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She located the belt and wrapped it around her waist, checking her reflection in the full-lengthon her mother’s bathroom door The mirror also reflected the queen-size bed her parents had once shared Even after six years of living alone, her ht-hand side Not in the ave Annie hope that her parents would one day reunite It hat her father wanted most in the world What Annie wanted, too Her parents were ether Her father hadhe wanted to make it up to the faood to be close to her dad again Now that the lovely Tiffany was gone, Annie felt there was real hope for a reconciliation between her parents It just see her nize how sincere he was and take him back Annie loved them both so much, and all she wanted was for them to be happy What they did with their lives wasn’t really up to her, as Andrew pointed out with annoying regularity, but sometimes she felt she understood them better than they understood the that someone had entered the house "Is that you, Mom?" Annie called down fro here?"

Annie had her own apartton campus "I came to borrow your silver belt You don’t mind, do you?"

"Of course not"

"Are you and Dad finished with dinner already?" she asked as she walked down the stairs

"Yes, it didn’t take long" Bethanne hung her jacket in the hall closet and smiled over at Annie "You look fabulous"

"You think so?" Confir

"What tilancing at her watch

"Eight-thirty Our reservation isn’t until nine"

"That’s a little late for dinner, isn’t it?"

Annie nodded "Vance said that was the earliest he could get us a table Every tourist visiting Seattle wants to eat at the Space Needle Vance et a reservation"

Her mother considered the cos to pull"

"Mom," she protested "Vance had classes with Matt, remember? And Matt buses tables at the Space Needle Matt must’ve put in a word for Vance"

"Herooloves coood" Bethanne settled into her favorite chair She had the pattern on a clipboard, held there by a lasses, perching the, which only had a fes completed

This was a farAnnie would ever undertake "I want you to knit so, too, you know"

"I wouldn’t drea else--when the time comes If you want, you can take a look at the dress and veil I hen I married your father It’s yours should you choose to wear it"

"Oh Mo dress?"

"We’re about the sa picture used to hang on the stairall Annie had seen it practically every day of her life until after their divorce She didn’t knohere the photograph was anylass had been cracked She assu her father announced he was in love with the lovely Tiffany

Annie couldn’t quite re dress looked like What she did recall was the joy on her er than Annie--and a beautiful bride Her father had been young, too, and so handsoraph

"It woulddress when you do get e the subject, she said, "Oh, and thank you"

"For what?"

"For notthis road trip"

Annie felt uneasy about the whole plan The thought of herunescorted across the entire country, froton to Florida, sent chills down her spine "I still don’t think this is a good idea"

"Nonsense" Hera yellow pen, marked off the row she’d just finished

"You told Dad, didn’t you?" Annie asked She hadn’t said anything about it because she was sure her mother would

"Actually, no"

"Mom!" Annie couldn’t believe her ht to knohat you’re doing"

Bethanne glanced up froht object"

"Annie, sweetheart, I stopped listening to your father’s objections a long ti with Grandma!"

"Then she can tell him"

What her rand to let Grant or Aunt Robin knohat she intended, either

"If you aren’t going to say anything, then someone needs to let hih "Do what you want, but as far as I’m concerned it isn’t any of his business"