Beach Girls by Luanne Rice Read Free Book Online Page A

felt heavy on her head. Nell waited for him to say something, even though she knew he never would. Every time she asked him about Aunt Maddie, he just stopped talking till her question went away. Thinking of how her mother and aunt used to laugh together made Nell's stomach shrink and hurt so much that she just held herself with her own arms, rolling toward the wall so her father wouldn't see her face.

Chapter 4
    IT TOOK THREE DAYS TO CONVINCE NELL
that she should sign up for beach recreation: it would be fun, she'd improve her swimming, and Jack would be waiting for her on the boardwalk every single day when she was finished. Maybe physical exercise would tire her out, help her to sleep. Jack had Dr. Galford on speed dial, but he didn't want to call. He wanted his daughter to have a quiet, fun, psychiatrist-free summer vacation.
    So they trooped down to the end of the beach, Nell doing an excellent imitation of a sullen prisoner. She stood behind Jack as he introduced her to Laurel Thompson, the enthusiastic recreation teacher. Bright, blonde, seventeen, she leaned around Jack to smile at Nell. Nell obliged by retreating around Jack's other leg.
    “Hi, Nell.”
    “She's not sure about this,” Jack said.
    “Oh, that's okay,” the teacher said. Tall and thin, she flashed a smile straight at Nell. “Lots of kids aren't too sure at first. But you can be my helper today, Nell.”
    “Hear that, Nell?” Jack asked, hoping Nell would be swayed. He didn't hold out much hope, watching her dig her bare feet into the wet sand. “Nell?”
    “Nnnnn,” she said.
    “We'll have fun!” Laurel said.
    “I'll meet you at twelve noon,” Jack said, placing his hand on his daughter's head. Her brown hair felt warm in the sun. “On the boardwalk.”
    “Dad,” Nell said as other kids her age began to gather round, “I'm not staying.”
    “Hi, Nell!” said a freckled girl with red hair and a huge smile. “Remember me? You stood on my towel a few days ago! I'm Peggy.”
    Nell nodded. “I remember.”
    Jack's heart was beating fast, waiting for a smile or a frown or some sign from his daughter that this was going to be okay, that he could leave her here with a new friend.
    Peggy grabbed her hand. “You're going to be my partner in the relay race. We're together, okay, Laurel?”
    “Excellent, Peggy, Nell. Come on, everyone—line up on the hard sand, right here.”
    Still holding Peggy's hand, Nell gave her father one last look. It wasn't quite a smile, but almost. He saw her mother in her eyes. When Emma had been dying, unconscious in her hospital bed, Jack had held her face between his hands and begged her to haunt him. She did just that, every day, in the body of their daughter.
    Leaving Nell to the Hubbard's Point Recreation Program, Jack walked back along the beach, vaguely aiming toward the house where his wife's best friend had lived. He stared up at the cottages along the rock ledge, half hidden by pine trees. He tried to remember which one it was. Nell had found it.
    Leave it to Nell: she was a magnet for any little detail about her mother. Back before Emma's death, Nell would hound her aunt for stories, memories, secrets, favorite songs. Madeleine had even taught Nell the harmony Emma used to sing for “Lemon Tree.” Nell sang the song every chance she got—in the bathtub, in the car, just waiting for an adult woman's voice to pitch in out of nowhere.
    Maybe that was her motive for stopping in on Stevie Moore. Jack had certainly never mentioned her to Nell before—he probably wouldn't even have remembered her name. She was one of his kid sister's friends—none of whom he'd paid any attention to except Emma.
    Jack's chest was tight; he turned around to make sure he didn't have a shadow—Nell wasn't following him. Good. He'd needed to find something for her to do for a few hours every day. He had plans to make, and with Nell constantly around, he couldn't get anything done.
    He checked his watch: nine-twenty. That