‘ Aren’ t you going to put on sunscreen?’  Troy asked.

‘ Yeah,’  Martucci piped up, ‘ I was looking forward to watching you rub it all over yourself.’

Ugh! ‘ Martucci, you are such a pig. And I already put some on in the room. You’ re supposed to apply sunscreen half an hour before sun exposure. Therefore, you are currently frying, whilst I, in my wisdom, am only allowing enough rays through to give me a golden hue.’  Then I buried my nose in my book, signaling the end of conversation.

Martucci passed out almost as fast as Brie had. I attempted to read but was distracted by Troy shifting from his front side to his back, adjusting the lounge chair, sighing, coughing, and then flipping back over to his stomach. Finally he sat up and said, ‘ How long are we going to lie here?’

‘ It’ s been fifteen minutes,’  I said.

‘ It’ s so hot. I thought it’ d been a couple hours.’

‘ It’ s not the heat,’  Kitty said to me, glancing up from her magazine. ‘ He’ s always this way. The boy can’ t sit still.’

‘ Yes, I can,’  he said, and then he stood. ‘ Think I’ ll swim a few laps.’

‘ See?’  Kitty said smugly.

I peeked over the top of my book as he walked to the end of the pool and dove in neatly. Then he attempted to swim laps, which was probably like trying to jog through a minefield with so many kids playing and people floating around on air mattresses.

‘ It’ s so good to see him swim,’  Kitty said. ‘ We wondered if he’ d ever be able to. He told you about his motorcycle crash, didn’ t he?’

I set down my book. ‘ Called it a spill.’

‘ Heh. Spill. That scar’ s just a small reminder of what he went through. He didn’ t walk for a year, and then he had a terrible limp for several more. Did he mention that?’

I shook my head.

‘ He put me through the paces, I’ ll tell you that. I wondered if either one of us was going to survive his teenage years.’

‘ Yeah, he said that he always thought-’  And then I stopped.

My unsaid words hung in the air, and I hoped Kitty wouldn’ t catch on, but she said, ‘ That he’ d go before Marissa.’

‘ I’ m sorry. I didn’ t mean to bring her up. Here you are trying to relax and have a good time.’

‘ Don’ t worry. I’ m glad to talk about Marissa. It’ s funny how people are afraid to mention her name-as if by saying it, they’ ll remind me that she’ s gone. As if I don’ t already know that every second of every day.’

‘ That’ s got to be tough.’

‘ Some days are better than others.’  She gave me a reassuring smile. ‘ This day is a good one.’

I took a moment to let her words sink in. ‘ Do you mind,’  I ventured, choosing my words as carefully as I could, ‘ if I asked what Marissa was like? All I know about her is what she wrote on the list. And a few things from yearbooks Troy let me borrow. I’ d love to know more about her.’

‘ Oh, I’ d love to tell you. She was such a cheerful girl, you know. Never let things get her down. Funny. Bright. And she always had a hobby going-I remember for a while there she was into sewing. She made all of the draperies in our house. Then it was model airplane building of all things. And that girl loved children. She always said she was going to adopt a houseful of kids when she grew up-you know, poor kids who had nowhere else to go. I guess she had a thing for the underdog. Perhaps it was those years of being overweight that made her more sensitive to others. Mostly, though, I’ d have to say she was a sweetie. I suppose every mother says that about her daughter, but with Marissa it was true. She was always thinking about other people. Wanting to make a difference in their lives.’

Well, that last part sounded familiar.

‘ Were you aware that one of the things Marissa wrote on her list was to change someone’ s life?’

Kitty seemed pleased. ‘ Troy didn’ t tell me that one, although it sounds like her. He mentioned that there was one about riding in a helicopter& and getting a massage& and, of course, losing the weight. A few others. I understand that there are twenty things& ?’

I nodded. ‘ I don’ t have the list with me here, but it’ s right up in the room. I could run up and get it if you want to see it.’

‘ That’ s okay. Truthfully, before I see it, I’ d rather the whole thing be finished.’

‘ From your mouth to God’ s ears,’  I said, holding up crossed fingers.

‘ What do you mean-is it difficult?’

‘ Nah. Although it’ s not an easy list, that’ s for sure. Some of the tasks are definitely challenging.’

‘ Like having to take her crazy family to Las Vegas?’  Kitty said, her voice teasing.

‘ Not at all! This has been wonderful. And to be honest, I needed it.’

‘ Oh? How so?’

‘ Well, I guess I’ d let myself get totally caught up in getting everything completed on time. So much of my focus has been on hurrying to check things off. I want so desperately to succeed. But being here with you gives me a new perspective. It reminds me of why I’ m doing the list in the first place.’

