A Promise to Remember Read Free Page B

battle.
Your son's life was snuffed out, not by simply an accident, but by
careless behavior. If you take action now, and we make certain
that everyone knows what has happened here, then we show
the world that this kind of lax behavior will not be tolerated."
    At least he didn't have the gall to tell her how much money
he could get her, and how it would change Sarah's life and her
own. Their life had been just fine. Before.
    "You just might save the life of another kid like Jeff. I think
your son would like to leave that as his legacy, don't you?"
    Legacy.
    The word snagged somewhere inside of her, and she knew she
flinched a little. Les Stewart certainly saw, but Melanie didn't
care. A spark of determination kindled deep inside. Every story about that other family showed how, with nothing but dollars,
they were buying a legacy for their son. But she couldn't do that.
She had no other choice. Two strings of cards wouldn't last. A
scrapbook wouldn't last. How else could she make certain that
something of Jeff lasted when he couldn't? This would he for
him. This would be about Jeff.

    The front door swung open. Sarah's blue duffel bag came
flying through and landed in a heap, Santa Barbara Volleyball
League in bright gold letters across its side. She exchanged a few
shouted good-byes back toward the driveway, then came inside,
stopping almost immediately. Her eyes locked on Les.
    He rose to his feet and extended his hand. "Hello there,
young lady. I'm Les Stewart."
    Sarah lifted her hand but did not take his. Instead, she moved
it past him and up to her twisted ponytail. She narrowed her
eyes, looked him over, then crossed her arms and looked at
Melanie. "Who's this?"
    "Honey, he just tried to introduce himself." Melanie looked
from Sarah's gray BMX T-shirt, volleyball shorts, and kneepads
around her ankles, to the fancy-suited man beside her. At six
feet, she was almost as tall, and not one bit intimidated. Good
girl.
    Still, manners did matter. "Mr. Stewart, please accept my
apologies on Sarah's behalf. I'm sure she'll offer some herself
when she realizes how rude she just sounded."
    Sarah glared at her. "What's he doing here?"
    Les took a step forward. "Sarah-is it?"
    Sarah did turn to look at him, although her expression told
him he was not worthy of the attention.
    "Your mother invited me here to talk about your brother's
legacy." His voice was smooth, ingratiating.

    "My brother's legacy, huh?" Sarah leaned backward so she
could see out the front door. "That's a pretty fancy car out there.
It yours?"
    He hesitated. "Yes."
    "Thought so." She studied his tie, looked down at his shoes.
"You're a lawyer, aren't you?" She looked him straight in the
face, daring him to prove her wrong.
    "Yes, I am. I can help your mother make certain that Jeff's
death was not in vain. That something good comes out of it."
    "Something good like you getting a newer model Lexus? You're
not doing this to help my mother, or to make sure my brother
has a legacy." She shook her head. "I'll bet you want to build a
bigger house in Montecito. That's where you live, isn't it?" She
folded her arms. "You must figure you can win a lot of money if
it's worth your time to drive all the way over here to the slums
of Goleta."
    "Sarah, stop that this instant. Mr. Stewart is a guest in our
home, and I'll not have you talking to him that way."
    Sarah flashed a look at her mother, and in it Melanie saw not
the teenage sullenness she'd expected but something fragile and
wounded. For a second she thought her daughter might even
cry, but Sarah shifted her hips and set her jaw, and the anger
returned to her eyes.
    Les dropped his chin a half inch. "Sarah, it's important that
we send a message to parents that they are responsible for their
children."
    Sarah pulled at a loose strand of hair, stared at the lawyer
with a withering glance for three painfully silent seconds before
snatching her duffel out of the entryway and