It’s not going to work, Mom. I’m never going to be able to sing, and play the flute, and make the honor roll every time. That’s why I have to leave. Allison is going to hate me because I’m not like her. And then we’ll fight and you’ll stick up for me. That’s going to cause trouble between you and Larry, and I don’t want you to have to choose between us.

Don’t worry about me. I’ll find a job and be okay. I look older than I am and I’m not afraid of hard work. When Allison graduates and goes off to college, I’ll come back for a visit. And every once in a while, I’ll write to you to let you know that I’m all right.

Please don’t try to find me, Mom. It’ll ruin everything.

I love you, Candy

Hannah looked up to find three people staring at her over the coffee table in what Sally had named The Sunflower Suite by virtue of the pattern in the living room wallpaper. The three pairs of concerned eyes belonged to Deana, Larry, and Allison.

“It’s my fault,” Larry said, frowning. He was an attractive man with glasses and a neat little beard. “I wanted her to like Allison and I guess I went overboard when it came to describing her.”

The woman who looked like an older version of Candy shook her head. “It’s more my fault than yours. I should have realized that Candy would be upset about sharing with another teenager her age. It’s a real adjustment. From the time she was a little girl, she’s always had all my attention.”

Hannah glanced at Allison, who sat with downcast eyes. She was nice looking, a bit overweight, but well dressed in designer sportswear. She wasn’t the beautiful girl that Candy had written about in her note, and Hannah was willing to bet the farm that she wasn’t a great singer or an academic genius either.

“What do you think about this whole thing, Allison?”

“I wish she hadn’t run away,” Allison said, and Hannah could hear the hurt in her voice. “Dad always makes me out to be better than I am. That’s because he loves me and he can’t see my faults. But I’m a real person, and Candy would have seen that if she’d stuck around long enough to meet me. We could have been friends if she’d given me a chance.”

That was what Hannah was waiting to hear and she jumped in with both feet. “I’m going to give you the chance.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“You’re going to meet Candy in a neutral place and see if you can get along.”

“That won’t work,” Allison shook her head. “She’s already decided she doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

Hannah smiled as her plan crystalized. The idea had begun to take form when Allison had said the two girls had never met. “Candy won’t know who you are. You’ve never met, right?”