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Toni placed a second wide-angle lens into her gargantuan ca both clasps with her thulanced around her office toIt was ione for weeks with no access to any gear she left behind
“I don’t want you to go,” Birdie said, grabbing her hand and giving it a hard yank Toni winced Birdie nevershe was
Rubbing her s elboith her free hand, Toni said, “It’s only for a feeeks” Four to be exact, but Birdie didn’t deal ith change, and Toni figured it was best to understate her absence “You and Moreat time without me”
Birdie shook her head “Who will read me a story?”
“Mom will”
Birdie’s face scrunched into a pout “She doesn’t do it the fun way”
Toni tugged one of Birdie’s pigtails She was nine, but emotionally and mentally she was closer to five
“Maybe you can read it to her, Buttercup You know every word by heart” Toni must have read The Princess Bride to Birdie a thousand tirew bored with the tale Toni, on the other hand, had started es to the story to keep fro insane from the monotony
“I will try”
Toni se at the corner of her et your chores I won’t be there to remind you”
“Feed the chickens” Birdie srin of hers
“Good What else?”
Birdie pressed her lips together around the tip of her tongue and scrunched up her round face in concentration After a long moment, she said, “I can’t ’member”
“What are you supposed to do when you can’t remember?”
Birdie’s face lit up, and she pulled a piece of paper out of the back pocket of her jeans “My list!”
“That’s right” Toni kissed Birdie’s forehead and hugged her tight “You’ve got this, Buttercup”
“How many days until you come home?”
“I gave you a calendar It’s on your e board”
“I’m supposed to put an X on each day until I is on the red square”
“Until I am on the red square,” Toni corrected autolish ed every tira Don’t cheat” Toni made Birdie calendars for birthdays and Christmas countdowns so she didn’t have to answer “How many days?” questions every fiveit would make the anticipated event arrive sooner
There was a knock on her door and it opened an instant later Her mom poked her head into the room “Are you ready?”
“I think so,” Toni said, giving her office yet another scan She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was forgetting so Or maybe she was just nervous
“Hi, Mommy!” Birdie waved
“Good evening, Bernadette” Mom immediately turned her attention to Toni “Julian insisted that he drive you to the rendezvous point I hope you’re not offended that he didn’t have to ask for my permission twice”
Toni grinned Julian wouldAnd it was probably best for Mom and Birdie to head for ho car rides
“Also, Susan wants to talk to you before you leave,” Mom added
Toni’s heart plu’s newest editor had not gone well She doubted this one would prove less trau
“Okay Thanks” No thanks
“Co for home”
Mohter as Toni felt about hanging around with four living legends for a month It wasn’t that Mom had never cared for Birdie before She’d just never done it without Toni’s assistance forto be rough on everyone But Toni was more than ready for a little adventure And Birdie had to learn to trust Mom to meet her needs
“I want to go with Toni,” Birdie said, grabbing Toni’s hand and shaking her head
“You can’t,” Moain some experience so she’s ready to take over the company someday”
Yeah, about thatToni didn’t want to take over her mother’s company But who else could? Sadly, Birdie would never be capable of the onerous job, though she could help with one There was no one but Toni available to walk in Eloise Nichols’s footsteps, and everyone kne hard her round up Toni felt obligated to keep the business in the fao on tour with the most fa with Exodus End were entirely selfish This project would launch her career The career she wanted, not the career her mother wanted for her
Toni wanted to design interactive electronic biographies about famous people—rock stars, presidents, actors She hadn’t even realized her aspiration until her mo—Toni had known instantly it was the perfect career for her She’d majored in all the relevant fields and had loads of experience, she just hadn’t been able to figure out how to e skill set n to blow everyone’s enius
Assu the first time she met the band
“I want to go with Toni,” Birdie said “I can help”
Toni tried iroup of raunchyi enough
“Mom needs your help more than I do, Birdie,” Toni said “Who will feed the chickens? Mom doesn’t kno”
Birdie chewed her lip, obviously torn between the well-being of their chickens and her desire to be with the sister who’d raised her
“Okay, Toni,” she said haltingly “I’ll help Mommy”
Toni gave her sister another tight hug and a kiss on the forehead “I’ll be home before you know it”
Birdie didn’t look quite convinced, but she ambled over to Mom and took her hand “I’ll show you how to feed chickens, Moo with Toni”
Mohter’s back and so within ten yards of the coop It had been her father’s idea to buy the little farm an hour east of Seattle, and after he’d passed away, Mom had wanted to sell it and move closer to the office But Toni had convinced her to keep their idyllic property For Birdie’s sake and for hers Anything that allowed Toni to keep the memory of her father alive orth the effort to maintain and the loss of any chance at a social life
“Call if you need anything,” Mom said
“I will Love you both”
“Love you too, Toni!” Birdie yelled in what most would consider an outside voice But Birdie only had two volumes—loud and whisper
Toni waited a fewto Susan’s office Toni didn’t want Birdie to see her again and be forced to go through their goodbyes twice And h, Julian would co her keep her interacti
on with her overbearing editor as short as possible
The ten-yard journey down the hall was just enough to get Toni’s heart thudding and her palms sweaty How could herthe boss of this place? She’d never been like her ambitious mother Toni took after her father—laid back, creative, and painfully shy She hoped her shyness didn’t hinder her interactions with the members of Exodus End What would she do if she froze up and couldn’t say a word to any of the
Toni took a deep breath and tapped her knuckles quietly on Susan’s thick wooden door Maybe Susan wouldn’t hear her knock over the heavy metal music she always blared into her ears via earbuds
“Come in,” Susan called
Dammit
Toni eased the door open and peered anxiously inside “My mom said you wanted to see me before I left”