Cloud Nine. Luanne Rice

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СКАЧАТЬ then developed intense curiosity about their ex-husbands’ behavior. Was this what he was seeing in Alice? He somehow doubted it.

      ‘I have a charter to Maine. I thought you should know, in case her asthma gets really bad or she needs me for something else. You know?’

      Alice nodded, her stern face back.

      ‘She’ll be okay,’ Will said. ‘Secret’s going to be fine.’

      ‘Secret? Jesus, Will!’ Alice exploded. ‘We named her Susan. You wanted to give her a name with strength, after someone she could look up to …’

      ‘Susan Mallory,’ he said, thinking of his grandmother.

      ‘My God. Don’t be indulging this “Secret” crap. It’s really unsettling, if you want to know how I feel about it. Julian thinks she needs more professional help.’

      ‘That’s a good sign that she doesn’t,’ Will said, feeling aggressively immature. ‘If Julian says she does. Didn’t you tell him we went through that when we first got to Fort Cromwell?’

      ‘Of course I did. He knows Dr Darrow.’ Splaying her fingers with frustration, Alice revealed some of her jewels: the largest diamond ring Will had ever seen, and a wedding ring-style band of diamonds and emeralds. Will exhaled slowly.

      ‘Hi!’ their daughter called, bursting through the front door with her knapsack, duffel bag, and a small package.

      She stood there like a star who had just burst onstage: radiant smile, theatrical pose, boundless energy, arms open wide to greet her adoring public. Her parents were too upset to applaud or even smile, but Will tried. He gave a half-smile, holding out his left arm to embrace her as she ran through the snow.

      ‘Hi, Secret,’ he said.

      ‘Jesus,’ Alice muttered.

      ‘Hi, Dad. Can we drive through town? I have something I have to drop off for a friend.’

      ‘You bet,’ he said.

      ‘I’ll need a number for wherever you’re going on Thanksgiving,’ Alice said brusquely. ‘Just in case.’

      ‘You’re going somewhere for Thanksgiving?’ Secret said, jerking her head back from Will’s chest, looking up at him with worried eyes.

      ‘Just for work,’ he said.

      ‘You’re going to work on Thanksgiving?’

      ‘I’m flying the Fergusons’ friend Sarah Talbot to Maine.’

      ‘That’s who you’re taking?’ she asked with apparent amazement, staring at her small package.

      ‘Do you have your inhaler?’ Alice asked, pulling her away from Will for a hug. Seeing his ex-wife hold their daughter brought too much back for Will, and he had to look away. Glancing toward the carriage house, he saw Julian walking out with a man wearing a blue mechanic’s uniform. Time to go.

      ‘You ready, Secret?’ Will asked, hoisting her bags.

      ‘Please,’ Alice said. ‘I hate that name. You two can play make-believe when you’re alone, but when you’re around me, I can’t have it.’

      ‘You don’t have to call me Secret,’ she said. ‘I’m changing it. As of midnight last night, I’m Snow.’

      ‘Susan …’ Alice said dangerously.

      ‘Well, hello,’ Julian said, walking over. He had the tall, lean look of a man who worked out or ran a lot, with a stupid ponytail that looked idiotic with the lines on his face. He had to be fifty years old, Will thought. He wore an expensive suede jacket with his race car logo embroidered on the chest.

      ‘Hi, Julian,’ Will said, shaking his hand.

      ‘You know why I’m Snow?’ his daughter asked, her voice high and tense. ‘Because of Freddie. He adored winter, it was his favorite season.’

      ‘Susan, honey, stop …’ Alice said.

      ‘Sledding, skiing. Remember when we all went to Mt Tom? How much he loved it, he refused to stop all day, even for lunch, he skied and skied until the lifts stopped running and it was dark and we couldn’t find him?’

      ‘I can’t bear it,’ Alice said, her face bright red.

      ‘He taught me how to make angels in Newport. We lay in the snow at Trinity Church, looking out over the harbor, and we lay on our backs and spread our arms and legs and waved at the sky over and over until our prints were in the snow. Remember?’

      ‘I remember,’ Will said, gazing into her glittering eyes.

      ‘Stop, honey,’ Alice said, grabbing her wrist, tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘Changing your name won’t bring him back.’

      ‘He just loved it so much,’ she went on as if she hadn’t heard. ‘Falling out of the sky, lying on the docks. He didn’t care. Snow. He died in September, so I was September, and he always kept my secrets, so I was Secret, and he loved, loved, loved snow, so I’m Snow.’

      ‘Oh, God,’ Alice said, burying her face in her hands and starting to sob.

      ‘Can’t you say something to your daughter?’ Julian asked harshly, wrapping his arms around Alice as he glared at Will.

      Will didn’t speak. He took his daughter’s hands, held them in his. Looking deeply into her eyes, he tried to reach her. She was wild, crazy with grief for Fred. Will felt it too, and so did Alice. Will had been so wrecked, he had resigned from the navy before they could kick him out. The overpowering loss came over him again now. His heart pounding, he tried to pull his daughter close, but she wouldn’t let him. She faced Julian with hatred in her gaze.

      ‘Don’t you talk to my dad that way,’ she said.

      ‘Listen,’ Julian said. ‘I’ve had about as much as I’m going to take with you disrespecting your mother. If your father won’t say it, I will. You’re hurting your mother, Susan. If you need to go back to Dr Darrow, we’ll see that you do. But cut the name bullshit right now.’

      Will didn’t even feel it coming. The punch started somewhere in his gut, and by the time it got to his fist, Julian was laid out on his driveway, blood from his nose turning the snow pink. Alice was screaming, the mechanic was rocking back and forth on his heels, and Susan was crying. Will’s knuckles hurt, as if he might have broken them. His head pounded, an emotional hangover starting already.

      ‘I’m sorry,’ he said calmly, standing over his ex-wife’s husband. ‘But I can’t have you speaking to my daughter that way.’

      ‘Fucking maniac,’ Julian said, struggling to sit up. ‘No wonder the navy kicked you out. Fucking menace to society.’

      Will considered holding out his hand to help the man up, but he didn’t want to add insult to injury. He gazed at Julian for an instant, making sure he could move okay, that he hadn’t broken anything. He glanced at Alice, ashamed of himself for making her cry harder. Then he turned to his daughter, tried to reassure her with a smile.

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