The last secret_ a novel - Mary McGarry Morris [88]
“I know. But I bet you feel better now, right?” Hammond holds her at arm's length to look at her. With her solemn nod, he pulls her back into his embrace. Her eyes dart between the two men.
“It got in my hair and Clay called me barf head,” she complains, pouting.
“Well, that's not very nice, but then again, if it got in your hair, maybe you kinda were?”
“No!” she protests, giggling when he tickles her. “Did you bring me a present?” she asks.
“No,” he says regretfully. “I was in too much of a hurry. I wanted to see you. But I will,” he promises and she grins up at him.
He might as well not even be here, so taken are they with one another. He hates this, hates being reduced to insignificance. Especially by self-centered losers like them.
“Tell me what to get,” Hammond says. “Something you really, really want.”
“My Pony. One with pink hair.”
“Oh, honey,” Hammond groans. “I don't think so. Where would Mummy put a horse?”
“Not a real one,” she laughs. “A little toy horse.” She holds her hands together to show the size.
“Oh boy!” Hammond smacks the side of his head. “You had me worried for a minute there. I was trying to figure out how I was ever going to sneak a real horse not only into the hospital, but onto the elevator, then down the hallway, past all the doctors and nurses, and into this little room.”
Giggling helplessly through Hammond's scenario, she keeps trying to pry open his fist. When she does, she finds four quarters inside.
“So, what're you doing here?” Hammond asks, holding up his other fist now, which she grabs. “I didn't know you and Robin even knew each other.”
“We didn't. Not then, anyway. But now we do.” Eddie smiles knowingly.
Hammond's gaze flickers. “Well, yeah. Small city, one way or another you end up knowing everybody.” He opens his fist and Lyra seizes the five-dollar bill crumpled in it.
“Yeah. She's great. She's … great.”
“Oh, Ken!” Robin squeals through the opening door. She is carrying three frozen yogurt cones in a cardboard box. “What're you doing here?” she asks, pleased, but Hammond, Eddie enjoys seeing, is offended.
“What am I doing here? What do you think?” His smile is strained.
“Oh, I know, but …”
“Your mother told me.”
“I know, but you said not to—”
“Obviously not when it's something like this.” His eyes dart to Lyra who sits cross-legged against her pillows. She reaches for the cone from which Robin is distractedly peeling the paper wrapper.
“Here, baby.” Robin hands it to her.
“Eddie scared me,” Lyra says, licking it.
“What?” Eddie does a double-take, but only the brat is looking at him.
“He said you weren't coming back. Never.”
Nora is waiting in the study when Ken gets home. Nothing wrong at FairWinds, but he looks terrible. They were leaving the high school when he checked his phone messages. Oliver's alarm had gone off earlier. Everything seemed to be secure, the security company said, but Ken said he'd better check the house, just to be sure. She offered to go with him, but he thought she should go home, particularly in light of what Mr. Carteil had said. Ironically enough, Drew had the History Channel on when she came in. She sat down next to him and put her hand over his.
Together they watched the bombing of London. She found the old footage hypnotic and eerily calming, high-pitched air raid sirens, terrified people running through the streets as searchlights crisscrossed the night sky, for a moment putting her own troubles into perspective.
“Is everything all right?” she finally asked.
“Yeah,” he said with a shrug, staring at the screen. He slipped his hand out from under hers. “Some lady called. Alice something. She left her number.” He dug the slip of paper from his pocket, but Nora just put it on the table. Her son was her first priority.
She told him she was concerned, that it was perfectly understandable for him to feel depressed about what had happened between his parents, but it was vital that he talk about it.
“Okay.” Another shrug.
“You're not happy, are you?”
“I'm okay.”
“No, you're not, Drew. It's so obvious.