“He's terrific,” Sabrina answered, and then they were all distracted as Candy's tiny Yorkshire terrier barked furiously at the basset, and Beulah, looking terrified, hid under a bush, while the Yorkie, wearing a small pink bow, kept her at bay. On her way out, Candy had stopped to pick her up at the place where she boarded her. She had missed her too much while she was in Paris, and was delighted to have her back. “My dog is a total wuss,” Sabrina said, laughing at her. “I think she has self-esteem issues or something. She's very neurotic. She gets depressed.”
“Wait till Juanita attacks her,” Candy said, laughing. Even Zoe, the Yorkie, was afraid of her.
“How was Paris, by the way?” Sabrina asked her.
“It was great. Everyone was going to St. Tropez for the weekend. I'd much rather be here.”
“Me too,” Annie said, beaming. “We all would,” Sabrina said, smiling at her parents. Everything around them seemed so idyllic and peaceful. It reminded them of their childhood, and being safe, loved, and protected again. She always felt happy here.
They sat outside and chatted for another hour, and then their father went to bed. Their mother was staying up to wait for Tammy. She wanted to be awake to welcome her. Sabrina went to put her bathing suit on and joined her sisters in the pool. It was a hot balmy night, the fireflies were dancing, and it was warm in the pool. Eventually, they went back into the house and changed into their nightgowns at nearly one o'clock in the morning. Their mother put sandwiches and cookies with more lemonade out on the kitchen table.
“If I still lived here, I'd be too fat to work,” Candy commented, took a bite out of one cookie, and then put it down.
“I don't think you're in any danger of that,” Annie commented. Like the others, she worried about Candy's weight. She got too much positive reinforcement, and made too much money, for being too thin.
They were sitting in the kitchen, talking, when Tammy's limousine drove up. They heard the car door slam, and a moment later she ran into the kitchen, and they were all in each others' arms again, hugging and laughing and talking all at once while Juanita barked fiercely at everyone. She was on the floor for all of two seconds before she ripped Zoe's bow out, and had Beulah cowering under a chair. Her personality did not reflect Tammy's, but she was definitely the fiercest dog in the pack, although the smallest. Tammy picked her up and scolded her, but the minute she set her down again, she had both dogs on the run.
“She's hopeless,” Tammy apologized, and then looked her sisters over carefully. “God, you all look great. I missed you so much.” Tammy put her arms around her mother and hugged her, and a few minutes later Jane stood up. Her job was done. She had welcomed them all home and could leave them to their own devices now. She knew they'd sit up for hours, catching up, and exchanging secrets and stories about their respective lives. It was time for her to retire and leave them alone.
“I'll see you in the morning,” she said with a yawn, as she left the kitchen. It was so good to have them home. These moments were the high point of her year.
“Sleep tight, Mom, see you tomorrow,” they all said, and kissed her goodnight, just as they had as children.
They helped themselves to a bottle of wine after she left, and sat and talked until after four in the morning, and then they walked upstairs. Their home had been unusual in that each of the girls had had her own room as a kid. They all commented on how strange it felt at times to be back here, and in their old beds, where they had grown up. It made them feel like children again, and brought back so many memories. They all said that they thought their mom looked well, and they promised to discuss the anniversary party the next day, to make a plan. They had so much to talk about, and share, and whatever tensions had existed between them over the years had vanished when they met as adults. The only one who still seemed childlike to them was Candy, but she was still very young. The others felt very grown up, and however young she was, Candy led a very grown-up life. Money and success had come to her early, and in some ways it made her seem more mature than she really was. Sabrina and Tammy worried about her, and talked about it sometimes. Candy was exposed to some pretty scary stuff, in the course of her career as a supermodel. They just hoped she could handle it. Her eating issues were a serious concern to them. Annie was more relaxed about it, and always said she thought she was fine. But in some ways, she was less aware of the challenges that Candy faced on a daily basis, and the dangers in her world. Annie's life was so simple and arty, she couldn't really conceive of the life that Candy led. It was life on another planet to her. Her older sisters were far more aware of the dangers and risks, and the toll they could take on her.
They kissed each other goodnight and went to their own rooms, and a few minutes later Sabrina walked back into Tammy's room and told her how happy she was to see her. Tammy was sitting in bed, wearing a pink nightgown, with her halo of red curls.
“I wish you didn't live so far away,” Sabrina said to Tammy sadly.
“So do I,” Tammy said. “I miss you guys so much. It comes back to me in a rush every time I see you. But there's no decent work for me here. All the big shows are done out of L.A.”
“I know,” Sabrina said, nodding. “I should come out to see you more often. I get so bogged down here,” she said with regret.
“We all do,” Tammy said, nodding. “It all goes by so fast. I hate waiting six months to see you. Sometimes I wish we all still lived here, with Mom and Dad, and we weren't all grown up.”
“Yeah, me too,” Sabrina said, and hugged her again. “I'm glad we still come home like this. At least that's something. Maybe we should organize a trip and all go over to see Annie in Florence. That would be fun. Maybe Mom and Dad would come too.”
“I'm not sure he would, but Mom might. He always thinks they won't survive without him in the office.” And then Tammy laughed. “I guess I think that too, about myself, and so do you. We really ought to try and spend more time together. Right now we're all free, we're not married, we don't have kids. Later it will be even harder to get together. We should try to do it while we still can.”
“I agree,” Sabrina said seriously, as Juanita popped her head out from under the covers and growled at her. She jumped, surprised by the threatened attack from a dog that was barely bigger than a hamster. The basset was sound asleep in her room. “Why don't we organize some kind of trip before we leave here this time? I can take a week off, if I plan it far enough ahead.”
“Me too,” Tammy said, wanting to do it, though not sure how easily she could get away. During the season, her life was insane.
“Let's talk about it tomorrow,” Sabrina said, and left the room again. She was so happy to be with her sisters. They all were.
And in her room, their mother could hear them moving around, visiting each other's bedrooms. She smiled as she turned over next to Jim. It reminded her of the old days, when she knew that all was well because all four of them were home at night. She reveled in the comforting sounds of having her whole family under one roof. She counted her blessings, as she always did, as she fell asleep, thinking how lucky she was to have them, and that they would all be there for three more days. For her, they were life's greatest gift.
Chapter 5
When the girls got up one by one the next morning, their mother was waiting in the kitchen for them, ready to prepare a special breakfast for each of them. She loved cooking for them, as seldom as it was. Their father had eaten breakfast hours earlier and was outside by the pool, reading the paper. He liked to leave them time with their mother, and planned to get back in the thick of things again later. He knew how crazy things were going to get with all five of his women buzzing around him. He preferred his mornings peaceful and quiet.