He seemed to consider that while he looked around the room.“She must like being driven.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m surprised her parents haven’t given her a car.”
“So am I.She’s envious of me.”
“Do you like the car?”
Pam freely admitted it.“Ilovethe car.”She’d had it for only four months, but it had changed her life.It had given her the kind of freedom for which she had waited for years.She’d been independent and self-sufficient for a while; without a mother in the picture, she did her own shopping, took herself to the beauty salon, the dentist, the doctor.Having wheels made it all much easier.
When he asked, “Where are you off to this time?”her heart beat a little faster.She followed his gaze to the canvas duffel on the floor.Marcy, bless her heart, had neatly folded and packed the things Pam had piled on top.
“We’re going to Ginny’s place on the Vineyard.Just for the weekend.We’ll be back Sunday night.”
“Will Ginny’s parents be there?”
“Uh-huh.”
“The whole time?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Like Allison’s parents were in Vail the whole time?”
She’d known that was coming.He wasn’t about to let her forget it.But if he used it to spoil the weekend she and Ginny had planned, she’d be furious.“Allison’s parents were supposed to be there.They flew out with us, then Allison’s grandmother took sick, so they had to fly back early.But we weren’t alone.Allison’s brother was there.He’s a freshman at Duke.”
“Why doesn’t that make me feel better?”
“Because you’re a naturally suspicious person.Nothing happened, John.I’m telling you.We went skiing, we went to dinner, we went to bed.Nothing happened.We were fine.Ginny’s parents called every day.They were comfortable.So were we.”
“I’m sure you were,” he said.“You’ve been comfortable a lot, lately.It’s a pretty nice life—ski trips to Colorado, weekend trips to New York and Martha’s Vineyard, a car for your birthday—”
“Did you have any less when you were my age?”
“I wasn’t flunking out of school.”
So that was it.“I’m not flunking.”
“I wouldn’t call C’s and D’s a stellar report.”
“There was only one D, and that was in math because I happen to have the worst teacher in the school.I’m getting a B-minus this term.And there were only two C’s.And you didn’t mention the A’s and B’s.”
“In art and literature enrichment.Both electives.”
“Both interesting, not boring like the rest.”
“Boring or not, if you want to get into a decent college, you’ll have to get your marks up.”
“I’ll get them up.”
In point of fact, Pam didn’t care what college she went to, as long as it was beyond commuting distance from Boston.That would mean she had only two more years of living at home, which was a wonderful thought.She was tired of tiptoeing around John, tired of being grilled about what she’d been doing and whom she was with.Things were okay when he was busy and out of the house.When he was home and had time on his hands, his favorite activity was bugging her, which was just what he proceeded to do.
“It might help if you cleaned this place.”His lip curled as he eyed the desk.“What is all that crap?”
“Note cards and research stuff for a term paper I’m doing.”When he arched a brow at another pile, she said, “Drawings.I have to do zillions to get the one I want.”
“Doesn’t Marcy clean?”