Solo climbed out of the RV and stretched his legs.

They had only been driving for an hour or two but it felt like an eternity with Cecily’s nose in a book and Solo alone with nothing but his thoughts and the sights and sounds of his brothers happily in love. He’d had to content himself with reading an old driver’s manual he’d found under one of the seats in the RV.

He expected they would all pair off to get coffee together, but instead Cecily marched off for the restroom, Bea and Kate in tow.

Solo sighed and headed toward a picnic table under the shade of a large tree. He leaned against the trunk to think.

Kirk and Buck approached him.

“Are you okay?” Kirk asked without preamble.

“I’m fine,” Solo said.

“So polite,” Buck teased. “What happened with you and Cecily?”

“I’m not sure,” Solo admitted. “She was angry at me from the minute she left the bathroom back at the diner.”

“Maybe Kate can tell me what’s wrong,” Kirk said.

“No,” Solo said. “I don’t think Cecily would like her friends to inform on her feelings.”

“That is a wise thought,” Buck said, eyebrows lifted in admiration. “You are becoming more skilled at understanding humans.”

“Unfortunately, the only one I want to understand doesn’t want to be mated,” Solo said.

“How do you know?” Buck asked.

“She told me,” Solo said. “And she meant it. I can feel it.”

Buck sighed.

“Maybe we can find someone else,” Kirk offered carefully. “Someone who is ready to be your mate.”

“How would you have felt if I’d said that to you a few days ago about Kate?” Solo asked.

Kirk frowned and nodded. “Then you will have to bring her around.”

“Why doesn’t she want to be mated?” Buck asked.

“I’m not really sure,” Solo said. “She’s more complicated than a bio-ship’s engineering manual.”

“This is because you expect everything about her to be logical and orderly,” Buck said. “But her feelings don’t have to make sense from the outside.”

“Then how am I supposed to understand?” Solo asked.

“You must try to understand her feelings from the inside,” Buck said. “Learn more about her life and her past, and maybe you will learn why she is attracted to you but won’t act on it.”

“How can I do that?” Solo asked.

“Well, for the rest of us, the only answer would be to ask a lot of impertinent questions,” Kirk said. “But for you, you would just have to—”

“—I won’t do it,” Solo said.

“You love her, don’t you brother?” Buck asked.

Solo nodded.

“If you love her and you want to know her better, I think it might help to use your gift,” Kirk said. “Just a little.”

“It doesn’t work the way you think,” Solo said. “I can’t just touch her and watch her life unfold like I’m watching a movie. And besides, it’s an invasion of her privacy. It’s like stealing.”

“Well then, brother, you have three options,” Buck said.

“Not this again.” Kirk rolled his eyes.

“Flowers, jealousy, and space,” Buck counted off on his fingers. “Kirk gave Kate space and she came around. I made Bea jealous…”

“You tried to make her jealous,” Kirk put in.

“Yes, I did,” Buck said. “Or you could bring her flowers and chocolates, win her over with sweetness.”

“I don’t think any of those things will work,” Solo said sadly.

“It can’t hurt to try,” Buck said. “You can use some of our emergency money to buy them - maybe they have flowers or chocolate in the shops inside.”

Solo shrugged. He had no better ideas, and if flowers or treats made Cecily smile they couldn’t hurt his cause. Maybe he would give them a shot.

“We’ll see you inside, brother,” Kirk said.

Solo nodded.

He jogged back to the RV, climbed in quickly and grabbed Kirk’s navy blue backpack from beside the table.

A shiny silver star hung from the zipper. He’d never noticed that before.

Without thinking, Solo took hold of it.

He had just enough time to realize he had grabbed the wrong backpack.

Then the vision lowered its ghostly curtain around him. It was too late to stop it.

A small girl lay on her belly in bed. Her face was hidden in her pillow, but Solo could see the curls on her head.

Cecily.

An unknown, but somehow familiar woman sat on the edge of the bed.

I know Father’s Day is hard, the woman said.

I don’t want to talk about it, the girl sniffed.

Uncle Ray is coming to the Father’s Day breakfast with you tomorrow, the woman said. He’s excited to be your guest at school.

I want a daddy, the girl said quietly.

The mother bit her lip.

I at least want to know who he is, the girl continued. Why won’t you tell me his name?

Because it doesn’t matter, the mother said. He’s not really your father. He’s just a man. You and I are a family.

I need to know, the girl sobbed.

Solo watched as the mother slid something out of her pocket.

I was going to keep this until tomorrow, she said. But I want you to have it now.

What?

Just a little present.

The girl sat up and Solo was surprised to see how much little Cecily looked like her grown-up self. She had the same constellation of freckles across her nose.

Her mother smiled and held out something that shimmered in the lamplight. It was a charm bracelet with a sparkling silver star.

Little Cecily took it and read the inscription on the shiny pendant out loud, We Are Enough.

We are enough, Cecily, her mom said. Always remember that. Some kids have to share their mother’s love with a father or siblings. But you are my everything, my star, Cecily Page. And I will love you forever.

Cecily smiled slowly.

Suddenly she flung her arms around her mother’s neck.

Can we make hot chocolate?

I don’t see why not, her mother said with a smile.

Cecily slid the bracelet onto her wrist.

Solo watched intently but the vision was already fraying at the edges, fading into nothing.

He managed to drop the backpack where he’d found it.

He sank into a seat, deep in thought.

Cecily did not know who her father was. He wasn’t part of her life, part of her family.

Solo had read Cecily’s memoir, Make-Up Sex. The references to her many romantic conquests unfailingly made him wild with jealousy even though she was careful not to name names. But the book was mostly an interesting story of what it was like to be a make-up and special effects artist. Solo had noticed that although Cecily mentioned a variety of subjects in it, she did not mention her family, except for one reference to her mother’s death.

Now she had no mother. And she had never known her father.

And she wanted - needed to know who he was.

Could the disappearance of her mother’s mate be the reason Cecily didn’t want one of her own?

An incredible idea began to occur to Solo.

If he could help Cecily to locate her father, perhaps he could give her closure. Maybe it would be enough to allow her to move on.

Solo knew that if he found her father, the man would be overjoyed. Anyone would be proud to have a daughter as accomplished as Cecily.

If Solo could give Cecily back a family, maybe she would even feel ready to begin a family of her own.

Solo forgot about the flowers and chocolate and began to formulate a real plan.

Maybe reading that driver’s manual hadn’t been a total waste of time after all.