“I wish Daniel weren’t here. Frankly, I want Riley to myself.”
“Well, I can see your jealousy, Maureen, and Riley’s going to pick up on that, too. You’ve got Riley. Let go of the old hurt, and everyone will be happier.”
“I’m trying.”
“Building a relationship takes time.”
“I know.” Maureen rubbed her forehead. “I do know. He calls Daniel Papa.” She put a hand to her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud, to sound belligerent about it.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Daniel has a nickname, Papa. Riley calls me Grandma. Nothing special.”
Cherie sat back, holding her wineglass, swirling the contents. “Papa is probably the most common variation on Grandpa. It’s those double-repeat syllables that babies learn so much easier—mama, dada, papa. He was there every day with Riley. Aren’t you being overly sensitive?”
“Maybe.” Probably. “It’s just been a long, trying day dealing with everything.”
Cherie sipped her wine, then set down the glass gently. “How’s Ted taking it all?”
Maureen summed it up, adding, “He’s being amazingly patient.”
“Hmm.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve been wondering how he would handle it if you ever didn’t go along with what he wanted.”
“I don’t know what that means, Cherie.”
“Just what I said. You defer to him, that’s all. Today you didn’t. I’m glad he’s being patient.”
Even if Maureen had wanted to explore the point further, Daniel and Riley returned then.
“Grandma, that bathroom is crazy!”
Since Maureen was a regular customer at the restaurant, she knew what Riley had discovered. “How is it crazy?”
“There’s no reg’lar lights but there’s colors all over the walls and they…glow. What’s it called, Papa?”
“Day-Glo paint and black lights.”
“Black lights. Isn’t that funny? Papa says that’s what the hippers liked.”
“Hippies,” Cherie said. She touched her peace-symbol necklace. “I was a hippie.”
“You were?” His eyes went round. “Did you glow?”
Cherie laughed. “Oh, honey, did I ever. I glowed like a neon sign.”
“I’ll show you pictures,” Maureen said. “She was beautiful.”
“She’s still beautiful,” Daniel said, lifting his glass in a toast.
“Well. Flattery will get you everywhere.” Cherie clinked glasses with him, then Riley wanted to join in. After much toasting and clinking, their meals were brought and everyone dug in as if they hadn’t eaten in days.
After dinner they walked to Daniel’s apartment. Ty wasn’t there.
“This isn’t too bad,” Maureen said, looking around. Nothing was new but it wasn’t too cluttered or dirty.
“I decided to clean the place up a little before I went back to your house. It reminded me too much of dorm life.” Daniel led them into his bedroom. He turned to Maureen. “Any chance you’ve got an extra set of sheets you can loan me? I don’t think even bleach will help these.” He lifted the ratty quilt to unearth equally ratty sheets.
Maureen pictured his house in Seattle, a three-bedroom craftsman with wood-shingle siding on a quiet, tree-lined street, a far cry from this tiny, street-noisy place. She caught Cherie’s pointed look.
“I’d be glad to loan you some bedding,” Maureen said. “Anything else you need?”
“Nope, thanks.”
Cherie glanced at her watch. “I’m supposed to meet some friends in a few minutes, so I’ll leave you. Thank you for dinner, Daniel.” She hugged Riley. “We’ll make a date soon, okay?”
“Okay. Auntie Cherie? You know my mom, right?”
“I know your mom very well. Your mom and grandma lived with me until your mom was six, just like you.”
“Really?”
“That’s right.”
“She’ll come back, right?” he said, almost whispering.
Maureen’s throat ached. Why did he have so little faith in his mother returning? Why was he so insecure? Jess had never once left him.
“She’ll be back just as soon as she’s done with the TV show.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” Cherie looked at Maureen then Daniel. “In the meantime, you’ve got two doting grandparents and one doting great-aunt to spoil you rotten.”
“I don’t want to be rotten. I—”
“It’s an expression,” Daniel interrupted. “It’s an okay thing, bud. She means you’re going to have a whole lot of fun.”
“Oh. Okay.” He grinned finally.
“May I escort you where you’re headed?” Daniel asked Cherie.
“Wouldn’t that shock and delight my girlfriends, me walking into the club with a young stud on my arm.” She laughed. “Maybe another time. But thanks.”
They all left the apartment, Cherie heading in the opposite direction. Back at her house, Maureen loaded bedding and a fresh pillow into a shopping bag and brought it to Daniel where he was sitting with Riley, playing Go Fish.
“I added a can of air freshener,” she said.
Daniel grinned, and for the first time Maureen saw Riley in him. She’d never noticed before, maybe because she and Daniel hadn’t smiled at each other much.
“It did have a hint of unwashed student about it, didn’t it?” Daniel said.
“More than a hint.”
“All part of the adventure. Go Fish,” he said to Riley.
Maureen sat next to her grandson but addressed Daniel. “This is an adventure to you?”
“Isn’t it? Something unexpected. A chance to explore a part of the country I never have before—and not just for a weekend but for enough time to really get to know a place.”
“Is there a girlfriend at home who’s not too happy about this?” Almost instantly she folded her hands in her lap and tried not to fidget. She didn’t know how to take the nosy question back.
“Do you have any sixes, bud?” His eyes sparkled at her discomfort. “Not one in particular.”
“Go Fish. Papa has lots of girlfriends,” Riley said matter of factly. “Do you have any Ks?”
“What are Ks?”
“Kings?”
“Right. Yep. Here you go.”
Papa has lots of girlfriends. He’d played a wide field for as long as she’d known him, never committing to any one woman, and most of them substantially younger. She studied him now, playing the card game animatedly with Riley, making him giggle. She wondered what he was like in the classroom. It was hard to picture him in the role of English professor, as Cherie had pointed out. He didn’t fit any stereotypical mold. She bet his students loved him—
“You beat me again,” Daniel said, ruffling Riley’s hair,