Read Winter's Tide for Free Online

talk to him as much as I wanted. I checked and the phone worked.
    â€œVery generous,” said Norm.
    â€œYes, it is,” Mom said.
    â€œI’m going to call him!” I said. “He put his name first on the contact list.”
    â€œOh, he did, did he?” Mom said, with a look at Norm.
    I pressed his name and waited while it rang. After a few rings, it went to voicemail.
    â€œI can’t come to the phone right now,” came Dad’s voice. “Please leave a message.” I was disappointed but took a deep breath and started talking.
    â€œHey, Dad, I just opened your present, and I’m really excited about my phone. Thank you so much! Merry Christmas! Call me back!”
    We spent the rest of Christmas Day sitting around, eating, and talking on the phone. Norm made popcorn, and we watched
Miracle on 34th Street
. After taking a nap, Stephanie helped me program my cell phone.
    Norm lit a fire in the fireplace, and we sat around it and let it warm our toes. Norm told stories about some of his favorite Christmas gifts when he was a little boy, like Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots and a model aircraft carrier. Stephanie talked to her mom several times about how Matt was doing. I heard her say he had had seventy-five stitches in his head.
    We called Grammy Verra, who was at Aunt Carol’s house in Virginia for Christmas.
    â€œMerry Christmas, Diana. How are you?” she said cheerily when I got on. “Tell me what you’ve been doing to stay out of trouble.”
    â€œI know you say that as a joke, but I’m not staying out of trouble,” I said. “I got suspended for getting into a fight.”
    â€œYou what?” Her voice rose.
    â€œA girl called me a name, and I threw a book at her, and then we got into a fight,” I explained. “The vice principal suspended us both.” There was a part of me that felt proud of what I’d done. I didn’t care what Dr. Shrink said, I’d stood up for myself. I’d kept myself from disappearing. Of course, Norm didn’t think that.
    â€œGoodness gracious, Diana!” she said. “Trouble seems to follow you around. I don’t know what to say.”
    â€œNothing to say,” I said. “It’s pretty much a done deal.”
    â€œI must say this is the first time that any of my granddaughters have been suspended.”
    â€œI’m not really your granddaughter,” I reminded her.
    â€œNow, honey, let’s not discuss that again. Of course you are. Well, do something productive during the days you’re not in school,” she suggested. “I’m heading back home to Emerald Isle tomorrow. Maybe you could come visit me. The beach in the wintertime is beautiful. So different from the beach during the summer.”
    After that, Stephanie talked to Grammy for a long time about what happened to Matt, and then she got on with Lauren, and they laughed and talked for a half an hour. Even though Lauren and I had finally started to get along okay on the cruise last fall, I didn’t ask to speak to her. And I noticed she didn’t ask to speak to me.
    I wished I could go to the barn. I figured Josie was probably there right now, mucking the stalls and letting the horses out to pasture. If I were there, I’d help her and then maybe she’d let me ride Commanche.
    By late Christmas afternoon, Dad still hadn’t called. All those feelings I used to have about Dad not paying attention to me came flooding back, no matter how hard I tried to make them stop. I wanted to tell Dad about getting suspended. I thought maybehe’d sympathize. Mom had once told me that sometimes he’d gotten into trouble when he was young.
    I went up to my room and called him again. I didn’t want Mom to know. Still no answer. I hung up, deciding not to leave another message.
    Still, he gave me a phone, right? That showed he cared about me.
    I was lying on the bed staring at my