“I can’t even think of that. Tell him thank you, though.”
Pam got up to place her coffee cup in the sink.
“Are you going already?”
“I have to do a few more things before they get here. Here comes your nanny. I guess school is almost out!”
After greeting Daniela, Pam busied herself with clothing the dogs and attaching their leashes. Lisa watched her, and the usual love and compassion she felt for her mother was there, but Lisa resisted it, probably because of the revelations Pam had just made.
Trying to imagine Dan in the throes of passion with Pam just did not ring true. He had to have been more than a little drunk. Then it occurred to Lisa that she was feeling jealous. She still had feelings for Dan, and he’d confessed feeling loving toward her, as well. Maybe Dan just loved everyone. Was Lisa going to let Dan come between her and her mother? If a wave took Pam away on the way home, Lisa would always regret not giving her one last kiss.
“Thanks for coming by, Mom,” she said, kissing her cheek. “Will you call me later to fill me in? I’ll be dying of curiosity!”
“Of course. Just think, a stepsister.”
“Great! Another sister! I hope this one stays away from Ryan.”
They looked at each other, stunned.
“Why did I say that?” Lisa asked. “My opinion of him keeps getting lower.”
“Don’t blame yourself, honey,” Pam said, opening the door. “He brought it on himself.”
Lisa watched Pam and the dogs run up the beach toward her house.
“That was nice,” Daniela said. “I guess she’ll be here more often.”
“Yep, that’s the idea,” Lisa said. “How was it at Julie’s today?”
“I’m not supposed to tell you because it’s a big surprise, but they’re moving across the street.”
“My mother just told me. Honest to God, I feel like strangling someone right now.”
“It’s the pregnancy hormones,” Daniela said, laughing. “Sit down and I’ll make you a cup of tea.”
“I don’t want tea,” Lisa whined petulantly. “I want wine, and lots of it.”
“Four months and you can inject it if you want. Okay, what do you want for dinner?”
“I don’t care,” Lisa said exasperated, plopping on the couch. “Whatever is easiest.”
“Let’s go to Mouse Pizza,” she said. “I’ll call Julie; you call Alison.”
“What about our neighbors?” Lisa whispered, pointing at the ceiling.
“Yes. Valarie will be hurt if we don’t include her, even though she wasn’t part of the original Mouse group. I sure miss Gladys right now.”
“Me too,” Lisa said.
“So what about the new guy?”
Lisa filled her in on Steve Lafferty. “He was here all weekend. Not at night, at night he went home. But he was here with breakfast in the morning. Monday thru Thursday he sees patients until eight. I’m assuming that means he’ll text or call but that I won’t see him.”
“What do you think?”
“It has potential,” Lisa said. “He knows about the baby and is okay with it. Plus he’s really good with the kids. He spent hours with them skiing. It was nice. They were so tired last night we had to carry them to bed.”
“Why didn’t he stay over?”
“We’re not going to do it yet,” she replied. “He wants this to be different. So do I.”
“Wow, that’s great. It sounds like he’s going to be permanent.”
“Have you talked to Valarie yet?” Lisa asked, trying to keep a straight face.
“No. What happened?”
“They’re trying to break a record up there. I heard her cries of ecstasy at least three times.”
“Val is humping the witch’s husband,” Daniela said, falling against the counter in shock. “No friggin’ way.”
“Yes, she is. Call her and ask them to come to pizza, and we’ll get the whole story. He’ll want to come, too, but he’ll have to talk.”
“If Sandra finds out about it, there will be murder.”
“You think so?” Lisa asked. “I don’t get that feeling at all. She tried to see Brent on Saturday in the middle of that storm, and he wouldn’t go to her.”
“Wow, that’s fuel right there.”
“You’d think, right?”
“Get busy and make your calls. I want this in place the minute the bus pulls up to the curb.”
“Wait! Listen,” Lisa hissed. “They must be getting in one last screw before the kid comes home.”
