“You’re late.”
She didn’t have to check her watch.She’d had an eye on the Cougar’s dashboard all the way home.“It’s eleven.That’s when I told Marcy I’d be back.Didn’t she give you the message?”
“I didn’t ask for the message.Eleven’s late for a school night.Where have you been?”
He didn’t sound angry, exactly, still Pam was cautious.She had found that that was the best way to handle him.Arguing did nothing but raise the level of tension between them, which made living in the same house unbearable.“I was at Ginny Taylor’s.We were studying.The American history midterm is tomorrow.”
She held her breath while he considered that.
Sounding benign, he asked, “You’ve been studying all this time?”
“Uh-huh.I went to Ginny’s straight from school.Mr.Harris piled extra reading on top of everything else, so like there are gobs of names and dates to memorize.”She slipped past him and started up the stairs.“I have to finish.”
She went straight to her room.Quietly closing the door behind her, she leaned against it for a minute, then quickly crossed to the bed, dropped her books and jacket, and picked up the phone.
“It’s me,” she said softly when Ginny answered.“Did he call?”
“Not yet.What’s his problem, Pam?He said ten-thirty.He promised ten-thirty.”
Pam slid down to the floor, back braced against the bed.She kept her voice low.“He must not be home yet.”
“They were having dinner at seven-thirty.He thought for sure they’d be done by ten.Ten-thirty was playing it safe.”
“He has a big family.Maybe it took a while to serve them all.Maybe they got a bad waitress.”
“I don’t know.Oh, Pam, I don’t need this.Not tonight.Not with this test in the morning.”
“You’ll ace the test.And we’ll get off like we planned.And they’ll both be there, RobbieandBill.”
“Robbie will.He’s wild about you.I’m not so sure about Bill and me.”
“He’ll be there,” Pam insisted gently, then looked up when a movement caught her eye.John was opening the door, pushing it back all the way, slowly scanning the room before dropping his gaze to her.
“Maybe something happened to his car,” Ginny went on: “I mean, like it’s been making strange noises all week.What if he can’t get it started?”
John just stood there, saying nothing, giving Pam no hint of what he’d heard and what he hadn’t.She had been speaking softly enough that he shouldn’t have caught the bit about Robbie and Bill unless he’d had his ear to the door.She wouldn’t have put that past him.
Speaking in the same soft voice that implied she had nothing to hide, she asked Ginny, “Did you finish the chapter?”
“What chapter?”
“I’ve got to do it now.So we’re on for seven?”
“Uh-oh, someone’s there.Is it John?”
“Be ready, please?I’ll be dead if I don’t get to the library before assembly.”
“What if Bill doesn’t call?”
“Relax.You’ll do fine.”
“Pam, what if—”
“Gotta run,” she said smoothly and hung up the phone.Seconds later, she was on the bed, reaching for her books.“Was there something you wanted?”she asked John.
He leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed on his chest.“What was that about?”
“I was reminding Ginny to be ready in the morning.She has a way of forgetting that I’m picking her up, not the bus.If she wants to keep them waiting, fine.But, like, I’ve got lots to do.”
