“Susan would be glad to know things are still the same as when she lived here.”
“Is that what you came to talk to me about?”
“No. Not really. I mean, I appreciate your letting me come in for a minute. It brings back some really happy memories from when Susan and I played here.”
“I’m glad.”
Annie returned her smile, but Sandy quickly looked away.
“I came because I’m a little bit worried about you.”
“Why would you be worried?”
“When I was here before, you seemed concerned about something. I don’t want to pry into your personal business, but I did want you to know that I’d like to be your friend.”
Annie wished Sandy would turn around and face her, but she only stared into the fireplace and didn’t say anything.
“I guess I’ve been thinking about Susan a lot lately, since I’ve been trying to find her,” Annie added. “I used to come up to visit my grandmother in Stony Point when I was growing up. I was kind of an outsider here, just coming in the summers and all. My grandmother got me to invite Susan to play with me and my other friends. Gram tried to include her as much as possible while she was in Stony Point, and I think she’d feel the same way about you if she were still here.”
“Your grandmother’s dead now?”
Annie nodded. “I came here to settle her estate and fix up the house. I might sell it. I haven’t decided yet.”
“I’m sorry she’s gone. She must have been nice.”
“She was. And she cared about people. You know what?”
Annie waited until Sandy finally faced her again; then she smiled.
“If she were here, I bet Gram would invite you over for some coffee and a piece of pie and show you how to cross-stitch or something.”
Sandy’s face turned pink, but she seemed shyly pleased. “You think so?”
“I’m sure of it. It’s what I’d like to do, if you’ll come.”
The warmth in Sandy’s face turned to wariness. “That’s nice of you, but I don’t think—”
“I mean, I guess I’d have to teach you to crochet or knit because cross-stitching isn’t my specialty, but if you like it better, Alice could show you.”
“Really, I just don’t—”
“Everybody should have a friend.” Annie’s throat tightened. “I lost track of Susan when she needed one most.”
Sandy ducked her head, and Annie couldn’t help staring. What was it about the gesture that tickled Annie’s memories?
“You know, sometimes you remind me of her—of Susan.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Maybe it’s because she’s been on my mind so much lately. Maybe because you’re out here alone in her old house.”
“Maybe.” Sandy looked her straight in the eye for perhaps the first time. “Maybe it’s because there’s a little bit of a family resemblance.”
“Family resemblance?”
Annie stared at Sandy, studying her face. Maybe that was it. She had Susan’s fine features and dark blue eyes. Except for Sandy’s dark hair, Susan might look a lot like this now if she had lived.
“Susan always told me that, besides her aunt and her parents, she didn’t have any family.”
“It’s not something her father or mine liked to talk about. Dad and I never talked about it even when I was older.” Sandy shrugged. “I only saw Susan a couple of times anyway.”
“Your father and her father were—” Annie raised one eyebrow.
“Brothers. But they didn’t know anything about each other until their father died. Their father, my grandfather, was Sterling Morris. He was married to Mary.”
“Grammy Mare. I remember Susan telling me about her. She passed away the summer Susan and I met.”
Sandy glanced at Annie, and then the words came out in a rush. “Five years after he married Mary, he also married Laura. And, no, he and Mary never divorced. He was a truck driver, so it was fairly easy for him to spend time with both of his families and not have to explain the times he was away from home. Either home.”
Annie fought to keep the astonishment off her face. She didn’t want to make Sandy regret her decision to open up about herself and her family.
“Wow.” Annie gave her a small, reassuring smile. “I guess you’ll find a skeleton or two in every family closet if you go back far enough.”
“My dad, Sterling’s son Jim, found out about the first family when his father died. Evidently Mary didn’t care to have him and Laura show up at the funeral. Things got ugly, and Dad just walked away. After my Grandma Laura died, Dad’s brother Jack tried a couple of times to get in touch with him, I think, but Dad didn’t see the point. Jack had the house and the legal name and everything else. All Dad got was the embarrassment of the situation.”