"You like having your picture taken."

"I also like doing stuff with you. So it's okay with me if once in a while you come to me barehanded."

"I'll remember that."

"Good."

"Everything okay?" Alli asked as she joined them. She smiled down at Megan. "Better?"

Megan nodded, pushing the ice pack away from her face. "I'm hungry."

"I think there's a snack machine over there," Alli said. "Come and pick out something with me."

Megan immediately slipped off Tessa's lap and took her mother's hand.

"Anyone else want anything?" Alli asked.

Jimmy said no, and Tessa shook her head, feeling suddenly cold without Megan on her lap.

"What's wrong?" Jimmy asked.

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"I thought I was satisfied with my life until I came here," she said.

"And saw what you were missing? Come on, Tessa, I know Tucker's Landing is a cute little town, but do you really want to spend your life here?"

"I want a husband. I want children. I want some roots somewhere."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You do?"

"I don't think I realized I did until just now." She got to her feet and stretched her arms over her head. "Everything is all mixed up in my mind. And I find it odd that we're in this part of the hospital with Sam while my grandmother is just a few floors up."

"You want to go see her?"

"I think so. Do you want to come with me?"

"I'll wait here with Alli and Megan. I've been in emergency rooms before, and I have a feeling it will be a while before we see Sam again."

"I'll just stop in and say h.e.l.lo to Grams and tell her we're going to shuck some more oysters. That should rea.s.sure her."

Tessa stepped onto the elevator just as Alli returned to Jimmy with a bag of nacho chips and a can of Gatorade. She popped the lid for Megan and handed it over to her, then squeezed open the bag of chips. It was all so ordinary, and she relished the simple movements, feeling more like they were in a park at a picnic than in the emergency room of a hospital.

"Did Tessa go up to see Grams?"

"Yes."

"That's good." She cast another worried look at the double doors through which Sam had disappeared. She wished she could have gone with him.

"He's going to be fine, you know," Jimmy said.

"I know, but that doesn't stop me from worrying. Since I had Megan I've become immensely concerned with my own mortality-and Sam's, too." She dropped her voice, even though Megan had wandered over to a chair closer to the television set. "I don't want her to grow up without both of her parents."

"The way you did," Jimmy said.

"I wouldn't want her to go through that for anything in the world. Losing my parents left me with this incredible sense of panic that kicks in every time someone I love is a little bit late. I know it drives Sam crazy how often I call to check up on him, but he never had the rug pulled out from under him the way I did."

"I can see how you would worry. But he will be all right. You got him here in time."

"I know. You're right." She leaned back against her chair, taking slow, deep breaths. Five minutes pa.s.sed, then fifteen. Alli stood up and paced. Jimmy went to get a soda. A half hour and no word. She was just about to demand to be taken to Sam when Tessa reappeared.

"How's Grams?" Alli asked.

Tessa frowned. "Tired, worried, sluggish. She was talking better yesterday than she is today. William said she just got back from physical therapy and that makes her too tired to speak clearly."

Alli studied Tessa's face thoughtfully, wondering if there was something her sister wasn't telling her. "Are you sure that's all it is?"

"I think so. She's still focused on us getting that pearl. I don't want to be the one to tell her we failed."

"We won't fail. Maybe you and Jimmy should go home and get started."

"I want to make sure Sam is all right," Tessa said.

"It could be a while."

"I don't want to leave yet."

Alli slowly nodded. "All right. Then we wait."

Fifteen minutes later, the double doors opened and Sam appeared in a wheelchair.

"I told them I could walk," he said as he was rolled up to them.

Alli smiled down at him with her heart filled to the brim with love. Thank G.o.d he was all right! His face was still swollen, but his breathing was clear and sharp. "Are you really okay?" She couldn't help taking his hand, and he gave it a rea.s.suring squeeze.

"I'm fine. How's Megan?"

Alli tipped her head to where Megan was engrossed in a television program, completely oblivious to anything else in the room. "Recovered," she said with a wry smile.

"Good. I was afraid she was worrying about me and blaming herself." Sam got to his feet. "Whoa," he said, steadying himself with a hand on Alli's shoulder. She slipped her arm around his waist.

"Okay?" she asked.

"Just got to get my land legs."

"Lean on me."

He glanced down at her with a grateful smile. "Thanks for getting me here so fast."

"Just don't dare to criticize my driving again, or I'll have to remind you that I saved your life."

"Deal," he said with a warm, tender look that stole her breath right out of her chest.

