“Right,” Faith giggled as they went to join her father.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Nothing a man could understand,” Hailey said breezily. “It was girl talk.” Faith giggled harder at his scowl.
The restaurant was crowded and noisy, but everyone was having a good time. The dance floor resembled a boxing ring where couples were jostling each other to the beat of the music. What the band lacked in technique, it more than made up for in volume.
They were finishing up their meal when Faith jumped out of her chair and yelled, “Hey, Kim!” She waved her arms to the girl being seated halfway across the room. “That’s my friend,” she said hastily to Tyler and Hailey before she ran through the maze of tables to speak to her new acquaintance.
Hailey and Tyler watched and, after a brief interchange, Faith was leading Kim and her mother back to their table.
“Hello,” the woman said pleasantly, over the din of the restaurant. “I’m Frances Harper. My daughter Kim met your daughter in the lodge this afternoon. They got on so well and had such a good time, I wondered if you’d let Faith sleep over at our house tonight.”
Faith and Kim, who was plumper by several pounds and shorter by several inches than Faith, were clutching hands, hopping up and down, barely able to contain their anxiety that permission might not be granted.
Now Faith spoke, “Pleeeeze. She has Atari on her television, and that new album I’ve been wanting, and I’ll be nice, I promise. Pleeeeze.”
The adults laughed at her earnestness. “You’d be doing me a favor to let her come,” Mrs. Harper said. “My husband and I enjoy rest and relaxation when we come up here. I’m afraid it gets boring for Kim, especially when we have to take her out of school
like we did this time. This was the only week my husband could get off.
“We live on the same road as you in the red brick colonial. She’ll be no trouble and I’ll watch them carefully.”
Mrs. Harper was speaking mainly to Hailey, as though she would be making the decision. Suddenly it occurred to her that the woman naturally assumed she was Faith’s mother. “I know you would …” she hedged. What could she say?
“I don’t see any reason why she can’t go, do you, Hailey?” Tyler asked. From the tone of his voice and the familiarity with which he placed his hand on her shoulder, she could very well be his wife and Faith’s mother.
“No. I think it’ll be all right.”
“Oh, thank you,” both girls gushed at the same time. “Thank you, thank you,” Faith said as she kissed both Tyler and Hailey in turn. Then the two excited girls rushed off to join Mr. Harper who had remained at the table.
“Kim has extra pajamas, so we’ll just take Faith with us from here.”
“We’ll pick her up sometime in the morning,” Tyler said. “Thank you for asking her.”
“Thank you for letting her come. It was nice to meet you, both. I’ll see you in the morning.” She went back to her own table.
Hailey’s spirit had suffered a mortal wound. It was obvious that Mrs. Harper had taken them to be husband and wife. But she wasn’t Tyler’s wife. Not by a long shot. What was she to him? A companion for the weekend? A bed partner until he tired of her? “Few, brief, and dismal.” Those were the words he had used to describe his affairs with women. But were they accurate ones? Would he be repeating those words to the next woman he wanted, making her feel special? Seducing her?
“Hailey?”
“I’m sorry.” At the sound of his voice she blinked up at him. “What did you say?”
“I asked if you were finished. Would you like anything else?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Let’s go then.”
They weaved their way toward the front door. Faith waved and threw kisses to them from the Harpers’ table, where she was sitting politely while they ate their dinner.
“Are you cold?” Tyler asked her as they were walking toward the parked car. At the touch of his hand on the back of her neck, she had shivered.
“Yes, a little.”
“I’ll build a fire when we get home.”
Home?