br /> “That’s the burden the good Lord put on me and I bear it as best I can. You gonna stop hidin’ in the ditch with the snakes or are you gonna come to my house?”
“With you!” Sara said, jumping out of the ditch and onto the road.
R.J. was beginning to recover himself and he started toward the other side of the truck. “This is very kind of you to invite us to your house and especially to pick us up.”
“I didn’t come to get you. I’m on my way into town. That girl that come with you is givin’ New York makeovers, clothes and all. I’m on her list so I gotta go. You two can take care of my young ’uns while I’m in town. I think it’s the least you can do after what you done to my poor dog. That was a good animal.” She wiped at her eye and managed to smear a full inch of black eyeliner across her temple.
“Mrs. Nezbit,” Sara began, “I really don’t think we can—”
“Now don’t you go gettin’ uppity with me, or are you jealous of your sister? Just because she has the talent don’t mean you don’t have some somewhere. That’s all the time I got to stay here helpin’ you. Go ask Effie what to do. She’s as smart as any of Fenny’s kids are. See ya someday,” she said with a cackle of laughter, then took off in a flurry of gravel and dirt.
When Sara stopped coughing, she looked at R.J. “Ariel is …”
“Making over the entire island,” R.J. said in wonder.
“As you said, my cousin has a backbone of steel.” There was pride in Sara’s voice, and wonder. Ariel had said she could be a style consultant, but Sara had laughed at her.
“You can go into town if you want,” R.J. said softly.
“And hand Ariel the eyeshadow brushes? No thanks. Let David do that. But you’re going to owe Ariel. Thanks to her, it looks like you’re going to be able to spend time alone with all six of the Nezbit kids.”
“Do you think any of them will be in diapers?” There was fear in his voice.
“At least two. You know, don’t you, that some kids stay in diapers until they’re four years old. That means she could have several in diapers. Cloth diapers that have to be washed. Wonder if she has a washer, or does she wash them in the creek?”
“You have an ugly sense of humor.”
“I developed it while working for my boss. Someday I’ll have to tell you about him.”
“Not today. I’ve had enough for today.”
Sara pulled the front of her shirt out and glanced down. “And it’s not even seven A.M. yet.” She laughed when she saw the little spark in his eyes. “Obviously, you’re not dead yet. Come on.” She started walking down the driveway.
“If there are diapers, I’ll give you a ten percent raise to change them,” he said.
Sara shook her head. “Not enough. How about the corporate apartment by MoMA?”
“Do you know how much that thing is worth?” he asked, aghast.
“I hope they’re cloth diapers.”
“A twenty percent raise.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said, smiling. It was nice to think about being off that island and home in safe New York.
They didn’t see the house until they were above it, looking down on its long, narrow roof. A stone hillside had been cut away and the back wall of the one-story house had been built to fit against the rock. The front of the house faced the water—and the most spectacular view either R.J. or Sara had yet seen.
“Wow,” Sara said, looking across the roof to the water. In the distance she could see three other islands, their forms misty and beautiful. There was a narrow expanse of beach in the front, the honey-colored sand meeting the water. Trees shaded the house but didn’t block its view.
“Who do you think built this?” Sara asked.
“Nezbit,” R.J. answered, and Sara couldn’t help laughing.
“Another stolen house,” she said. “But this one … I’ve never seen anything like it before. Have you?”
When R.J. said nothing, she looked at him. He was frowning in a way that made her sure he knew something.
“What is it?”