He turned his head as Tessa cleared her throat.

"I'm glad you're all right, Sam," Tessa said.

"Thanks."

"Uh, folks, if we're done here, I think we've got some oysters baking out in the car," Jimmy interrupted.

"Where do you want me to take you, Sam-to our house or to your parents' house or..." Alli suddenly felt like a fool. Where did Sam belong anyway?

"I'll go to my parents' house," he said quietly. "I think I better pa.s.s on the shucking until my eyes are completely open. I might chop off my finger."

"And the last thing we need is another trip to the hospital," Alli said lightly.

"Daddy," Megan said, running over to join them. She threw her arms around Sam's waist. "Are you okay?"

"Better than okay, honey bun."

"Your eyes are all weird."

"They'll get better. You ready to go home?" Megan nodded and they all headed for the parking lot.

"I have an idea," Jimmy said as Alli opened the car door for Sam to get in.

"Uh-oh," Tessa replied.

"It's a good one," he said.

"I'll bet. What is it?"

"Sam lives right next door to your grandmother's house, right?"

"Right," Tessa said warily.

"He could probably use some company and someone to make sure he doesn't suddenly collapse or anything. So I'm volunteering."

"Jimmy, we have hundreds of oysters to shuck, remember?"

"Correction, you and Alli have hundreds of oysters to shuck. As I recall, you said your grandmother specifically asked that you two do it together. So why don't I keep an eye on Sam, and Megan and I can play some games while you two girls open up some oysters and make us some stew?"

"No," Tessa said.

"Absolutely not," Alli interjected, hating the idea as much as Tessa. "We're not doing this alone."

"You won't be alone. You'll be together," Jimmy said brightly. "What do you think, Megan? Want to play some games with me?"

"Okay," Megan replied.

"Sam?" Jimmy asked. "What do you think?"

"I think that's the best idea I've heard in weeks." Sam smiled over at Alli. "Just call us when dinner is ready."

Just call us when dinner is ready. The idiots, the jerks. Alli searched her mind for more appropriate adjectives, but she was too tired. The last thing she wanted was to spend time alone with Tessa. What on earth would they talk about?

"I can't believe they talked us into this," Tessa said, dumping a bag of oysters on their grandmother's kitchen table thirty minutes later.

"I can't either," Alli murmured, although it struck her that for the first time in a long time she and Tessa were actually in agreement. "Do you want to start shucking or get the stew going?"

Tessa looked at her like she was crazy. "Do you actually think I remember how to make oyster stew? If I ever knew?"

"Of course you knew. We made it with Grams all the time."

"I didn't, that was you."

"You were there, too."

"No, I dropped in for a while and left as soon as you and Grams got distracted. You never even noticed I was gone."

How could that be? Alli always noticed Tessa. Tessa took up lots of physical and emotional s.p.a.ce. But come to think of it, she didn't recall Tessa being involved in the kitchen much. Then again, Tessa usually had a date-with Sam. Alli took a deep breath. She had to get through this; she couldn't start thinking about Sam and Tessa. It would only drive her crazy.

They were adults now. They could do this. They could be civilized and polite to each other.

Alli picked up the shucking knife and handed it over to Tessa. "Guess you're in charge of shucking the oysters, then."

"Thanks," Tessa said with a sigh, sitting down at the table. She stared at the heap in front of her with an air of hopelessness. "We're never going to find a pearl."

"Think positively," Alli instructed as she pulled a large pot out of the cupboard and set it on the stove.

"If any of us were thinking at all, we would have told Grams this was a ridiculous idea."

"And have her worrying about the necklace instead of getting well? I don't think so."

Alli opened the cupboard and began pulling out ingredients she would need for the stew. She'd picked up a few things at the store on the way in, but knew she could rely on Grams to have the staples on hand. It felt so familiar to be working in her grandmother's kitchen, but it also felt strange, because Grams was usually in the room with her. In fact, she kept thinking her grandmother would walk in at any second and give her some last-minute instruction. The thought was so strong, Alli couldn't stop herself from looking toward the doorway, but it was empty. The house was empty, waiting for its owner to return.

"She's not here," Tessa said, catching her gaze. "I've been looking for her since I got here."

Alli didn't feel comfortable with the eye contact so she looked away. For a long while the only sounds in the kitchen came from the clatter of the knife against the oyster sh.e.l.ls and the sizzle of scallions sauteing in the pot.

"My hands hurt already," Tessa complained a while later.

"I guess you don't work much with your hands, do you?"