I stepped in but not far. “I think he will, blossom. This is a big night for the department and I’m thinking that your dad would never ask you kids to go to a boring town council meeting unless it meant something to him. And anyway, we’re getting dinner after.”

“I can get something to eat here,” she told me.

“You can but my guess is we’re not only going out to dinner after because we’re all together and it’ll be too late to cook anything, but because he’s hoping to have something to celebrate.”

“You and Cill and Dad can do that without me,” she replied.

I took another step further into her room, doing it carefully, but not very successfully, to avoid the layer of clothes covering the floor. “We can, but your dad won’t want us to. He’ll want you there.”

She lifted her chin. “Am—”

Abruptly, I jerked my head to the movie poster. “Have you seen that movie?”

Her eyes darted to the poster, to me, then to my stomach. “Yeah. Own it.”

“An old movie for you to be into,” I prodded.

“Yeah, well, my brother wants to be a fighter pilot because of an even older movie,” she pointed out accurately. “We’re a movie family.”

This could not be denied.

“Something in that movie that speaks to you like Tom Cruise speaks to your brother?” I pushed, but did it on a smile, hoping that would work to get her to open up to me, but doing that not thinking it was a probability.

I was correct.

Her gaze came to mine. “Well, yeah. Obviously.”

It was far from obvious to me.

She said no more.

This was not good.

“What, honey?” I queried. “What does that movie say to a girl like you?”

She looked away.

My phone in my hand chimed.

I looked down at it and saw Mickey’s return text, Got it. See you soon.

I looked back to Ash. “Ash—”

“Here it is! Better?” Cillian asked from behind me.

I twisted and watched as he leaped into the room, landed right on clothes (and didn’t care) and threw his arms out.

His hair was now slicked back like an Italian movie gangster.

“Much better,” I lied.

He looked to his sister. “Right. Let’s go.”

“Not goin’, Cill,” she replied.

He stared at her. “You are.”

“I’m staying,” she told him.

“You’re goin’,” he told her.

“No, I’m not,” she returned.

“Yes, you are,” he shot back then snapped, “This is a big thing for Dad.”

“I’m—” she began.

But I cut her off. “Going. Up, Ash. Now, blossom. We shouldn’t keep your father waiting.”

“But I—”

“Please, honey,” I whispered. “He trusted me to get his kids there and now I’m asking you to please help me do what he asked of me.”