They listened for a full minute, and there it was, the bed springs squeaking like crazy, right above their heads.
Out of breath, Tim lay on his side, spooning Valarie. He liked it from the back, her rear end was so plushy, and after Sandra’s stick figure, a soft round bottom just drove him crazy. He squeezed her and nuzzled her neck, delving in private places until she turned on her back and welcomed him yet again.
“I want to see your face this time,” she said, smiling up at him as he crawled on top of her.
The sound of the bus stopping at the curb brought their lovemaking to an end. Valarie pulled on her clothes and ran to the door. She liked meeting Brent out in front; his excitement of seeing her after a full day away fed her soul and her heart. On the stairs, she ran into Daniela coming out the back door.
“You skank,” Daniela drawled, and then burst into laughter.
“Yeah, I’d better get in the shower fast.”
“You don’t answer your phone, either.”
“Well, you heard we were busy,” Valarie said. “What did you want?”
The children screamed with delight getting off the bus. There was nothing better than being home.
“Come to Mouse Pizza with us,” Daniela said, hugging children all around. “Tim can come, too.”
“For dinner?” she asked, picking up Brent and kissing his cheek. “Or after?”
“No! For dinner. By the way, the Bronx is up in arms because you moved out,” Daniela said.
“Is that right?” she asked, finding Tim at the top of the stairs, smiling down at her. “They never thought I’d leave.”
They chattered in Spanish for the next few minutes, parting at the staircase. “See you in an hour!” Daniela said.
“There’s my boy,” Tim said, hugging Brent. “My big boy. Daddy missed you so much today.”
“I missed you, too, Daddy.”
Valarie and Tim looked at each other and smiled. They had never been happier than they were that minute.
Chapter 15
After four, the dogs barked and ran to the front of the house. Pam looked out the sidelight and saw Clint get out and open Randy’s door. Randy let him do it occasionally, especially if he was with a guest. Holding her breath, Pam watched Randy’s long legs stretch out and then his body, and she smiled at his familiar winter garb, a beige down-filled coat that she knew cost over a thousand dollars yet looked like he got it at thrift store, and his plaid woolen fisherman’s hat. He held out his hand and a pair of black-legging-clad legs stuck out. A willowy redhead got out next, standing next to Randy, almost as tall as he was. So this was the daughter.
Waiting at the door, she waved when he caught sight of her, and he waved back. The dogs ran to greet them, and she was so proud that they didn’t jump up on the girl.
“Pam! Meet Laura Long,” Randy said.
“Laura, come inside. The sun is deceiving! It’s still freezing out here.”
“It should all be gone by Wednesday,” Randy said, following Pam back inside.
“This house is amazing,” Laura said.
“Randy, take her around,” Pam said, directing Frank and Clint to take her suitcases to the apartment. “Do you want wine or coffee?”
“Wine first,” Randy answered.
Pam fixed a tray with cheese and crackers and opened a bottle of wine. Her mind was a million miles away, a method she’d employed for years for self-protection during uncertain times.
Something
didn’t feel right about the daughter showing up out of nowhere and now staying in this house. Not that she was dangerous, but that Randy had lost his focus. The whole debacle with Sandra last week and now this felt ordained, so Pam tried to let it go. It was one of those things that was out of her control and would only affect her as much as she allowed it.
She could hear the girl’s words of delight, seeing the beach and the wild ocean. The den would be a good place to have wine. The large windows gave a view of the water unlike from any other room in the house. She pulled wingback chairs over and set the cheese and wine on a small table under the sill.
“Here you are,” he said, coming in to find Pam and kissing her. “Your mother is taking her up to the apartment.”
“Randy, what’s going on? I feel something happening.”
“Pam, there’s two things, but I can’t really tell you around her. Can we go back in the bedroom?”
“I’ll text my mother and ask her to take over for fifteen minutes. Will that be long enough?”
“Only if you don’t get angry,” he said.
“Why do I feel like this is not going to be good?”
