Page 174 of Everything She Feared

“We are,” she said. “And I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry for any of this.”

They continued visiting, becoming friends.

Weeks after returning home, and after considering Ryan’s request for several days, Sara agreed, and convinced her mother as well, to cooperate fully with him for his book.

“This is how all of us can ensure the truth is finally told,” Sara said.

Sara returned to working part-time at the Jet Town Diner and undertook courses to get her real estate license.

One sunny afternoon she and Katie went to Kerry Park.

“It’s time to start telling you the truth about our family’s history,” Sara said as they took in the view of downtown Seattle. “You remember I told you how I’m adopted?”

Katie nodded.

“Well, there’s more. You see, a long time ago, the people who had me, not Grandma Marjorie or Grandpa George, but the people in Montana who had me when I was a baby, they had problems,” Sara said. “Big, grown-up problems that were so serious they couldn’t look after me anymore...”

As Sara continued, Katie rubbed her thumb along the smooth neck of the hand-carved giraffe Dr. Mehta had given her. As she listened, Katie knew that no matter what, she and her mom could rise above any trouble. Together, they could defeat anything bad that came along.

Katie knew this because, as she watched the ferries crossing Elliott Bay, she looked beyond to the horizon where there was always hope.