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“And Annabelle’s smile,” Reid said. “It’s beautiful.”
Sloan shrugged. “I’ve only seen pictures from the tabloids.”
“We’re going to fix that,” Nora said. “My husband dug Annabelle’s photos out of the attic. I’ll show them to you. They’re much better than the stock photos the media used.”
“I’d love that.”
“I suppose introductions are not necessary. But Sloan, this is Tilly and Reid Margolis.”
“Hi,” Sloan said.
“I just can’t believe it,” Tilly said, still staring into the eyes Sloan knew reminded her of her son.
“I’d love to tell you everything,” Sloan said. “How I found you and how Nora helped and, well, you know, the whole story.”
“We’d love that,” Reid said. “We’re so very curious, as you can imagine.”
There was an awkward pause as Sloan looked at Tilly and Reid. Behind them she sensed the rest of the family staring.
“Okay,” Nora said to the room. “Let’s not gawk at the poor woman like she’s on display at a museum. I’ll introduce Sloan to each of you. Remember, you all know each other and for the last few days you’ve all known about Sloan. Sloan, however, knows no one. So let’s not make this more overwhelming for her than it already is.”
For the first time, Sloan noticed the nametags—sticky white squares scrawled with blue Sharpie ink and attached to everyone’s chest.
“Let me bring Sloan around to everyone,” Nora said to Tilly and Reid. “Then we’ll circle back so you all can chat.”
Tilly reached out again and placed her hand on Sloan’s cheek.
“She’s not going anywhere, Tilly.”
Sloan smiled and allowed Nora to whisk her away. For a hectic two hours she met the Margolis family—aunts and uncles, cousins and second cousins. Each of them playing some role in the family empire, whether it be the real estate holdings, the timber company, or the law firm aptly titled Margolis & Margolis. Sloan heard, as the parade of people came to speak with her, every family member’s memory of Preston and Annabelle—from short quips to long stories. About Sloan, too, as an infant, and what they recalled about her short two months in Cedar Creek before the family up and vanished.
Food had been catered, and they ate lunch at tables that had been erected around Nora’s studio as if they were all at a baby shower. By three o’clock the crowd began to thin. By four o’clock the studio was empty but for Sloan and Nora sitting with Reid and Tilly.
Sloan retold the story of the last month of her life, from first submitting her DNA to the online website, to discovering she was Charlotte Margolis, to learning that her birth parents were still missing, to the FBI questioning her adoptive parents, and finally to Nora reaching out and inviting her to Cedar Creek. Left unmentioned was the part about Eric Stamos tracking her down in Raleigh and convincing her that wriggling into the Margolis family was the only way for Sloan to figure out what happened to her and her birth parents nearly thirty years ago.
Tilly asked a hundred questions. Reid listened but added little to the conversation. Instead, he sat back and observed, guiding Tilly’s inquiries every now and then as if he were her attorney at a deposition, present only to make sure she didn’t say the wrong thing. The man’s unrelenting stare set Sloan on edge, and only when Nora’s husband arrived did Reid Margolis loosen up.
“Finally,” Nora said when her husband walked into the studio.
“The boy will be late to his own funeral,” Reid said.
Ellis Margolis walked into the studio pulling a dolly on which several cardboard cartons were stacked.
“Sorry I’m so late. I got caught at the office, and then Nora asked me to dig through our attic for these old photos.”
Sloan stood up and Nora immediately took her hand. “Honey, this is Sloan. Sloan, this is my husband, Ellis.”
“Nice to meet you,” Sloan said.
Ellis, like nearly every other Margolis Sloan had met that day, looked at her with a quizzical expression. He put a hand to his mouth and fought back his emotions.
“Damn.” Ellis offered an awkward smile. “You look like Preston.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Sloan just made it through two hours of folks gawking at her,” Nora said. “Are you going to do the same?”
Ellis laughed. “Sorry. I’m sure it was overwhelming.”
