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  Tanesha looked up. The camera angle caught her eyes in such a way that they looked almost amber. She smiled.

  “He has problems,” Tanesha said. “I have problems. He’s not perfect, but I’m not either. That’s where the relating comes in. I get to really know him. He gets to really know me. That’s pretty great. So being in this relationship is my choice. Today.”

  The camera faded out and the screen showed the tag line for the interview: “Miss T speaks to Diane Sawyer.”

  “I see what you mean,” the host said.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday mid-day — 11:37 A.M. MDT

  Denver, CO

  “Okay Sissy, step on the scale for me, please,” the school nurse said.

  “Do I have to?” Sissy’s voice went up with panic. “I didn’t realize I would be weighed in and I’m not ready and . . . ”

  The nurse touched Sissy’s arm.

  “You wouldn’t happen to be Sandy Delgado’s sister, would you?” the nurse asked.

  “Sandy?” Sissy beamed. “She’s like my mom and my sister all rolled up in one.”

  “I went to school with her,” the nurse said. “She was a couple grades behind me at Machebeuf. I see her every once in a while when I want my hair to be really fancy.”

  Sissy smiled.

  “Does she still hang out with . . . ”

  “The girlfriends?” Without thinking, Sissy stepped on the scale. “Sure, they took Tanesha to her med school orientation day today. Did you know them too?”

  “Heather and I went to the same church growing up,” the nurse moved the weights over on the scale.

  “Tanesha’s dating that hunky Jeraine,” Sissy said. “We went to see him on Saturday.”

  “Jeraine? He went here, to East.”

  “So did Jake,” Sissy said. “We live with him. Jake Lipson.”

  “He and Jeraine are like royalty here,” the nurse said. “You can get off.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” Sissy asked.

  “It makes you kind of a celebrity by association,” the nurse said.

  “Oh, well, we live with Valerie Lipson too,” Sissy said. “She did my fingernails. Aren’t they pretty?”

  “Very pretty,” the nurse said. “That’s some house you live in.”

  “It’s huge,” Sissy said. “We can go a lot of days and not see anyone or see them all the time. It’s fun. I live in an apartment with Sandy and her husband Aden and their baby Rachel and my new sister Noelle and my new brother Nash and my old brother Charlie. It’s great.”

  Smiling, the nurse held out a pill and a Dixie cup of water for Sissy. She took her pill.

  “I’ll need to weigh you at least once a week. Can you do that?” the nurse asked.

  “I can try,” Sissy said. “If I get too focused on my weight, I get sick again.”

  “Let’s not focus on it that then,” the nurse said. “Let’s spend our time talking about your life at school. Deal?”

  Sissy nodded.

  “I need to check your bandages.”

  Sissy pulled up her top for the nurse to see. She touched each of them to check to see if they needed to be changed.

  “It looks like you’re healing well,” the nurse said. “When does ballet practice start again?”

  “As soon as I’m better,” Sissy said. “Today, we’re just doing leg exercises. Ivan, my teacher, wants me to learn how to run. I’m going out with Jake this evening so he can help me and Noelle. But I bet everyone will come. That’s usually what happens. Everyone decides to come. It’s more fun that way. We’re going to go slow so the boys will probably complain.”

  “I’ll see you every day for your pill. Can I help in any other way?”

  “I don’t think so,” Sissy said.

  The nurse took Sissy’s hands.

  “It seems like you have a really great life with lots of people who love you,” the nurse said. “Do you know that?”

  “Sure,” Sissy nodded. “I still get crazy sometimes.”

  “I think we’ll be good friends,” the nurse smiled.

  “Okay,” Sissy said. “Bye.”

  Sissy went out the door and onto her next class. When she left, the nurse picked up the phone.

  “Sandy?” the nurse asked.

  “How did it go, Ginny?” Sandy asked.

  “You were right about weigh-ins,” Ginny the nurse said. “She doesn’t want to do it. But we got past it. I think she’s going to be fine.”

