Evening Stars. Susan Mallery

was, somewhere along the way, she’d gotten lost, and now she didn’t know what she wanted.

      About a mile from the house, she pulled off the main road and parked by the beach. She collected Penny’s leash and walked around to the passenger-side back door. Penny sat up, waiting for her. Her long tail thumped steadily.

      “So you like me now, do you?” Averil asked with a grin. “It was the burger, wasn’t it?”

      She clipped on the leash, then stepped back. Penny jumped to the ground and started to sniff.

      “There’s a doggie area over there,” Averil said as she pointed to the square of gravel just off the beach.

      Penny used the facilities, then the two of them went for a walk along the rocky sand. The air was warm, the sun bright in the sky. Due west was the Strait of Juan de Fuca. That body of water separated Washington’s northwest peninsula from Vancouver Island. Somewhere in the middle of the strait was the line between the United States and Canada. About sixty miles due west was open ocean.

      Averil remembered her friends staring out at the strait and talking about getting on a boat and sailing away. To see what was out there. She’d been less interested in leaving and found little appeal in the thought of days or weeks at sea. Nor had she wanted to go to UCLA. That had been Nina’s dream for her. But she’d made it sound so wonderful that Averil had agreed.

      Now she was home—whatever that meant.

      “I’m not making much sense, am I?” she asked Penny.

      The dog glanced at her and gave a tentative tail wag.

      “Come on, Penny. Let’s go face the music.”

      They walked back to the car. Penny settled on her bed, and Averil started down the familiar road.

      When she saw the house, her eyes began to burn. Nothing had changed, she thought with relief. Not the street or the neighborhood. Everything was as she remembered.

      Emotions tore through her. She fought against them, not sure if she was happy, sad or desperately confused. By the time she’d parked the car, she was crying.

      Nina opened the front door and walked out. Averil stumbled to her feet and rushed toward her.

      “Hey, it’s okay,” her big sister told her. “You don’t have to cry.”

      But it was too late. Averil hung on tight, sobs tearing through her. She cried without knowing why, but now that she was home, that was okay, too.

      * * *

      Nina stood in the center of the bedroom. Averil had been home all of thirty minutes. She’d carried her suitcase into her old room, changed into PJs and climbed into bed. From the looks of things, she didn’t plan on getting out any time soon. Nina had brought her water and a sandwich. Averil had consumed both, then stretched out with her eyes closed.

      “Thanks Nina,” she said, her voice sleepy. “You’ve been great. I feel a lot better.”

      Nina sat on the edge of the bed, still not sure why her sister was home and what would happen now that she was. Nina stroked Averil’s hair and felt a rush of affection. They were sisters. They loved each other. Despite how they fought like cats and dogs, that wouldn’t change. And speaking of which...

      “Tell me about the dog,” she murmured.

      Averil opened her eyes and smiled. “Her name is Penny and she’s sweet.” She explained about finding her. “I’ve fed her and she went to the bathroom before we got here. I’ll set my phone to wake me up so I can take her out in a couple of hours.”

      “What about bowls and a bed?”

      Averil yawned. “She’s been on her own for at least a month. She isn’t expecting much. I’ve got food and I’ll get the rest tomorrow. I love you, Neenie.”

      Nina smiled. She hadn’t been called that in years. “I love you, too, kid.”

      With that, she rose and walked out of the room.

      Once in the hall, she hesitated. Should she shut the door? Penny followed her, watching with her big, brown eyes.

      “You’re unexpected,” Nina told the dog.

      Penny’s tail wagged, and she followed Nina into the kitchen.

      Averil had left her luggage in a pile in the living room. One suitcase was open, with half the contents spilling out over the floor. In the kitchen was a bag of food and some instructions.

      “You’ll need to eat soon,” Nina said as she read over the notes. “Small meals several times a day. Canned would be good.” She looked through the luggage Averil hadn’t dragged to her room. There were a couple of ratty towels and a jacket, but no dog food beyond the small bag that was about a third gone. No bed, either.

      “My sister isn’t much of a planner,” Nina told the dog. Penny thumped her tail.

      Nina grabbed her purse and headed for her car. While there wasn’t a pet store on the island and she didn’t have time to make the drive across the bridge, there was a large general store with a decent pet section.

      She bought canned food, a bed and another bag of the dog food. While she was heading toward the checkout line, she grabbed a couple of chew toys and a ball.

      A sizeable credit card purchase later, she was on her way home. The usual evening traffic jam caused her to watch the clock in the car nervously. Her date with Kyle was in an hour. She’d already showered, and her makeup wouldn’t take long, but she would need some time to obsess about what to wear. She needed to look good without being overly dressy. It was cool enough that she would need long sleeves, or a jacket, or both.

      Ten minutes later, she parked and grabbed her purchases. Penny met her at the door.

      “Hey, you,” Nina said, giving the dog a pat. “You now have possessions.”

      She put the bed in the living room and the dog dishes in the kitchen. After filling a bowl with water, she measured out a little canned food and the permitted amount of dry. Penny waited patiently until she was served, then gobbled down her dinner. She followed Nina into the back bedroom and watched as she went through her various clothing options.

      “I was thinking blue,” she said, holding up a cobalt-blue dress. “I know it’s plain, but I have these great shoes that go with it.”

      Penny stared at the dress. Nina did, as well. The neckline was slightly scooped but didn’t flash any cleavage at all. Still, the tailored lines were flattering and it was long-sleeved, which meant she could avoid the whole ugly coat issue.

      The shoes—black and cobalt-blue suede—were three-inch heels and had cost more than the dress. Even at Nordstrom Rack, where they’d been marked down 70 percent.

      She put the dress back in her closet. “There’s also basic black.”

      She pulled out a sleeveless classic LBD. The hemline was a tad shorter than she thought her thighs could handle, but if she put on black tights, they would look firmer.

      Penny stretched out on the carpet and yawned.

      “Too predictable?” Nina asked. “I’m not really a dress person. But I doubt Kyle wants to see me in cartoon scrubs.”

      She looked at her two best options. “What if I wear the suede pumps with the LBD?”

      She dug out the tights and shimmied into them. They had a control top which would cut into her ability to eat dinner, but made the dress look great. She shrugged on a robe and went into the bathroom to touch up her makeup. When she came out, Penny was standing in the hallway, staring intently.

      “What?” Nina asked. “He can’t be here yet.”

      Penny started for the kitchen, then looked back at Nina, as if inviting her along. Nina trailed after her. At the back door, Penny scratched the small rug.

      Understanding