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strip club tonight. You ladies want to come? Naked hot guys, woohoo!”
    Anne shook her head. “I have a date tonight. I’m meeting the shuttle driver for drinks at nine.”
    “I’m bowing out, too.” Meg smiled. “You girls have fun. Don’t post any evidence on Facebook!”
    That had them all giggling, and the guys made a few ribald jokes. Meg was glad they didn’t press. Some stranger rubbing his junk in her face was not her idea of fun. She could only be glad if anyone was taking advantage of the local brothels, they didn’t say it out loud. There’d be no bleaching away that mental image.
    Anne’s phone trilled out a ring, and she leaned sideways against Meg to fish it out of her back pocket. She answered and stuck her finger in her other ear to block out the noise of the restaurant. “Hello!”
    Meg felt her friend go rigid. Anne slid out of her seat to pace in front of the table as she listened. Fear contorted her features, and when she spoke, it was slowly and distinctly. “Calm down, Mom. Tell me what happened to Cami.”
    “Cami?” Meg whispered, and she couldn’t keep the worry out of her voice. Cami was Anne’s sixteen-year-old sister, the baby of the family. Meg had done her fair share of babysitting Anne’s three younger sisters, so hearing the girl’s name made her stomach twist into knots.
    Anne leaned forward and braced her hand on the table, her face pale. “Is the doctor there? Let me talk to them. Now, Mom.”
    There was silence for a long moment while she listened, and Meg gripped the edge of her seat, tension ratcheting up inside her.
    “Thank you, Doctor. No, I’m not staying here to wait for updates. I’ll hop on the next flight home. Try to keep my mother calm until I get there. Shoot her up with Valium if you need to.”
    She tapped a button, and stood there for a moment, a slight tremor running through her.
    Finn stood and grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her upright. His blue eyes darkened. “What happened to your sister? How can we help?” He shook her a little. “Breathe, Anne.”
    Sucking in a lungful of air, Anne squeezed a few sentences out. “She was in a car accident. The doctor says it’s minor—she needed five stitches, has a concussion and they’re keeping her overnight for observation. But my mom is freaking out and I need to be there. The girls depend on me to be the responsible one.”
    Truer words had never been spoken. Anne had basically raised her younger sisters because her flighty mother couldn’t be counted on to remember to sign permission slips, send lunch money, or get the girls on the bus to school every day. If something went wrong, they turned to Anne.
    Meg grabbed her purse and rose. “All right, let’s get our things together and get home as quickly as possible.”
    “Yes.” Anne nodded, some color seeping back into her cheeks. “Okay, let’s do that. Wait, just me. You said our .”
    “I should come with you.” Meg arched her eyebrows.
    Anne’s gaze went from Finn to Meg and back again. “No. I want you to stay here and enjoy your spring break.”
    “But—”
    “No buts. I’ll call Karen and have her pick me up from the airport. Julie can go to the hospital in the meantime and give us any updates.” Anne let out a breath. “I want you to stay here and have fun, since I don’t get to. Please?”
    “Okay, if you’re sure.” Meg shook her head, knowing exactly what Anne meant when she said fun . She wanted Meg to sex it up with Finn. Even in distress, she was pushy.
    Finn’s fingers were flying over his phone, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Okay, there’s a flight to SFO in ninety minutes. If we hurry, you might make it in time. I have the airline’s phone number. Anne, you’ll need to speak to them.” His gaze speared the suddenly quiet group at the table. “Which of you is sober?”
    Only Roger raised his hand.
    “Great, you’re in charge of making sure a cab is waiting at the curb for Anne so she can