His body suddenly rigid, Jacques swiped the screen and put the phone to hisear.
“Hello?”
“Hello, sir,” said a squeaky voice. “My name is Ray Lopez-Craine, and I’m calling for RaineyReeves.”
Holycrap.
If Jacques hadn’t been trapped in the back a Chevy Tahoe, he would have shot to hisfeet.
“H-hi, Ray,” Jacques stammered. “My name’s Jacques. We met at your mom’s salon… I’m really glad to hear fromyou.”
“Hi, Jacques. I remember you. Is Raineythere?”
Jacques let out a measured breath. Was Ray calling with or without his mother’s knowledge? Did it matter? He’d reached out. That was the most importantthing.
“She’s not, Ray. I’m actually in California right now, and she’s back home inLouisiana.”
“You’re in California?” the boy asked, sounding impressed. “Where? Like up in the Redwoods? Or in the southern part of the state? Have you seen the La Brea TarPits?”
Jacques stifled a laugh at his avid curiosity. “Actually, I’m in L.A. We drove by the La Brea Museum a few days ago.” He let his voice drip with regret. “But we didn’t have time to stop for atour.”
At his words, all three female members of Heroine turned curious eyes on him. He sat in the third row of the Tahoe next to Kara, which meant that Kate and Des had to crane around in their middle row to eyehim.
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Ray said, clearly disappointed on his behalf. “One of my favorite Mary Pope Osborne books isSunset of the Sabertooth.That’s book number seven in theMagic Tree House Series.In that series, Jack and Annie have a magic tree house — obviously — and it allows them to travel through time. InSunset of the Sabertooth, they go back to the Ice Age and see all kinds of extinctanimals.”
Ray paused in his speech to heave a heartfelt sigh. “I’ve wanted to go to see the La Brea Tar Pits Museum since I read that book. Did you know that in addition to theSmilodon fatalis,which is the scientific name for the saber-tooth cat, the museum houses fossils of more than six hundredspecies?”
This time, Jacques found it harder to smother his laugh. “N-no, Ray, but that’sfascinating.”
“If you’re still in the Los Angeles area, you should seriously consider visiting,” the ten-year-oldadvised.
“Ray, I have to say, you’ve made a very good case for a visit to La Brea. I’ll try to get there before we headhome.”
And Jacques found that he wasn’t just giving the kid lip service. This was Rainey’s long-lost brother. Jacques would at least go to the gift shop to buy a souvenir forhim.
“You won’t regret it,” he promised. Jacques heard some muffled words in the background. “Hold on, please, Jacques. My mom is trying to talk tome…”
As Jacques heard the sound of the phone being covered, his heartbeat sped up. This had to mean that Gloria knew about the call. Didn’t it? Which meant that she’d given it herblessing?
Which might mean that she was ready to help Rainey andHoli…
“Jacques, she wants to talk to you. Can I hand the phoneover?”
He leaned forward, his body tense with excitement. “Y-yes, yes, Ray, ofcourse.”
The discordant commotion of a phone being handed off by a ten-year-old filled Jacques’sear.
“His name really is Jacques,”he heard Raysay.
A long moment passed, and Jacques wondered if Gloria would hang up on him. But she spoke at last. “Hello? Jacques, is it?” she asked, her voice tight anduncertain.
“Yes, yes. I’m Jacques Gilchrist,” he offered, wanting with all of his being to keep her talking. “And you’re Gloria Lopez-Craine.”
Three female sets of eyes widened on Jacques. Kate, Kara, and Des all knew enough of the story of his and Rainey’s cross-country trek to be able to piece together the significance of his phoneconversation.
“Yes,” Gloria said flatly. “Thank you for taking our call.” Jacques wasn’t so sure how thankful she was, but every muscle in his body was taut with gratitude. Andhope.
“I’m very glad to hear from you.” He tried to keep his eagerness in check. The last thing he wanted to do was scare heroff.