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“No.”
“Eyeshadow?”
“No.”
“I’m old enough to be in business with you.”
“Smart enough, too,” Stormy replied.
“Just this much blush?” Liane begged, holding up her thumb and forefinger.
“No.”
“You just want to be pretty for Tyler all by yourself. You don’t want me to be pretty.”
Stormy turned away from the mirror to stare at her daughter. “You are pretty. In fact, you’re especially pretty. But we are not competing for Tyler’s attention, sweetheart. We’re just going to lunch.”
“Well, he used to like me better than you. He said so. He said he wished you were as nice as me.”
“Probably he still wishes that.”
“Then can you be nice to him instead of fussing?” Liane continued with childish logic. “I could use a stepdad, you know. Other kids at school have them.” She lifted her head in an autocratic manner. “They’re very useful. They pay bills and buy their step-kids clothes and take them to play miniature golf.”
For a moment, Stormy was speechless. “Liane, one does not acquire a stepfather because he’s useful.”
“I don’t see why not.”
“The reason you don’t see why not is the same reason you can’t wear makeup. You’re too young. I want you to promise me you won’t talk like this while we’re out with Tyler.”
The child balked. “Miss Evans says everyone has the right to free speech.”
“Oh?” Stormy cooed in a gentle reminder. “What about sheep dip?”
Liane sniffed. “That’s different. And, anyway, I need a stepdad, so I won’t be illegitimate anymore.”
Stormy felt as if all the oxygen in her lungs had been sucked out. She should have known this was coming instead of hoping Liane would forget about it. She glanced at her watch. There was so little time before Tyler arrived. Well, he’d just have to wait. She went to the bed and sat beside Liane.
“Sweetheart, nothing we can do now will change the facts about your birth. But those facts are nothing for you to be ashamed of. You were born out of love, sweetheart, and that is a wonderful thing.”
The point Stormy was trying to make went askew. Liane kept on looking glum. “You mean I’ll be illegitimate forever? No matter what?”
Stormy felt her throat close up.
“What Aunt Nina said is true! I’m not even as good as Davie and Tommy, and they’re boys!” Liane scooted off the bed and raced into the hall and down the steps. Within seconds, Stormy heard the front door slam.
She finished dressing quickly, slipping into a blue-and-white-print cotton dress, soft as silk, with a white belt to complement her white sandals. Her hair was piled atop her head, but strands were already coming loose. She left it. The disarray matched her mood. She felt totally inadequate. In prison, she had learned to keep a low profile, to harbor only meager expectations in order to protect herself from disappointment. But she couldn’t seem to protect her child. The only way she knew how was to keep on showing Liane how much she loved her. It frightened her to think it might be too little, too late.
Liane wason the front stoop when Tyler pulled into the drive. He parked and got out.
Smiling, he approached her. “Why so glum on a beautiful day like today? Did you lose a battle with your cousins?”
A tear trickled down her cheek. “With Mom.”
“Shove over,” Tyler said, and he sat down beside her. “I used to have fights with my mom.”
“You did? What about?”
“Oh, leaving dirty clothes lying around, missing curfew, saying bad words, fighting with my brother.”
