LITMIR.BIZ

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waggled her hand in a so-so gesture. “It’s not terrible. Very rich.”

      “Is this Libby’s test to see if I’m open to new experiences?”

      “Probably. She seems determined that anyone who spends time here needs to taste it. I think she figures if you won’t try her food, why should she trust your judgment?”

      “She has a point. Sharing food is a bonding experience.”

      “Yes.” She and Scott used to love trying out the different cuisines of the Hawaiian Islands. Scott had given her her first taste of poke, a raw diced fish she still craved from time to time. And then there was their favorite restaurant. “Remember that little noodle place over by the college?” As soon as she said it, she regretted bringing it up. The last thing she should do was talk about their history together.

      But Scott smiled. “I’ve never found yakisoba as good anywhere else.”

      Volta’s phone rang. She checked the screen. “It’s my mom. Why don’t you head on over and I’ll be there in a few minutes?”

      “I’ll wait.”

      Volta nodded and answered the phone. “Hi. I was just about to call you. You heard about the volcano?”

      “Yes, they put out a bulletin. Where are you?”

      “I’m in Sparks, and it looks like we’ll be here for the night at least, possibly more. Are you okay keeping Emma?”

      “Of course. They’re not sure if they’ll have school tomorrow. It depends on how the ash falls over the next couple of hours. Anyway, Emma will be fine with us. We’re going to paint birdhouses this afternoon.”

      “That sounds fun. Say, I ordered her birthday cake a month ago, but would you mind calling the bakery to verify?”

      “All that sugar.” Volta could almost hear her mother shaking her head. “Are you sure you want to serve cake?”

      Volta laughed. “Mom, it’s a birthday party. Absolutely, we want cake.” Volta was in middle school when her mother had decided to cut sugar out of their diet. In mutual rebellion, Volta, her brother and her dad used to sneak to the bakery during Mom’s tai chi class on Saturday mornings and indulge in the most sugar-laden treats they could find.

      “I could make cookies for the party,” Mom offered.

      Volta rolled her eyes. What her mom called cookies were more like organic hockey pucks. She couldn’t imagine any of the children at the party would eat them. On the other hand, the party was at a reindeer farm, and they might make a good substitute for alfalfa pellets. She’d have to ask her friend Marissa, who ran the farm, if Mom’s cookies would upset the reindeer’s digestion. “Sure, Mom, but we’ll have birthday cake, too. And you’ll be happy to know, we’re also having fruit and vegetable trays.”

      “Well, that’s something, I guess. Here, your daughter wants to talk to you.”

      “Mommy?”

      “Hi, sweetie.”

      “Grandma says you probably can’t come home tonight because of the volcano.”

      “I’m afraid she’s right. We flew into a village, but we can’t fly back out until the ash is out of the air.”

      “Why?” One of Emma’s favorite questions. Sometimes, Volta felt as though she’d earned an advanced degree just from looking up the answers for Emma.

      But this one she knew. “Because volcanic ash is made up of tiny, tiny little rocks, and if the rocks get into the engines on the plane, they could make the engines stop running and then the plane couldn’t fly anymore.”

      “Oh. Will you be back for my birthday?”

      “I should be. It’s not until Saturday, and I imagine the volcano will have gone back to sleep by then, don’t you think?”

      “Maybe somebody should sing it a lullaby.”

      Volta laughed. “Or read it a bedtime story?”

      “Yeah, like the one about the moon.”

      “That’s a good one.”

      “Everybody’s coming to my party. Madison wasn’t sure she could because she had a piano lesson, but her mom says she can skip it just this once because she wants to see the reindeer at the farm.”

      “I’m glad she can make it.”

      “Ryan’s so lucky he gets to live on the reindeer farm all the time. With horses.”

      “You’re lucky, too. You get to live at our house, and sometimes at Grandma and Grandpa’s, and sometimes with Leith.”

      “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. Uncle Leith said Sabrina wants to take me to that new movie. With the princesses.”

      “That will be fun.”

      “The bake sale at school is tomorrow.” A gust of wind rattled the window and sent ash swirling.

      “I know,” Volta whispered, “but don’t tell Grandma because she’ll want to make cookies.”

      “Grandma’s cookies are awful,” Emma whispered.

      “Grandma says they might not have school tomorrow, so I’m not sure whether they’ll have the bake sale. I’ll call Sabrina and ask if she’ll make a batch of cookies. If school is open, she can drop them off and if not, she can freeze them until they reschedule.”

      “Sabrina makes excellent cookies.”

      “She does.” Volta looked over at Scott, still standing at the window. “I need to go. Be good for Grandma, okay?”

      “Okay. I love you to infinity.”

      Volta smiled. “I love you to infinity plus one. Bye, Emma.”

      “Bye.”

      Volta put the phone in the pocket of her flight suit and pulled a mask from the supply cabinet. “Are you ready to brave the ash?”

      Scott turned toward her. “Sure. Everything okay at home?”

      Volta nodded. “It’s all under control.”

      “Who’s Emma?”

      She felt an odd reluctance to share her personal life with Scott, although there was no reason for him not to know about Emma. Besides, Libby was sure to ask about her. “Emma is my daughter. She’s seven.”

      “A daughter. Somehow I didn’t imagine you with a child.”

      She wouldn’t have thought he’d imagined her at all. She’d always assumed once he broke up with her, he’d gone on single-mindedly with his life plan. Volta stuck her head into the exam room. “Dr. Willingham and I are going to Libby’s for lunch. Can we bring you something back?”

      “A sandwich?” Paul requested.

      “Sure. Lori, are you feeling up to eating yet? Maybe some soup?”

      Lori dragged her eyes away from the baby snuggled up against her chest. “Okay.”

      “Bridget?”

      “I’ll wait until you get back and take a turn. Did I hear something about akutaq?”

      “That’s the rumor.”

      “Tell Libby to save me some.”

      Volta grinned. “Okay. See you in a little while.”

      She returned to the reception room, where Scott was staring out the window. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” He turned toward her. “And I’ve seen a lot.”

      “I’ll bet you have. You were in the Philippines after that earthquake. Was it as bad as it looked in the photos?”

      “It

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