My Sister's Keeper
R BAIM
lder and struggled to keep her balance as she braced herself agai
es
e in Dr. Hardesty's pool house next
neliness I often felt. The kind of loneliness that gnaws a hol
to get past me without letting in the who
caught sight of Mrs. Winslow gazing at me from a window. I g
She wore a pea-green raincoat over a white cotton shirt and faded jeans soaked from the knee
, really. What c
looked around as if to see if I wa
'll be glad to go over and take a look if you like. Wou
th hair had six or seven strands of multi-colored beads woven
e other
ed the bottom of her chin on the back of her hand. It had been so lon
." I reached for the umbrel
f place in my house as the aroma of a good home-cooked country dinner. She sh
handle. "Yes, isn't it?" A smile spread wide across her face, but her eyes f
lieved to discover an unopened bottle of Zinfandel that had been tucked in the back some tim
ouldn't agree on whether to keep it or sell it. So for decades it remained unoccupied as the neighborhood grew around it. I got use of it from one of Martha's doctors, a great-grandchild of the builder, who just gave me a key figuring it would be better to have someone in it for free than t
d brushing a strand of wet ha
n stem of crystal. I poured the wine then circled the counter holding the glass out to her. "You said there were two things you neede
love seat nearest the fire holding her glass with both hands. "I'm try
more as I crossed back to the
ome photogra
there was a sharp crack and a loud thump on the deck outside. Ashleigh
or an agent?" I asked cr
y. "Actually... Wha
he couch a
nds. "...is something a little more..." She took a sip
new what she couldn't say
ll.
d the dishes. "If you can't say it, Ashlei
, " she said, her voice sounding confident. But the color i
ly pushed the front of her shirt out. She was definitely intriguing. A flicker of lightning illuminated
es toward me.
looking for a job and the manager asked if you had any nude photographs of yourself
iet, almost drea
ts nude photog
nished the wine in a single gulp, crossed back to t
se body doubl
e, sat back, dropped a loafer, and tucked
the part
hy
lot like Julia Roberts. She's the female lead. So, I think I have a good chance to get
able to rub bellies with
she thought every wom
twenty-five other people stand
ace and stretched her right arm over t
ndation, or climb anything. They want to jump right into a world of fame, fortune, and adve
ing's possible. Why don't we go take a look at your fuse box? Would you like some wine to take with you?" I waited for her
her feelings were hurt, but I refilled my glass and drank from it
, Ashleigh? I don't know you. I don't know th
ou're about his age aren't y
hink." As I took a gulp, she stood and began unbu
Hold on there. W
tail out of her jeans, and worke