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Sarah shrugged. “Not as tough as it’s been on Daniel. I dealt with my illness a long time ago. Daniel never did. He accepted I was okay and moved on. I think that now, for the first time, he’s realizing how precarious the whole situation was, and it’s taking a toll on him.”
Sarah hit the nail on the head. While the Tanner women always spoke openly about the leukemia, Daniel kept it firmly locked away. Through numerous discussions with him, Amy had learned that as a child, he’d simply accepted the return of Sarah’s good health without questioning it. During the shoot, however, he’d had to come to terms with just how difficult Sarah’s illness had been for the whole family.
“Things look pretty serious here,” Daniel said as he and Lexi joined them. “You guys not having a good time?” He wore a broad grin and had obviously cheered up significantly. In fact, he looked downright exuberant.
“Not really.” Sarah wrinkled her nose. “The entertainment’s lousy and the decor stinks. The least they could have done was hang some decent art on the walls.”
“Don’t worry,” Daniel reassured his sister, “I know the gallery owner. I’ll have a word with her.”
They all laughed as Molly hugged him. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Mum.” Daniel left his arm around his mother’s shoulders.
“I wish your dad had lived to see this exhibition.”
“We all do. He would have been proud, too,” Sarah said.
Amy envied the family’s ability to remember their father and husband with such love. She couldn’t think about her own father in the same light—hell, she didn’t even know if he was dead or alive. After Amy’s mum had confronted him about his numerous affairs, he’d simply thrown in the towel and walked away, stepped out of their lives forever, abandoning his wife and his fifteen-year-old daughter. His impressionable daughter, who had struggled to understand how the most important man in their lives could desert his family. As an adult, Amy had turned that confusion into a defensive wall around her heart.
Initially, the wall had been flimsy. She’d still harbored a childish fantasy of finding a decent man, a better man than her father had been. And she thought she’d found him in Simon.
She’d been wrong.
Following Simon’s betrayal, Amy had bricked up that wall and reinforced it with several layers of concrete. Between Simon and her father, she’d pretty much learned never to let another man in.
“So,” Lexi asked her brother, “how does it feel being the center of attention?”
Daniel couldn’t hide his smile. “Not bad. Although my eyes are still burning from all those flashes.”
“About time you learned what it’s like being on the other side of the lens,” Amy pointed out.
“Flashes are good,” Lexi said with authority. “They mean publicity. And the more publicity we have, the more money we can raise for the ward.”
“I don’t think raising money will be a problem.” Molly’s smile was back. “An hour ago, Valerie told me she’d sold fifteen photographs tonight. And you still have the rest of the week.”
Amy thought about the price tags attached to each photo, did a quick mental calculation, and gave a silent whistle. If sales over the next seven days continued the same way, they’d be able to refurbish the entire hospital, never mind just the ward.
Well, almost.
She looked at Daniel, ridiculously happy for him. He was staring at her, and for a moment, their gazes locked.
The room around them fizzled away. All she could focus on was her friend, his hooded gaze, and that intense, unreadable expression.
Her stomach did three quick cartwheels, a somersault, and a backward flip in quick succession.
What the—?
And just like that, it was over.
Daniel gestured across the room. “Sar, I think Steve is looking for you.”
Sarah waved at her husband, who was beckoning her. “I’m sorry to do this, but it’s getting late. We have to get back home to the kids.”
Amy checked the time. It was close to eleven.
“Are you ready to go, Mum?” Sarah asked.
“I am.” Molly hugged Daniel again. “Tonight was wonderful.”