“This is all Maya's doing,” he said with what seemed like an almost paternal sort of pride. She looked surprised. But then I pointed out that Uncle Allen had been responsible for the barbecue and Kim had helped in all sorts of ways.

  But back to the beginning. Dominic brought my dad about thirty minutes before the other guests were supposed to arrive. I could tell that the two of them had already hit it off. Of course, this shouldn't surprise me since Dominic is a musician as well. I wonder why I hadn't thought of that before. But my dad really liked my uncle and cousin too. And they seemed to like him a lot. It felt like we really were family. I can't even describe how cool that was. I almost regretted that I'd invited others to join us since we were already having a great time with just our small group. But to my relief, it only got better as more guests arrived. It was so awesome to let Dad get a sample of my life and meet my friends. And once my friends got over being slightly star-struck, it was pretty fun. It got even better as the sky grew dark and all the tiki torches and candles were glowing, with Hawaiian music playing in the background.

  “It's like a tropical fairyland out here,” Kim said as the caterers began serving dessert—a combination of pineapple, coconut, and ice cream and very yummy. Kim and Uncle Allen and Dad and I were seated at the same table. I felt a tiny bit selfish for doing this—but, hey, he's my dad.

  I put Dominic and Eddie with Marissa and her dad, and really, that seemed to go well. I could tell Marissa's dad was enjoying himself. I think he appreciated spending time with his daughter in a fairly happy setting. I put the Bernards at a table with Josh and Caitlin. And Nat and her mother sat with Pastor Tony and his wife, Stephanie.

  To say that a good time was had by all wouldn't be an exaggeration. Okay, it got a little dicey when Nat's mom kept urging my dad to sing for us. I finally had to step in.

  “Anyone who wants to hear Nick Stark sing will need to buy tickets for tomorrow's benefit concert,” I announced loudly.

  “That's right,” Kim agreed.

  “Good luck,” Caitlin called from her table. “I heard that we're sold out.”

  This was followed by a loud cheer.

  So even though I was pretty worn-out after the party ended, I was very happy. I think it went as well as possible. Dominic offered to drive my dad back to his hotel, but I told him that I wanted to.

  “Why don't you just come along with us?” Dominic suggested.

  “Thanks, but I'd like a little time with my dad alone.” And okay, I could tell that Dominic was slightly hurt by this. But like I said, he's my dad. And I think I deserve some one-on-one.

  “What a great evening.” Dad leaned back in the passenger seat beside me.

  “I hope we didn't wear you out.”

  “Not at all. In a way it was very refreshing.”

  “Refreshing?”

  He nodded. “Yes. You have no idea how much it puts this father's heart at ease to see you with these people, Maya.” His voice choked slightly now. “Allen and Kim are really great—and the rest of your friends.” He sniffed. “Well, I just couldn't be more pleased and relieved.”

  “They're a nice bunch of people.”

  “I know this will sound trite, Maya, but tonight has helped restore my faith in the human race.”

  “It doesn't sound trite, Dad. I know what you mean.”

  “I can't imagine you landing in a better place, honey.”

  “Me either.”

  “Allen told me that you're welcome to stay as long as you need to.”

  “Even after Kim goes to college?”

  “I asked the same thing, Maya.”

  “And?”

  “Allen paid you a very high compliment.”

  “So are you going to tell me?”

  “He said that if it was anyone besides you, he wouldn't even consider taking a teenager into his home. But he said you remind him of Kim. He said that you're mature beyond your years, and with your independence he wouldn't feel he needed to take care of you.”

  “That was nice.”

  “But he was concerned.”

  “About what?”

  “Well, he wondered if you'd be very happy living there. He thought you deserved to live with a more normal family.”

  “A more normal family?” I had to laugh. “Uncle Allen and Kim are the most normal people I know.”

  “Yes, but Kim will be gone. And you might not be comfortable living with your widowed uncle.” He glanced at me.

  “Uncle Allen is the sweetest man I know.” I looked at Dad. “Present company excluded. I feel perfectly safe and comfortable with him, if that's what you mean.”

  “It's just that you've been through so much, Maya. I know you haven't given up on your emancipation plan. And I think you're proving that you're able to take care of yourself.”

  “I've been taking care of myself for years.”

  He sighed. “I know…and I'm sorry.”

  “No, I wasn't trying to make you feel bad.”

  “But my concert schedule doesn't seem to be lightening up any. And there's no telling what will happen with your mother's appeal this fall.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning…maybe you would be safest if you were emancipated. That way you could continue living with your uncle or be on your own, but Shannon couldn't exercise any parental rights over you.”

  “Yes, I've thought the same thing.”

  “I'll do or sign anything to help you get this, Maya.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  We were at his hotel by then. I got out and hugged him.

  “Thanks for one of the best nights of my life.” He still had tears in his eyes. “You made me so proud tonight.” He used his handkerchief to dab his nose. “I know you're going to be okay.”

  I nodded. “Do you want to just take it easy tomorrow? You know, because of the concert?”

  “I'll sleep in. My crew is supposed to get here around noon. Then we'll have to set up in the stadium and do some sound checks and all that. But maybe you and I could have an early dinner together.”

