obviously wanted Darcie to recite this part of the old litany, and one of Darcieâs hot buttons. It wasall about security, a safe place for their firstborn daughter to live. Darcie felt she could take care of herself.
âThereâs a third? You go ahead, Mom.â
Janet squirmed in her chair. She pursed her lips, then just as quickly stretched her mouth to erase the tension. Toying with her cup of Darjeeling, she avoided Darcieâs all-knowing gaze. Darcie let the momentâand her own chance to escape her bad moodâbuild. Until her mother surprised her.
âWe wanted youââ Janet cleared her throat ââto keep an eye on her.â
âThereâs a new slant. Iâm supposed to baby-sit my eighty-two-year-old grandmother?â Darcie paused for effect. âMom, sheâs had more dates in a month than you and I combined, in our entire lives. You should see the guys she comes up with.â
Janet turned pale. âYouâre joking. Arenât you?â
Sure, but why let her off that easy? âI tell you, those men are already wearing a path in the brand-new carpet she had installed in Decemberâa trail from her front door to her bedroom.â Let her tell you whatâs in Julioâs pocket.
Janet plucked lint from her navy Talbotâs suit, straight from the Kenwood Mall store in Cincinnati. âYouâre trying to upset me.â
âGo see for yourself.â
Janet looked around the narrow shop, at the various array of Saturday-in-Times Square characters, as if only just aware of them, and wrinkled her nose. âI wouldnât cross the river to stay with her. Iâm not welcome. Eden has always hated me.â
â Hate âs a strong word.â Darcie couldnât even use it on Merrick yesterday.
âIâm sorry we ever suggested you share her apartment for a few months.â
With the seemingly casual statement, Darcieâs instincts went on full alert. Uh-oh. Checking up on her wasnât the issue, but neither was Edenâs sex life. Darcie had lived in Fort Lee for her four years in the East. Both she and Gran liked the arrangement. Although Darcie planned to get anapartment of her own, in the meantime, except for Sweet Baby Jane, they didnât get in each otherâs way and Gran was as tolerant of Darcieâs lifestyle as Darcie had become of hers. She liked to think Edenâs social life was mainly invention (good grief, sheâs my grandmother ) even when she knew better. But obviously, sheâd missed something. Janet had still other ideas.
âPerhaps we should find you a place now. With your pay increaseââ
âItâs not that much.â
Which seemed to play right into her motherâs hands. âYou could get a roommate to share the rent. A real roommate.â
âMmm.â Darcie remembered her college days sleeping with the lights in her face because her art student roomie needed to finish a project. All night. Tripping over someone elseâs clothes, someone elseâs boyfriend. Finding used tampons on the dresser and spent condoms on the rug. âIâll pass. At Granâs I have my own room and no one bothers me.â
Janet was undaunted. âWhen you get back from Australia, weâll see.â
âSee what?â Darcie shook her head. âMom, I donât need help.â Not from her Midwestern parents anyway. âWhatâs this really about?â
âYour sister,â her mother finally murmured, sending Darcieâs sharpened senses into another spin. Janet studied her lap. âShe graduated from Smith last June. Seven months ago.â
âNow thereâs a tragedy.â UCâthe local universityâfor Darcie, the Ivy League for her kid sister. âI was at the ceremony. Whatâs she done?â Darcie smiled to soften the words. So Annie was the bottom line here. Annie, who didnât give a damn what