She shifted to face me. ‘ Why are you doing it?’

Ah, the million-dollar question.

I decided to be honest, since we were having this heart-to-heart. ‘ I suppose it started out mostly as guilt. I felt so awful about everything.’

‘ The accident wasn’ t your fault, June.’

I shrugged. How could I say it? It wasn’ t about regretting how I’ d veered out of the way and rolled the car. Or that I’ d asked for that damn recipe, making her unbuckle her seat belt. Or, for that matter, how I’ d offered Marissa a ride in the first place. Granted, I’ d spent plenty of time lamenting those things, but the idea of fault wasn’ t what propelled me forward. It was more the fact that two people were involved in an accident, and I couldn’ t help but suspect that the wrong one walked away. ‘ I want to make it better. That’ s all. I know what I’ m doing isn’ t much, and it doesn’ t change anything. But-’

‘ It’ s a lot. I can’ t tell you how grateful we are that you’ re doing this. All of us. Troy can’ t stop talking about how impressed he is you’ ve taken this upon yourself.’

‘ Oh, good.’

‘ Not to put any pressure on you, but once we found out that Marissa was making such a big deal out of her twenty-fifth birthday, we decided to throw her a little party. We’ re having it at that Oasis bar that she was so fond of. Nothing fancy. We’ d love it if you could come. Invite anyone you’ d like. And, of course, bring the list.’

‘ I’ d be honored. And it should be finished by then. Will be finished. That’ s the deadline.’

‘ So I’ m told.’  She paused. ‘ You know, I didn’ t even know she’ d made a list. Usually she was so open about that sort of thing.’

Not liking the hurt look that crossed Kitty’ s face, I said hurriedly, ‘ Maybe she was embarrassed by the things on it. There was one about going braless. No offense, but it’ s not exactly the type of thing you want your family to know about. And another one about wearing sexy shoes.’

‘ That explains it!’  Kitty exclaimed. ‘ For the life of us, we couldn’ t figure out why she’ d been wearing those silver shoes. They were so not her style. Then again,’  she added, sighing, ‘ who’ s to say? She’ d lost all that weight. There were probably a lot of things she was ready to try.’

My stomach twisted, but there was nothing accusatory in Kitty’ s voice as she continued, ‘ Okay, June, I know I said I didn’ t want to see the list, but tell me: Was there anything on it about finding love?’

I mentally reviewed the list. ‘ Not really. Although one of the items was to go on a blind date.’

‘ Really. Did you do that one?’

‘ Yeah. The guy turned out to be gay.’

‘ How funny! Oh, it makes me wonder how it would have been if Marissa had had a chance to do the list herself. Would she have met someone special on that date? The love of her life, even?’

‘ Oh, Kitty& ‘

She waved away my concern. ‘ It’ s a nice thought. It doesn’ t make me happy exactly, but I feel as if she’ s here with us.’

‘ If it’ s any consolation, I can assure you Marissa would have had better luck than me on the blind date.’

At that, Kitty tipped her head toward Martucci, who was snoring so loudly that it sounded as if trucks were downshifting on the nearby highway. ‘ So what’ s the deal with you two? You have a little thing going on?’

‘ Martucci and me? Definitely not. We’ re friends.’

‘ I think he’ s handsome,’  Kitty said. ‘ You don’ t find him handsome?’

‘ We’ re work buddies. That’ s it.’

My gaze moved to Troy. He sat on the edge of the pool, tossing a ball to a group of little kids. I tried not to drool. He looked darned yummy, and it had been so long since I’ d had so much as a bite.

‘ That’ s a shame,’  Kitty said, picking up her magazine. ‘ Call it a mother’ s intuition, but I swear there’ s romance in the air.’

AFTER CHECKING INTO the spa and changing into the white terry robes they’ d provided, Brie, Kitty, Gran, and I sat in the lounge area waiting to be called for our treatments. The room was decorated in soothing greens, and there was the scent of eucalyptus wafting through the air. It was hard to believe this was in the same building as the casino and its bright lights and chaos.

I was bathed in peace& until a man stepped into the room. I said a silent prayer that he wasn’ t assigned to me. I’ d never had a masseur before, and this one looked as if he could snap me like a twig. He had a redwood build-broad-shouldered, with his body forming a slick V at his waist. His waist-length black hair was pulled into a ponytail, and his features, while striking, seemed chiseled from granite. If I saw this guy in a dark alley, I’ d faint.

Please don’ t call my name.