“Come with me,” he said, leading her through the house to their bedroom. “Sit down.” He closed the door and pointed to the bed. “Most everything can be discussed in front of Laura, but this, you might not like.”
“Hurry up, Randy.”
“I’m going to take her on a trek. We’ll go to Bali with the Greece crew in two weeks. I’ll be gone until May.”
Looking at her hands, another scenario from another time played out—Jack coming to her and telling her they were moving to Long Island. Babylon—whether she liked it or not—to a small beach house they’d bought for vacations. It appeared he’d purchased it with just this move in mind.
“You said you were going to retire. You’d go into the city a few times a week to tape your new show. You weren’t going to leave me for months at a time. Then out of nowhere, your daughter shows up, and you’re leaving. That sounds preplanned.”
“I swear it’s not,” he said.
“Coming on the heels of the Sandra fiasco, it does. You’re punishing me for making demands.”
“I swear to you, Pam, that’s not the case at all.”
“Is it a done deal?”
“Yes. I’m just telling you now in case Laura brings it up, you’ll know what the story is. Leslie will be here while I’m gone, too.”
“I don’t want Leslie here,” Pam snapped. “It’s too invasive having a stranger in the house.”
“I insist.”
“Fine,” Pam said. “Everything is out of my control.” She looked out the window, at the dark night with the lights from the house reflecting on the frozen sand. “What else is it? You said you had two things.”
“This is not going to be easy,” he said, stumbling over the words.
“Randy, get on with it. You’re scaring me.”
“Lisa is pregnant with Ryan’s baby. He slipped and said something to me about it today thinking we knew.”
Pam looked at him, incredulous. “I had a moment with her today. It was so stretched out of shape, everything we said was more dramatic than it needed to be, and I couldn’t understand why. Now I know. Thank you. Is there anything more?”
“Jesus, isn’t that enough? Remember, I didn’t speak with Lisa. I only know what Ryan said, and that was that she was pregnant.”
She got up from the bed and looked at her reflection in the mirror. “I’m getting drunk tonight.”
“Okay. I will, too.”
He offered her his arm and she took it, walking back into the house together. Nelda and Miranda stood in a circle with Laura, enamored with her, someone new and pretty, a pleasant, simple girl.
“I have wine and cheese in the den,” Pam said. “Miranda, would you like some lemonade?”
“I’ll get it,” Nelda said. “Follow your guests.”
“I feel like getting my sweatpants on and going to bed,” she muttered.
In the darkened den, only firelight and candles burned so their eyes could adjust, with enough ambient light, to see the surf.
“This is my favorite time of night,” Pam said. “We can look out the windows and see more than a black void.”
“I’d kill to live here,” Laura said.
Pam and Randy glanced at each other, but didn’t say a word.
***
Having Laura around took getting used to. She woke every morning and made coffee and a huge breakfast, always cleaning up after herself and offering to do laundry and the grocery shopping, even to iron. It was clear she couldn’t relax.
Trying to engage her exhausted Pam—Laura didn’t want to walk the beach because it was too cold. She quickly became bored with nothing else to do, so Randy got her involved with the production side of the show, and she caught on fast. The house was purged of her nervous energy when she went into the city with Randy.
Laura’s presence in the office became a problem for Jennifer, but she handled it silently, refusing to draw attention to her insecurities. Keeping one eye on Ryan and the other on Laura, she noted a spark of chemistry between them. However, Laura would be leaving with Randy in a matter of days, and Jennifer hoped Ryan would be completely under her spell by the time Laura returned from Bali, by using the only tool she had: her body.
Then like a nightmare for Pam, Marian reappeared. Pam and the dogs were on the beach when she came out of the house, calling for Pam.
“I’ve missed talking to you,” she called, running over to her.
“We’ve been busy,” Pam explained, wondering why Marian never bothered to invite her over if she missed talking to her so much. People were just odd.
“I thought Randy would be in touch about my apartment renovation. I didn’t want to hound him about it.”
