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“I have a feeling. Come now.”
“Okay. I’ll pack for the weekend,” I said, glad to get away from Detective Spinoza.
I made it into Babylon in record time, with most of the traffic headed in the opposite direction into the city at that hour for a night on the town.
Pam was waiting at the front door, a big smile on her face. “I’m so glad you agreed to come,” she said, meeting me in the driveway. “And you packed like you’re staying.”
“I might stay for a while. I can commute into the city from here.”
The wind from the ocean whipped around the house, sending a freezing mist over us.
“Let’s get out of this wind.” She hugged me. “I’m so glad you’re here. And I’m so excited about the cottage. When you look at this one from the street, you can see that it was once a shingle cottage. Jack made sure the roofline and the front door maintained that storybook character.”
“It looks like a gnome house,” I said, grinning. “And then you realize the front door is ten feet high.”
“It’s an optical illusion. Anyway, I love this place. I think about selling it from time to time, but I never do.”
“Yes, don’t sell it!”
We went inside, and she closed the door against the wind. “I made you a snack, just in case.”
“Thank you. I didn’t have time to eat.” I didn’t mention that Randy had invited me to dinner that afternoon. I wondered if he had taken my advice and taken Pam to dinner.
She led me back to the room I had stayed in on previous visits. This time there was a box of chocolates on the nightstand, and I laughed when I saw it.
“I’m sure there won’t be any of that left when I leave.”
“That’s why it’s there,” she said.
We went back out to the kitchen, and Hocus was there, pouring wine into glasses.
“I hope you like tuna,” Pam said.
My snack was tuna salad on a croissant, with chips and fruit. It looked like something from a restaurant.
“I heard about what Myrla did to you,” Hocus said, her eyes squinty and angry.
Taken aback, I didn’t know what to say. So, it sounded like Myrla knew she’d crossed a line.
“What did you hear?” I asked. “I want to make sure it’s the same thing I heard.”
We all laughed as we sat at the table.
“Just that she changed all the plans once she got together with the mother. I know it’s so she can come and go as she pleases without answering to you.”
I held my breath while she spoke. I’d figured that was why Myrla wanted full custody of the baby. It angered me but only a little. I was free to stay at Pam’s, look at the cottage, and do whatever I wanted, like I always did.
“It’s okay,” I finally said. “I wouldn’t be here with you if I had the kid all weekend.”
“Anyway, I apologize for introducing you to her. I never thought she’d pull a fast one.”
Pam and Hocus had wine but no food.
“How’d you know I hadn’t eaten?” I asked.
“Randy called me and said you’d refused to have dinner with him and that he should have dinner with me. I really appreciate that you were trying to put me first. However, I was ready for him to leave, to tell you the truth. I’m so angry he’s traveling again. He said it was so you could go on a trip with him, but he arranged everything without asking you, so it made no sense to me why he insisted on doing it. Of course, it was too late to cancel it by that time.”
“I’m sorry I caused an issue between you and my dad. That was never my intention.”
