I thought was dead. Life takes some very mysterious turns just when you least expect it," Elena replied.



"I'm so glad you were willing to come with me. know it was kind of an impulsive thing to do. And you're more into planning than I am. But I was afraid if we waited too long, we'd never do it."



"Fortunately, the Russian government was willing to extend us visas," Elena replied. "That expedited matters."



"I guess the Russians were happy to discover an American end to an old Russian crime. It certainly released any lingering doubts about who killed our parents."



"It's too bad Mama and Papa told Brady about those jewels. They might have lived otherwise."



"I'm sure they did the best they could with the information they had. They didn't know who to trust, and they took a chance."



"And it got them killed." Elena turned sideways in her seat. "I wasn't sure about this trip, you know. I kept thinking we should let this part of our lives stay in the past, but now that we're here, I'm excited." She paused. "I keep thinking I should remember something, but I don't. Do you?"



"Not at all," Julia said with a sigh. "Maybe when we start walking the streets something will come back. I hope so, anyway."



"Me, too. But whatever happens, I'm glad we came. I'm also glad I met your family. They were really nice to me. I'm grateful for that."



Julia sat back in her seat, watching the sights go by, and thinking about the last ten days. As Elena had said, the DeMarcos had graciously accepted her into their midst, including Liz, who after some initial awkwardness had opened her heart. Liz had also been willing to spend time with her newly discovered grandmother, Susan Davidson, who had finally been filled in on the whole story. It would take some time to blend the families, but Julia was convinced it would happen in the end.



There were still a lot of things they had to figure out, especially about the money, the jewels, and the music scores, but she and Elena had both agreed to do nothing until they'd made this special trip back to the past. They needed to shut that last door before they could completely move on with their lives.