MARISA WAS USED TO men looking at her and usually paid no attention to it. It wasn't as if she had anything to do with the way she looked. A gift of genes and luck. She hadn't done much to enhance her appearance in years. But tonight, she blew her hair dry with the dryer the hotel provided and left it down. She couldn't remember the last time she hadn't worn it in a braid. She even borrowed some of Leslie's makeup—not that her sister wore much. And with the new dress, she was pleased with the results.

When she and Ana stepped off the elevator, the awe in Nate's expression woke up places Marisa had let lie fallow for years. She tried not to smile, failed, and gave in as she followed Ana across the tile floor to where Nate and Leslie were seated. They stood as Marisa and Ana neared.

Nate stared at her until her cheeks warmed. Finally, he shifted his gaze to Ana. "You look so pretty."

"Thank you for the dress, Uncle Nate. It's a little long, but Mama says I'll grow into it, and when I grow out of it, I can give it to anyone I want at the whole orphanage." She turned and looked at Marisa. "As long as it's someone littler than me, right, Mama? Like I can't give it to Abby, 'cause she's my size. Right?"

"Right. Maybe little Julianna, though."

"Si! Bueno! I'll give it to her." She held out the skirt and twirled, face to the ceiling. "I'm the prettiest girl in the room." She stopped. "Right, Uncle Nate?"

He nodded solemnly. "Absolutely."

Marisa had to agree. Ana had never looked so pretty. If they were in the States, Marisa would buy her daughter new clothes all the time. And take her to the zoo and the park, where she could run and play and feed the ducks and pigeons.

She pushed away the thoughts. Their lives were fine. Better than Ana would have had if Marisa hadn't found her. Better than Marisa could have dreamed when she escaped New York. She couldn't focus on what they didn't have. With Nate so close, that was harder than usual.

He met her eyes. "Wow. You look... Man, I don't even..."

A moment passed. Finally, Marisa winked at Leslie. "He's a writer, you know."

Leslie laughed, and Nate joined her. He banged on the side of his head as if trying to shake something loose and started over. "You look very nice, Marisa. Shall we go?"

She took Ana's hand. "Where are we headed?"

Leslie led the way to the glass doors. "I'd like to hit that shopping plaza you guys went to earlier, if you don't mind."

Marisa shrugged. "Fine with me. There were a bunch of restaurants there. As long as we can go someplace where I can get a good old American hamburger."