  “Thanks Ginny,” Sandy said. “I really appreciate you helping Sissy like this.”

  “Don’t worry,” Ginny said. “She’s a bright girl with a lot of energy. I’m happy to help. See you tomorrow?”

  “You bet,” Sandy clicked off her phone. One at a time, her family was transitioning into their next phase. She smiled and went back to her accounting.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday afternoon — 2:37 p.m. EDT

  New York City

  “So that’s two votes for the clip I like,” the editor said. “Two for yours.”

  “Show them again so we can decide,” the host said. “It’s getting late and we need to make a decision.

  “Ok, here’s your favorite clip.”

  The screen shifted to an image of Jeraine and Tanesha sitting on the couch.

  “And is it different? Do you still obsess on sex and women?”

  “No, it’s different,” he said. “Calmer, warmer, and there’s Tanesha.”

  “How is that different?”

  “How is sex with Tanesha different from the press of sex with all those other women?” Jeraine asked.

  “Oh no. Uh huh,” Tanesha said. “You are not talking about our sex life on national television.”

  “But . . . ” Jeraine gestured to the host as if she was forcing him to answer the question.

  “You know what will happen,” Tanesha said. “Your Grannie Louise will call my Gran and have the talk. ‘Now I know you did your best with that girl,’ Grannie Louise will say. ‘But that girl leads my sweet grandson away from righteousness. Did you see how she made him talk about physical intimacy on television?’ And it always ends with ‘There’s only so much you can do with a hellion like that.’ And they’ll cluck and crow and then I’ll have to hear about it.”

  Jeraine smiled as if she was daring him. She scowled at him. He looked back at the camera.

  “Let’s say that there’s a playground,” Jeraine said. “You might have been to the same playground with lots of people – some you like a lot, some you don’t know well. You might swing high or play on the jungle gym until after dark or do something scary with these other people. But you only ever remember those amazing days at the playground with your best friend. It’s the same playground, same sand, same swings, but everything is better when you and your best friend are there together. That’s what I would say.”

  “That’s very sweet,” the host said.

  “And, you’re right Grannie Louise, Tanesha is a hellion. She gets me into all kinds of trouble.”

  The clip faded into the show’s lead in.

  “Why is that your favorite?” the producer asked the host.

  “It shows how much they love each other,” the host said. “How deeply they know and understand each other. Their lives are intertwined.”

  “Let’s go with that one,” the producer said. “Can we send Grannie Louise some flowers or something?”

  “You fell for them too?” the host asked.

  The producer nodded.

  “We all did,” she said.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday afternoon — 4:57 p.m. MDT

  East High Gym

  “Just one last question,” the East High basketball coach asked. “Why here? You could easily play at any school in DPS.”

  “My sister’s going to East,” Charlie nodded to Sissy sitting in the stands.

  “That’s your sister?” the captain of the Varsity team said.

  “Sissy,” Charlie looked at the older boy. “Why
?”

  “Oh nothing,” the boy said.

  “We live just a few blocks from here,” Charlie said. “It’s easy.”

  “We haven’t had great luck with online students,” the basketball coach said. “Especially ones with drug problems.”

  “Hey, I get there’s a risk. But I’ve been clean for three months. I live close. And . . . ” Charlie nodded to Jacob when he entered the gym with Nash, Noelle, and Teddy. “I’m a pretty good player.”

  “You know Jake Lipson?” the basketball coach asked.

  “We live with him,” Charlie said. “My sister and I live with our older sister, her husband and his kids. We all live at the Castle. I worked for Jake this summer at the construction company.”

  “Good guy,” the basketball coach said. “Why are they here?”

  “My sister, Sissy, is a ballerina,” Charlie said. “Her coach wants her to learn to run. Jake thought he could get the key to the field so we could practice. They’re waiting for me.”

