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Cilla grew so accustomed to the cars that slowed or stopped at the end of her driveway she barely registered theined took photos, didn’t have to be a problerow accusto was to ignore them, or to toss out the occasional and casual wave

To become part of the community, she determined, she had to demonstrate her intent and desire So she shopped at the local superht the majority of her materials from local sources And chatted up the salesclerks, the subcontractors, and signed autographs for those who still thought of her as TV Katie

She considered it symbolic, a statement of that intent, when she took Ford’s advice and followed her first instincts and had the gates re cherry trees to flank the drive A stateht, as she stood on the shoulder of the road and studied the results New life And next spring, when they burst into blooe point, she looked down at the house There would be gardens and young trees as well as the grand old ht, with its hite bloo the air The paint on the house would be fresh and clean instead of dingy and peeling Chairs on the veranda, and pots of mixed flowers And when she could squeeze a little et, pavers in earthy tones on the drive cutting through lush green lawns

Eventually, when people slowed down to look, it would be because they ad, and not because they wondered what the hell the Hollyo with the house where Janet Hardy had sed too many pills and chased them with vodka

She stepped back toward the wall at the sound of an approaching car, then turned at the quick beep-beep as the little red Honda pulled to the shoulder

It took her a nize the pretty blonde in cropped pants and a crocheted cahter, Angela McGowan, Cilla’s half sister, rushed forward to catch Cilla in a squeeze

"Angie" The fresh, sassy scent enveloped her as completely as the ar ain I’hter, Angie pulled back, met Cilla’s eyes with her own enorht Their father’s daughter "And you sripped Cilla’s hands "You shouldn’t still be so beautiful, considering"

"You look aertips over the very abbreviated ends of Angie’s hair "It’s so short"

"Takes two seconds to deal with in the ave her head a quick shake so the sunny cap lifted, ruffled, settled "I had to practically have a blindfold and a cigarette to get it done"

"It’s fabulous What are you doing here? I thought you were at college?"

"Semester’s done for me, so I’m home for a while I can’t believe you’re here And this" She gestured toward the house "You’re actually living here, and fixing it up and all"

"There’s a lot of all"

"These are so pretty So ie touched one of the curved branches with its blosso about what’s going on here I’ve only been home for a day, and already I’ve had my ears burned by all the talk"

"Good talk or bad talk?"

"Why wouldn’t it be good?" Angie cocked her head "This place was an eyesore So yeah, it’s not so pretty right now, either, but you’re doing so Nobody else has Is it hard? I don’there, living here?"

"No" But Angie would ask, Cilla knew Angie would care "In fact, it’s easy It feels right, e"

"I don’t think so I think everyone’s supposed to be somewhere, and the lucky ones find out where it is So you’re lucky"

"I guess I aht side of optiie lived Her father’s daughter Their father’s daughter, Cilla corrected "Do you want to coht now, but we’re ress"

"I would, and I will another time I’ to see you for a minute Didn’t expect to see you on the side of the road, so I guess I’m lucky, too So if uh-oh"

Cilla followed the direction of Angie’s glance, noted the white van that slowed and pulled to the shoulder across the road

"Do you knoho that is?" Cilla asked "I’ve seen that van pull up out here before, several times before"

"Yeah, that’s Mr Hennessy’s van His son was-"

"I know One of the boys with Janet’s son, in the accident Okay Stay here"

"Oh God, Cilla, don’t go over there" Angie grabbed at Cilla’s arm "He’s just awful Mean son of a bitch I mean, sure, what happened was terrible, but he hates us"

"Us?"

"All of us It’s a by-association kind of thing, Dad says You should stay out of his way"

"He’s in ie"

Cilla crossed over, h the windshield as she crossed to the driver’s-side door A lift van, she sa One designed to handle his son’s wheelchair

The slope of the shoulder put her at a disadvantage-slightly off-balance and several inches lower than the lared out at her

"Mr Hennessy, I’m Cilla McGowan"

"I knoho you are Look just like her, don’t you?"