  “Sure. Just let me know when and where.”

  He hugged me again, kissing me on the cheek. “You're a great kid, Maya. You make me proud to be your dad.”

  And this afternoon as I write this, I'm thinking it's cool that Dad is so proud of me. I want to feel as confident as he does, but I'm not always so sure. I mean, I'm only sixteen and a half. Who knows what could still go wrong? I try not to think about things with Dominic. Or my dilemma with Brooke. It feels like a lot of pressure. And something else is bothering me quite a bit—the wall that Caitlin warned me about. I am convinced that I have been steadily building that wall by not forgiving Brooke. And now I'm not even sure how to put an end to it. But I'm praying, and I hope God will show me. I doubt I'll be able to deal with it until after my dad's visit. Still, it must be resolved because I NEED God. I really, really need God. I can't afford not to have Him in my life. I can't bear to do it on my own. I've been there and done that. And it didn't work.

  August 3

  Last night's fund-raiser was a screaming success. I didn't expect there would be so many Nick Stark fans in this town. Apparently I was wrong. And okay, most of the concert attendees were older folks, like forty and up. But according to my dad, that's usually the case. Still, it was pretty cool. When Dad called me onto the stage to join him, I couldn't help but feel proud of him—and proud of my connection with him. Really, it was awesome. And, oh yeah, we made a boatload of money. So not only will we be getting backpacks and school supplies for kids in need but coats and shoes as well. How cool is that?

  This morning Dad went to church with me. And to my surprise, Mr. and Mrs. Marshall came up to meet him. Brooke wasn't with them, but still I was speechless. Fortunately, Mr. Marshall initiated the introductions. Then I managed to mutter, “These are Brooke's parents.”

  Dad nodded solemnly.

  “We wanted to apologize to you personally,” Mr. Marshall said to my dad. “We are terribly sorry for the ordeal that our daughter has put both you and Maya through.”

  “Thank you.” My dad nodded politely. But there was a coolness to it.

  “And we saw your concert last night,” gushed Mrs. Marshall. “Just wonderful.”

  “Thank you again.”

  Then Caitlin brought her in-laws over, and fortunately, we were distracted by introductions to the Millers.

  “My mother-in-law is a huge fan,” said Caitlin, “and she was dying to meet you.”

  “We're both fans,” said Mr. Miller, “and last night was fantastic.”

  “Their daughter's band was supposed to play,” I explained, filling him in about the double-booking.

  “And don't tell Chloe,” said Mrs. Miller, “but their loss was our gain.”

  Finally I managed to extract my dad from the throng of fans. Some old and, after last night, some new. We went and got some lunch, and then I took him on a driving tour of the town.

  “It's charming,” he said when we finally ended up at home, where we planned to spend a laid-back afternoon. “It reminds me of an old fifties sitcom, like Leave It to Beaver.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “I think it's fantastic.”

  I smiled. “So do I.”

  The weather (high seventies with a nice breeze) was perfect for hanging in the backyard. I showed my dad some of the things I was working on in the garden, then we had iced tea, and before long my dad was snoozing in the chaise lounge—totally relaxed.

  I slipped back into the house where Uncle Allen and Kim were puttering in the kitchen. “What's up?” I asked.

  “We want to fix you guys dinner tonight,” Kim said.

  “Is that okay?” my uncle asked. “We thought it would be more relaxing for Nick not to be mobbed by fans.”

  And he was right. It was very relaxing. He grilled kabobs, some with meat and some without. We lit the torches and candles once again, and it was perfectly delightful.

  Maya's Green Tip for the Day

  Here's how you can make your own hanging glass-jar votive candleholders. Find some glass jars in a variety of sizes (like from mayo or jam or mustard or spaghetti sauce). Peel off the labels and wash the jars (or add them to a load that's going through the dishwasher, since that conserves water). Then take some wire—it can be anything, though recycled is best of course. But if you want to be fancy, you can use copper. Get a few clear glass beads for fun. Now wrap the wire around the jar's mouth, use a pencil to make wire curlicues for decoration, add some beads here and there, and attach a wire handle (if you want it to hang like a lantern). Then place a votive candle in the bottom of each jar. Set them on tables or hang them from trees. When the sun goes down, light the candles, and you have a fairyland backyard.

  August 5

  I took my dad back to the airport this morning, and although I was sad to see him go, I felt slightly relieved to get back to my “normal” life. I mean, it was more fun than I expected to have my celebrity dad in town. But I was ready for life to settle back into my comfortable routines, and I was happy to go back to work.

  “Welcome back,” Jackie said cheerfully. “You've been missed.”

  “You have no idea,” said her daughter, Rosemary.

  “I'm sorry,” I said. “Did you have to work a lot of extra hours?”

  Rosemary laughed. “No, not missed like that.”

  “You've been missed by customers,” Jackie said. “It seems you have your own fan base.”

  “My own fan base?”

  “Yes. So many people saw you on that TV spot and then again at the concert.”

  “And then there's your green column in the paper,” Rosemary added, “which I must say is really good.”

  “So it seems you're the new celebrity around here.”

