Operation: Normal (22 page)

"She has a point, Clint," said my mother in an unexpected show of support.

"And besides," added Zach. "I'll be around to help watch out for her."

Clearly in turmoil, Dad sat back and ran his fingers through his hair. I saw that his hand
trembled badly and began to realize just how hard this must be. Impulsively, I scooted my chair
back and ran around the table to throw my arms around him.

"I love you so much, Daddy," I said softly into his ear. "Please don't leave me again.
Please, please, please."

A long silence followed my plea.

"Okay," he finally whispered.

I kissed away the tear trailing down his flushed face.

Zach, my dad and I went to the hospital to see Adele Monday morning. She really was
better. So much better that we understood every word when she invited Dad to stay with her
anytime he came to Austin to see me. I noticed that she struggled a little with eating, which
meant swallowing problems. The doctor told us she'd need rehab for at least two weeks once she
got out of the hospital, something Zach and I promised to help her get to and from.

Back at the apartment, I got in about five hour's worth of sleep before Heath and Minka
showed up.

"I've been so worried!" she exclaimed, hugging me the minute I opened the door. "What
if Zach hadn't found you?"

"I'd still be stuck in that nasty old barn all alone or, worse, actually with those jerks who
kidnapped me." I shuddered at the thought. As I let them into the apartment, I looked for any
sign that things had changed between them, that they were not just good friends, but a whole lot
more.

Neither gave me a clue, for about ten minutes. Then I caught Heath staring longingly at
Minka's lips.

"Go ahead and kiss her," I said, taking a chance. "I've figured it out."

Grinning, he did exactly that.

So by the time Zach got back to the apartment that evening, Heath was in such a good
mood that the two of them actually got along. The four of us even went out for pizza.

Tuesday morning, Mom and I learned that our apartment fire started from a cooking pot
that burned dry and melted. The coated handle had then ignited, a fire that quickly spread. When
I shared this with Esme, her stricken face told me what we'd already guessed. She immediately
began crying and confessed that she made herself some tea around two Saturday morning
because she couldn't sleep. Mom was really cool about the whole thing. She told Esme that we
all make mistakes. Luckily this one turned out okay.

Wednesday afternoon my dad dropped by and announced that he was on medical leave
and intended to camp out in Adele's apartment for a few weeks. I thought that was the best day
of my life until Sylvie Sorrenson got arrested for DUI on Friday. The cops found marijuana in
her car, which led to a search of her apartment that resulted in my mom and me getting some of
our personal stuff back, including my X-Men clock. The cops also found some magazines with
cut up pages, all the proof they needed that she'd written the threat letters. That put Sylvie behind
bars for a while.

In September, Esme eloped with Roy to Las Vegas and started sending me e-mails with
no capital letters. Then, in October, a couple of months after Zach and I started our senior years,
him at UT-Austin and me at Austin High, Seth Thomas ran off with his secretary. Zach's mom,
Anna Santiago, filed for divorce immediately, surprising everyone. Seth most of all, I think.

Zach told his mom about Kayly and me shortly after that, but waited until Christmas to
take me home to Houston to meet her and his grandparents. Though Anna could've made things
tough for us, she chose the high road. Her family followed her lead, exhibiting the strength of
character that was what I loved most about Zach.

By January, we were all family, Dad, Mom, Adele, Kayly, Zach, Anna, and me. That's
when Zach pointed out that we'd actually succeeded in giving our little sister a normal life. I
realized he was exactly right. Our happy, imperfect clash of personalities, nationalities, and
careers was all I could ever have wanted for her.

And so much more.

The End

Linda Varner Palmer is a diehard romantic and has been writing for as long as she can
remember. In 1989, she sold her first romance to Silhouette Books. She wrote twenty more
paperback novels over the next ten years, all of which have been translated and sold worldwide.
Linda is a member of Romance Writers of America was a Rita finalist in 1993 and 1996.

After taking a break, Linda is writing again and focusing on young adult paranormal
e-books this time around. She has written five so far and is fascinated by ghosts, psychics,
shapeshifters, and all other things weird and amazing.

Linda is married to her junior high school sweetheart. They have been together for
thirty-seven years and have a son and daughter, a son- and daughter-in-law, three-and one-half
grandchildren, a dog, four granddogs, and a grandcat.

Visit Linda's website at www.lvpalmer.com. Write to her at [email protected].

* * * *

Uncial Press brings you extraordinary fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Put a world of
reading in your pocket.

www.uncialpress.com