Pam thought it probably wasn’t going to happen, but it wasn’t for her to explain. Randy seemed to be causing more stress for her lately, and it was not appealing.
“Why not come for dinner? Randy’s daughter is staying with us, and then next week they’re leaving for Bali on an adventure trek.”
“I read they were going to start that up! I’m so excited about it. It’ll give me something to do on Wednesday nights again. Do you know what they’re going to do there?”
“Come for dinner tonight. You can pick Randy’s brain about it.”
With little effort, Marian Cooper weaseled her way into going to Bali as a contestant. They were sitting around the table eating when she brought the apartment subject up again.
“You seemed so excited about my apartment the last time we talked. I even said something to the co-op. Imagine my surprise when I read you were going to Bali! I didn’t see how you were going to renovate my building on that TV program and do Adventure Trek. I was in a rather embarrassing situation with the board.”
Seething, Pam wanted to throw her glass of water in Marian’s face. Randy, for once in his life, was at a loss for words.
“Marian, it was pretty presumptuous of you to go to your co-op board before you had a formal conversation with Randy,” Pam said, glaring at her. “Chatting over a glass of wine is not a legal contract.”
“I don’t even think we were drinking wine, were we?” Randy asked, looking confused.
Marian looked from Pam to Randy and then burst into tears. In a huff, Pam mouthed fuck to Randy, and he had to put his napkin in his mouth to muffle his laughter.
Feeling guilty that she’d made someone who was ostensibly a guest cry at the dinner table, and with Laura looking mortified, Pam finally got up and went around the table to apologize to Marian, who was apologetic, as well.
“I didn’t mean to make anyone feel bad. I’m upset about Will, and I’m not myself. I’m ready to run away to Bali myself.”
Before Pam could turn around to glare at him, hoping he’d shut his mouth, Randy did the deed—he asked her to be a contestant on Adventure Trek.
“We need another woma
n,” he said. “The only thing is you have to get your immunizations. Bali is riddled with typhoid.”
“I hope my passport is up to date. I rarely leave New York.”
“You sound like Pam,” Randy said, Pam swatting him under the table.
The next hour was spent with Pam pretending to be busy cleaning up from a dinner she didn’t have to cook, while Marian, Randy and Laura talked about the trip. After that evening, for the few days before they left, she would be a regular fixture at their dinner table.
The week flew by, and it was time for them to leave for Bali. Pam felt numb. The eve of their departure arrived, and feeling miserable, Pam wasn’t sure if it was resignation that after just four months, Randy couldn’t wait to get away again, or if it was jealousy that Marian Cooper seemed indispensable to Randy for the trip. Even Laura complained about her to Pam, and it was the first time they commiserated about anything, breaking down the last barrier to their relationship.
“I’m about ready to strangle Marian,” Laura hissed after dinner. “I can’t even have a conversation with my father without her butting her nose in.”
“Tell me about it,” Pam said. “I’ll go try to occupy her.”
So Pam sat at the table to chat with Marian, and Laura was able to have her conversation with her dad. And in that time, Randy watched his beautiful wife giving her rapt attention to Marian, who could be a bore if she wasn’t careful.
“I’d better rescue your stepmother,” Randy said when Laura was finished.
“Dad, you should take her out tonight. Go out and get a drink somewhere so you’re alone.”
“Pam likes to dance,” he said, thoughtful. “There’s a roadhouse out on the highway we went to when she had just broken up with Charlie Monroe. I had so much fun that night, I still remember the hangover I had the next day. Maybe I’ll suggest it if we can get rid of Dr. Cooper.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Laura said, marching over to the table. “Pam, Dad wants to take you out for your last night together. Go get ready.”
In a flurry of apologies, Marian finally got up to leave. “I’ll be back at noon tomorrow! Bali, here we come!”
“Do you really want to go out, or was that just to get rid of her?” Pam asked after Marian was gone out the back and the door to the veranda was locked.
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