  I frowned.

  “Don't you want to be a celebrity?” asked Rosemary.

  “Not really… I just want everything to go back to normal.”

  They both laughed.

  And as the day progressed, it seemed more and more that normal was slipping between my fingers. Not only were customers treating me differently, but when I checked my phone messages on my lunch break, several were from Suzy Richards at Channel Five News. I figured it was related to the concert and maybe they wanted to do some kind of follow-up, but when I called her, she was up to something completely different.

  “I spoke to your uncle today, Maya, about your green column in the paper.”

  “You read that?”

  “Sure. It's great.”

  “Oh.” Still, I was confused.

  “And I've been thinking there must be a better way for you to get more people concerned about conservation and recycling and all that stuff.”

  “How?”

  “TV.”

  I wasn't sure how to respond.

  “Yes, I know you're not that excited about being the center of attention, Maya. You made that clear when you came in here.”

  “That's right.”

  “But the problem was that you were so great at it.” She chuckled.

  “Yes, but—”

  “So your uncle and I were talking, and we both felt that if you really care about recycling and this town, well, you should be willing to sacrifice.”

  “Sacrifice?”

  “By doing a green spot on Channel Five News.”

  “A green spot?”

  “Yes. Your uncle has agreed to share ‘It's a Green Thing’ with our TV station.”

  “He has?”

  “Well, it was conditional. Naturally, we couldn't do it without you.”

  “I'm still not sure.”

  “Look, it's simple, Maya. You'd come in here and shoot, say, three spots all at once. And we'd run them on, say, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. You know, like three times a week.”

  “Uh-huh?”

  “It would probably take only a couple of hours, maybe less since you're such a natural in front of the camera.”

  “But I—”

  “Okay, before you put up obstacles, I want to point out something.”

  “And that is?”

  “Well, you really do care about the environment, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “And as you noticed, our city does not have curbside recycling, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “What better way to get it than to have all our viewers being informed by you? My guess is that it'll be up and running by fall.”

  “Really?”

  “The media has a huge influence. I'm sure you know that.”

  “But I'm not—”

  “Oh yes,” she said quickly, “I should tell you that there's money involved. I know you're working at Jacqueline's, but when school starts, it might be difficult to get in as many hours.” She laughed. “Although with Nick Stark for a dad, I wouldn't think you'd be too desperate for money.”

  “I like being independent,” I shot back at her.

  “Good girl. Kudos for you.”

  “So what kind of money are you talking about?” I asked with a little more interest. After all, I still have my emancipation plan, and the court expects me to prove that I am self-supporting.

  “Well, we haven't crunched numbers yet, Maya. But I think it's safe to assure you that you'd make more working for us than at the dress shop. And you'd be spending a lot less time doing it.”

  I considered this. With my newspaper column, doing a Channel Five News spot, and maybe just a few hours a week at Jacqueline's, I might be able to convince a judge that I was ready to support myself.

  “So will you at least think about it, Maya?”

  “Sure. Can I get back to you tomorrow?”

  “Sounds great. And something else you might be interested in…”

  “What's that?”

  “We could set this up with your high school or even the community college as an internship so you'd get credits for it.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure, we do it all the time.”

  “Okay. This is sounding better and better.”

  “Terrific. We'd really love to have you on our team, Maya. After you left last week, several people commented on what a natural you were and how easy you were to work with.”

  “Well, thanks…”

  There's no denying that this was flattering. As I'm writing this, it occurs to me that just one year ago my life was totally miserable. I felt hopeless and scared, and the future seemed bleak. And yet here I am now. I can't help but think God is the one responsible. Which reminds me…I have unfinished business to take care of with Brooke. But I'm just not sure how to go about it. Do I go to her privately? Or would it be better to have her parents there? I don't feel like I can trust Brooke on her own. And her parents went out of their way to apologize to my dad. Unless that was simply their excuse for meeting him. But anyway, I think I'll try to arrange something. Maybe on my day off. On Thursday.

  August 7

  But on Thursday, today, I found myself at Channel Five News again. This time I was taping my “It's a Green Thing” spot. As soon as I agreed to do this (yesterday), Suzy put together a contract and arranged the first taping. They will be scheduled on my days off until fall.

  The taping ended up taking longer than we expected, almost four hours. We were all just trying to figure it out, and everyone had a different opinion. Suzy assured me that once we get this down, it won't be such an ordeal.

  “And maybe we can film her at home,” suggested Ron, the camera guy. “You know, doing some of the things she talks about.”

  “That's a great idea,” agreed Suzy. So next week we'll be “on location” at the Peterson residence.

  “But let me check with my uncle first,” I said.

  “I can do that for you,” Suzy said, nodding to her assistant. “We'll need him to sign a waiver anyway.”

  It was nearly three when I finished, and I went out to the parking lot and looked up at the hill. I've tried to call the Marshalls' home several times, but I always get their machine. I keep imagining Brooke up there looking at her caller ID and deciding not to answer since she probably doesn't want to talk to me. So I decided just to drive on up and see if I could catch her at home. Maybe doing gymnastic flips into her pool. But when I got there, a young woman answered the door.