Read Look Again for Free Online Page B

That's why I went to the doctor's."
    "Oh. Thank God you're not sick."
    "You got that right." Her father placed his tomato on top of the tuna, added a piece of bread, then lined up the two pieces, leaning over as if he were sizing up a putt. He pressed his sandwich closed, lowering his hand, then eyed her. "You don't look happy, El."
    "I am." Ellen managed a smile. She loved her father, but he had spent her childhood on the road. The truth was, everybody had a goto parent, and with him away from home so much, Ellen's had become her mother.
    "El, I'm entitled to be happy."
    "I didn't say you weren't."
    "You're acting it."
    "Dad, please."
    "I don't like to be alone and I'm not getting any younger."
    Silence fell between them, and Ellen made no move to fill it. The ugliest of thoughts popped into her head, the wrong one had died. She felt ashamed of the very notion, and confused. She loved her father.
    "I guess I knew you'd get upset. You and your mother were two of a kind. Peas in a pod."
    Ellen couldn't speak for a moment. Her mother had been her best friend in the world. That said it all.
    "Life goes on."
    Ellen felt the knot again, then flipped her thinking. "So when's the wedding? I need to get a dress and all."
    "Uh, it's in Italy."
    "Italy? Why?"
    "Barbara likes it there, near Positano." Her father cut his sandwich and took a bite, leaving Ellen to fill in the blanks.
    "Am I going? Is Will?"
    "Sorry, but no." Her father looked back at her over his sandwich. "It's not a big deal, not at our age. We're just doing it, no muss, no fuss. We're getting on a plane end of the week."
    "Wow, that soon?"
    "I told her you'd be fine with it. Her kid's fine with it."
    "I understand." Ellen tried to shrug it off. "I'm officially fine with it."
    "She has a daughter, too. Year older than you. Abigail."
    "I thought she had a boy in the Peace Corps."
    "That was Janet."
    "Oh." Ellen smiled. It was kind of funny. "Well, good. I always wanted a sister. Can I have a pony, too?"
    At that, he smiled, chewing.
    "What does she do, my new sister?"
    "Lawyer in D.C."
    "I always wanted a lawyer, too." Ellen laughed, and so did he, setting down his sandwich.
    "Ha! That's enough, wise guy."
    "I think it's good, I really do." Ellen felt better saying it, and her chest knot loosened just a bit. "Be happy, Dad."
    "I love you, kitten."
    "I love you, too." Ellen managed a smile.
    "You gonna eat or what?"
    "No, I'm waiting for the wedding cake."
    He rolled his eyes.
    "So tell me what she looks like."
    "Here, I'll show you." Her father leaned over, slid a brown wallet from his back pocket, and opened it up. He flipped past the second plastic envelope, which had an old photo of Will, and the third, he turned sideways and set down on the table. "That's Barbara."
    Ellen eyed the woman, who was attractive, with her hair in a short, classy cut. "Mommy!"
    "Gimme that." Her father smiled and took the wallet back.
    "She looks nice. Is she nice?"
    "Of course she's nice." He leaned over to put the wallet into his back pocket. "What do you think? She's a jerk, that's why I'm marrying her?"
    "Are you going to move in with her, or is she moving in here?"
    "I'm selling the house and moving in with her. She's got a corner unit with a deck."
    "You gold digger, you."
    He smiled again, then leaned back in his chair, regarding her for a moment. "You know, you gotta move on, kid."
    Ellen felt the knot again. Time to change the subject. "I interviewed this woman whose husband kidnapped her children. Susan Sulaman, if you remember the story I did."
    He shook his head, no, and Ellen let it go. Her mother would have remembered the story. She'd kept scrapbooks of Ellen's clippings, starting with the college newspaper and ending three weeks before she died.
    "Anyway, Susan thinks there's an instinct that mothers have about their children."
    "Your mother had that in spades." Her father beamed. "Look how good you turned out, all because of her."
    "Hold on, let me show you something." Ellen