  The basketball coach looked at Charlie. Terrified he might not get on the team, Charlie gave the coach his most confident smile. The coach nodded to him and pointed to the varsity captain.

  “So you have a practice schedule?” the varsity captain asked.

  Charlie nodded.

  “We have to check with the office or whatever to see if you can play varsity,” the varsity captain said. “You’re old enough, but since you’re just a freshman in school . . . It’s complicated but we’ll work it out.”

  “Why did you ask about Sissy?” Charlie asked.

  “My girl and her friends went to see Mr. It, you know Jeraine, on Saturday,” he said. “A few of the guys went to, you know . . . ”

  “Get with the girls,” Charlie said. “I was there.”

  “I saw your sister dancing.” The boy straightened up until he was a couple inches taller than Charlie. “You got a problem with that?”

  Charlie shook his head.

  “You think she’s prejudiced?” the boy asked.

  “She likes Jeraine,” Charlie said. “I think he’s a jerk, but Sissy likes him.”

  “He’s famous, rich.”

  “He’s our friend Tanesha’s boyfriend,” Charlie said. “Don’t you have a girl?”

  The basketball captain shrugged his shoulders.

  “Don’t fuck around with my sister,” Charlie said.

  “Yeah, whatever,” the varsity captain said. “See you at practice.”

  Charlie watched the boy walk off. He nodded to Sissy and left the gym.

  “How did it go?” Sissy ran down the steps to him.

  “I’m in,” Charlie beamed.

  “Yea!” the kids cheered.

  “Let’s celebrate with a run,” Jake said.

  They followed him out of the gym.

  Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Nine

  Let it go

  Monday evening — 6:57 p.m. MDT

  Ava came out of her and Seth’s bedroom to find Dale laying drop cloths on the wood stairwell. Needing to get to work, Ava scooted down the stairs to the first floor.

  “Thanks,” Dale said and began laying out a drop cloth.

  She trotted up the steps to help him lay out the fabric on the wood stairwell.

  “If you get paint on my stairs, I will be very upset,” Maresol called up the stairwell.

  “Yes ma’am,” Dale said. “I will do my best.”

  “You do that,” Maresol smiled. “I’m very excited to give this place some color.”

  Dale smiled at her. Ava helped him place the last drop cloth.

  “See you tomorrow,” Maresol said and moved out the door.

  “Are you sure you can do this?” Ava asked. “It seems pretty slick with the cloths.”

  “I’ll be careful,” Dale said. “I’m hoping to get most of the hallway done while you’re at work this week.”

  “Seth’s going to be home again this weekend,” Ava said. “I hope he likes the colors we picked.”

  “Maresol picked the colors,” Dale said.

  “Hey! I’m the lady of the house,” Ava smiled. “I approved them.”

  Dale laughed.

  “I just have time for dinner then I’m off to work,” Ava said.

  “Don’t let me stop you,” Dale said.

  Ava jogged into the kitchen where Maresol had set out her dinner. She was just sitting down at the kitchen bar when the doorbell rang.

  “Can you get that?” Dale yelled.

  “Got it,” Ava said.

  She ran to the front door and peeked through the peep hole. She shook her head at what she saw and looked again.

  “Who is it?” Dale asked. Seeing the look on her face, he walked toward the door.

  “My Dad,” Ava whispered.

  Dale’s face soured.

  “You don’t have to answer it,” Dale’s words were punctuated by another ring of the bell.

  “Let’s do it together,” Ava said.

  She whipped open the antique wooden door and pressed open the glass security storm door.

  “What can I do for you?” Ava asked.

  “Amelie?” her father, Colorado State Attorney Aaron Alvin, stepped back from the door. “What are you doing here?”

  “This is my home,” Ava said. “What can I do for you?”

  Her father spied Dale and his face expressed the disdain he felt for her best friend Beth’s boyfriend.

  “You live here with that free loader?” her father asked.

  Ava closed the security storm door. She was closing the inner door when he spoke up.