"I was sorry to hear you lost your son last year"

"Lost him in 1972 when your worthless kin crushed his spine Drunk and high and not giving a da but hiive a damn"

"That ht I can’t-"

"You’re no better than she was, thinking you’re better’n anybody else ’cause you’ve gotpeople to ko"

The well of Cilla’s syan to dry up "You don’t know me"

"Hell I don’t I know you, your kind, your blood You think you can come here where that woman whored around, let her kids run like wolves, where she cost er slapped out, bony fingers, in short, brittle blows "You think you can buy some wood, some paint and use it to cover up the stink of that place? Shoulda burned it down years back Burned it to the godforsaken ground"

"It’s a house, Mr Hennessy It’s wood and glass"And you, she thought with no sympathy at all, are a lunatic

"It’s as cursed as she was As you are" He spat out the , barely missed the toe of Cilla’s boot "Go back where you came from We don’t want you or your kind here"

He pulled out so fast, fishtailing, that Cilla had to scramble back She slid on the slope, lost her balance and went down on her knees as Angie ran across the road

"Are you okay? Jesus, Jesus, he didn’t hit you, did he?"

"No No" But her eyes were narrowed, iced blue, on the speeding van "I’nation, Angie pulled a hot pink cell phone out of her pocket "He spat at you! I saw him, and he nearly ran you over, and-"

"Don’t" Cilla put a hand to the phone as Angie flipped it open "Let it go" She sighed, rubbed at her knee "Just let it go"

"Are you hurt? You went down hard We need to look at your knee"

"It’s okay, Mom"

"Seriously I’ll drive you down to the house, and we’ll see if you need to have it checked out That old bastard"

"The knee’s fine I’ie took a couple of whooshing breaths while she studied Cilla "You don’t look pissed off"

"Believe ie laughed "That’syou down to the house, now don’t argue"

"Fine Thanks Does he act that way to you?" Cilla asked as they crossed to Angie’s Honda

"He snarls and sends what you could call burning stares, one off on Dad And I mean, God, do you know anybody with more compassion than Dad? Just because he was friends with Mr Hennessy’s son, and the rest of them, doesn’t make him responsible for what happened He wasn’t even there that night And clue in, you weren’t even born"

"He’s got the sins-of-the-father thing going, I’d say If he wants to drive by, stop and glower and think bad thoughts, let him"

At the end of the drive, Cilla opened the car door She took a breath herself now, and realized she felt better, ie"

"I want to look at your knee before I go"

"The knee’s fine" To prove it, and to change theinto a quick tap routine on the patchy lawn, and ended with a flourish while Angie giggled

"Wow I guess it is fine"

"Nice stems, doll" Steve stepped onto the veranda, tattoos and tool belt "And who’s your friend?"

"We’re not friends," Angie said, "we’re sisters"

"Angela McGowan, Steve Chensky Steve’s a friend froand bold

"Angie’s just ho out to meet some friends"

"I aie ordered, cli back into her car

"Mr who?"

"I will Have fun"

"That’s the plan I’ll be back Niceyou, Steve" With a wave out the , she did a neat three-quarter turn and drove out

"Your sister’s hot"

"And barely legal, so hands off"

"’Barely’ would be the key word You gotta love that McGowan DNA"

"No No, you don’t How’s it co hot They need to finish getting the AC up and running But it’s co"

"I’ht behind you"

HE’D BEEN RIGHT about the heat Cilla calculated she’d dropped a couple of pounds in sweat alone by the time she unhooked her tool belt for the day She treated herself to a long, cool shower in her one nearly coo And thought about fixing herself an enor-out splendor on her back veranda, and i shrubs, ornarowth She i sycamore and pictured the new slates and bricks on the patios and paths The drip of s at the pond, the shade of red nolias

Not cursed, she thought, rubbing lightly at the knee that was a little stiff and sore Ignored, neglected for too long, but not cursed, despite the accusations of a bitter old bird feeders And the birds would coarden with her own hands-after she researched what should be planted-and drawabout as she harvested bloo, one who’d chase sticks and squirrels and rabbits, and she’d have to chase hiardens Maybe she’d even see if she could hunt up an appealingly ugly one, like Spock

She’d have parties with colored lights and h the house, over the lawn, filling it, filling it with sound and movement Pulses and heartbeats and voices

And she’d wake up everyinside a home Her home

She looked down at the paper plate in her lap, watched the tear plop "Oh God, what’s this?" She rubbed her hands over her wet cheeks, pressed thehtness in her chest "What’s this, what’s this?"

On the sagging veranda facing the ruined gardens, she sat alone while the sun slid toward the ave in to the sobs Meltdown, part of her brain thought Had to happen

Dogs, people, colored lights? Failure was a lot ood bones, good muscle But wasn’t she cursed? What had she ever done that mattered? What had she ever finished? She’d fail here, too Failure hat she did best