“Whoa. That is so cool.” Her eyes were wide, and she looked as giddy as I felt.
“While you two hash it all out all over again, I’m going to go to the office.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. And Father Corletti said for you to go ahead and draw up the paperwork soForzacan purchase the building.”
“I’m on it,” he said.
“Then this is really happening?” Allie said.
“The purchase of the property, yes. But whether we can create a boarding school … well, that’s a bigger deal. But you’d like that?”
“Are you kidding? Of course.”
“You understand it would be your actual school. Coronado High would be off the agenda.”
“Oh.”
“And?” I watched her carefully.
“I can get behind that,” she said slowly. “But what about Mindy?”
“Well, that would be up to Mindy and Laura, wouldn’t it? But even if she decided to stay at Coronado, you two would still be living next to each other.”
“But you said it would be a boarding school.”
I stumbled over that, because she was right, and yet I hadn’t thought about that aspect at all. I wondered if Stuart had. Would we sell this house and move into the mansion? After all, staff and instructors usually lived on site, too.
Since I didn’t know, I punted. “We’ll figure it all out as it goes along,” I said, probably more impatiently than I should have. “There’s a million details to talk about.”
“But—”
I held up my hand. “I’ve been up all night talking to Father Corletti. Seriously, baby. We can talk about the details later.”
“Whatever.” But she didn’t say it in an irritated-teenage way. Instead she said it in anI’m bored of this conversation and ready to move on-teenage way. I considered that a plus.
She got up and poured herself a cup of cream with a splash of coffee, then came back to the table. “I can go patrolling with Jared today, right?”
“You can. But you need to be careful. Be aware of your surroundings. Always alert.”
“Mom. You don’t have to say that every time I go patrolling. I’m not going to accidentally forget and then be all reckless and stupid because you didn’t remind me that I’m supposed to be careful.”
“Just being sure,” I said, because she’s a teenager and these things bear repeating.
She rolled her eyes, but she smiled. “He’s picking me up in about fifteen minutes so I need to get dressed soon.” She took another sip, then frowned. “It must be really weird to have to renew your driver’s license every ten years or so because you look like you’re exactly the same age as you were when you got it.”
“Yes. That’s something that I’ve always wondered about,” I said dryly.
“I’m just trying to learn. That’s what you said, right? I’m supposed to be learning all the time. This is my vocation now.”
“Apparently you are better at studying when your vocation involves a boy.”
She just smiled.
“Allie. He’s too old for you.”
“I know, Mother...”
And then she pushed back from the table and left the room, leaving me to smile into my coffee. Hewastoo old for her, and she knew it. He also knew it, and I think he respected that. But I was definitely going to keep an eye on the two of them for the foreseeable future.