  “Wait,” her father said. “Just wait. I need to speak with O’Malley.”

  “He’s not here,” Ava said. “He’s in LA.”

  Her father opened the outer door.

  “Why are you here?” her father asked.

  “I live here,” Ava said. “Why are you here?”

  “I need to speak with O’Malley,” her father repeated.

  “Now that we’ve established why we are both here, I’m going back to my dinner,” Ava moved to close the door. Her father’s hand held the door open.

  “Amelie really,” her father said. “Does it have to be like this?”

  “There’s too much that’s happened,” Ava said. “You’ve done too many . . . awful things. Too much. And since you’re convinced that you’re right and won’t listen to reason, yes, it has to be like this. Now, O’Malley is not here. May I close the front door?”

  He lifted his hand.

  “Thank you,” Ava said.

  She had almost closed the door when he said: “Your mother misses you.”

  Ava rolled her eyes and scrunched up her face behind the door.

  “You need to get on with your life,” he said.

  Ava whipped open the door.

  “I just created the first successful protocol for the First Responder’s Toxin. Something no one, including the UN, the CDC, or even the Israelis, was able to do,” Ava said. “I’m moving into a new lab in the new DPD building. My life and my career are moving at rapid pace. Is yours?”

  “What are you talking about?” her father scowled. “Your little police career is over now that O’Malley quit.”

  “Come on,” Dale shifted Ava away from the door. “Thank you for coming by, Mr. Alvin. Seth is in Los Angeles. Do you need his number?”

  “Get out of the way,” Ava’s father said. “I was speaking with my daughter.”

  “I’ll take that as a no,” Dale said and shut the door.

  “That man . . . ” Ava was so angry she was shaking. “That man . . . ”

  Ava went from clenched fist furious to sobbing on Dale’s chest in an instant.

  “B-B-B-Beth . . . ” Ava said.

  “I know,” Dale said. “Beth would say that he was doing his best. He doesn’t know any better and stuff like that. I miss her today too.”

  The doorbell rang.

  “Come on,” Dale said. “Let’s eat and you can leave for work.”


  “What about painting?” Ava worked to control the tears that dropped from her eyes.

  “It will all get done,” Dale said. “That’s what O’Malley says. One way or another, everything eventually gets done.”

  “We’re lucky our friends are so wise,” Ava said.

  “Makes it harder when they’re gone.”

  Ava nodded.

  “Beth would say that we shouldn’t give too much time to this . . . ”

  “Crap,” Ava nodded.

  “Let’s eat.”

  Ava followed him into the kitchen.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday evening — 8:57 p.m. MDT

  “There you are,” Tanesha said as she entered the den of the Penthouse. Jeraine was sitting on the couch watching a final version of their interview. “What are you doing?”

  “We have last right of refusal on this interview,” Jeraine said. “It’s something the Schmidtys are known for putting in their contracts.”

  “Contract?”

  “Jammy had contracts prepared when Primetime said they wanted to catch us on Sunday,” Jeraine said.

  “But my publicist is Jen,” Tanesha said. “She’s the one who called us after church.”

  “Jammy worked with Jen,” Jeraine said. “Now we have to look at this to make sure it’s right.”

  “I wanted to talk to you about something.” Tanesha sat on the couch next to him.

  “Ok,” he said. “But let’s finish this then talk.”

  Tanesha nodded.

  “Jammy tagged a few places he wanted us to check,” Jeraine said. “I’ve been through it a couple of times. The only place I’m stuck is here. Can you take a look?”

  “Ok,” Tanesha said.

  He clicked the remote control and the video began to run. She and Jeraine were sitting on the patio with City Park and the Denver skyline in the background.

  “You know there are women who say they were . . . with Jeraine last night,” the host said. “Two women. They’ve posted some photos on Facebook. Have you seen them?”

  Tanesha shook her head.

  “How do you feel about that?”