Chapters (37)
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- BEFORE
- AFTER
- ONE THOUGHTS ON SUN HATS
- TWO TIME FOR CAKE
- THREE TWELVE MONTHS
- FOUR PSYCHIC KARAOKE
- FIVE A SECOND SLEEPING BAG
- SIX SIX MONTHS
- SEVEN THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE PANCAKE
- EIGHT SIX MONTHS
- NINE FOLLOW THE MUSIC
- TEN THE STARS ARE BRIGHTER IN THE DESERT
- ELEVEN SIX MONTHS
- TWELVE EVERY STAR HAS A SONG
- THIRTEEN PSYCHIC KARAOKE
- FOURTEEN ONE MONTH
- FIFTEEN A WELL-TRAVELED HAT
- SIXTEEN JOEL VS. THE VOLCANO
- SEVENTEEN TWO WEEKS
- EIGHTEEN HOUSE OF MEMORIES
- NINETEEN IF TREES COULD TALK
- TWENTY THREE DAYS
- TWENTY-ONE SEARCH PARTY
- TWENTY-TWO NOT THE SAME ZADIE
- TWENTY-THREE WAVES OF SMOKE
- TWENTY-FOUR THE DAY OF
- TWENTY-FIVE THE SKY IS FULL OF BIRDS
- TWENTY-SIX NEST
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- EPILOGUE
- TWENTY-EIGHT A SONG ABOUT A BIRD
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Also by Ruth Emmie Lang
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Newsletter Sign-up
Finn wasn’t exactly sure what Coco Chanel was, but it sounded fancy. She flashed a smile and said, “No, it’s for the trip.”
Kathy’s tone flattened a little. “Ah. Right. The beach.”
Finn knew her foster parents weren’t thrilled with the idea of her taking a trip with Zadie. For reasons she didn’t completely understand, the three of them had never gotten along, so it had taken some convincing to get her foster parents to agree to it. They said yes on the condition that Finn text them every day and call them immediately if Zadie tries to offer her any “age-inappropriate substances.” Finn had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. She opted not to share the fact that she’d already partaken in such substances without Zadie there to offer them to her.
“Well, you look just like Audrey Hepburn,” Kathy said, shrugging one shoulder to her chin like a starlet from old Hollywood. Finn doubted the accuracy of that statement, mainly because Audrey would never pair her hats with Hawaiian-print board shorts.
“Well, I should probably go get those sleeping bags.” Kathy gave Finn another quick squeeze. “Hey. Before I go … have you given any more thought to our offer?”
Finn stiffened. She’d thought about it a lot, but she hadn’t made a decision yet. On the one hand, she’d be lucky to have adoptive parents like Steve and Kathy. From day one, they never treated her any differently from their own son. On the other hand, she was still holding out hope that Nora was out there somewhere, making plans to return to her. The memory of her mom may have faded with time, but if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that her mom would never have left her daughters on purpose.
“I’m still thinking about it. Is it okay if I let you know when Zadie and I get back?”
Her foster mom gave her a muted smile. “Of course. And no matter what you decide, we love you.”
“Love you guys, too. And I think I will wear the sun hat to the party.”
Kathy brightened a little. “It would look great with your dress.” She winked at her, then headed toward the house.
Finn turned back to Chris Five, who was now sitting on his perch. With his wings pressed against his body and his feet hidden beneath his round bird belly, he looked like an egg someone had hidden for Easter. “What do you think I should do, Chris?” Finn asked. Indifferent to her quandary, the bird closed his eyes.
Then, more to herself than to him, “Don’t tell Zadie.”
TWO TIME FOR CAKE
Zadie was late as usual. You’d think a psychic would always be one step ahead, but she wasn’t like most psychics. Actually, Zadie had no idea what most psychics were like because she’d never met another.