After that somewhat questionable beginning, lunch progressed smoothly. Karissa was at her most charming. She showed the likeable, affable side
of herself that I had first met, and liked. I was glad for that. For the most part, Evan, and Ford and Guthrie too, were quiet, eating their roast and
potatoes.
Karissa talked mostly to Crane, and to Hannah, once in awhile addressing her comments to Adam at the other end of the table. Brian, too, was quieter
than usual, though when he was asked something, he answered. As we were finishing up the meal, I noticed that he and Clare were holding hands
under the table.
Crane got up to get the pie and cake that were setting on the cabinet, placing them in the center of the table. Karissa took a piece of the
offered apple pie, though I noticed that she didn't really eat much of it at all.
Karissa turned to Ford then. "You're still a quiet fellow," she observed. "You always were, even when you were small."
I felt a moment of unrest at Karissa mentioning that. It was too close to the painful subject of her having Ford in the car with her when
she ran thru the fence.
Ford's response was easy enough. "I guess I am, most of the time."
"Don't be fooled," Crane said. "He can talk the back legs off a donkey if he takes a mind to."
Karissa laughed.
As everybody began clearing their dishes from the table, Karissa got to her feet, and did the same.
"No dishwasher?" she asked, in a general way. "My goodness, I can't imagine how you manage this huge group without one."
"We manage," Hannah said, and then Crane offered into the awkward silence, "We've always thought it's good for the kids to help out
with dishes, and other chores."
Karissa nodded briefly.
I was on the dishwashing chart for this meal. I knew I was, But Hannah said quietly, "Harlie, why don't you take Karissa into the living room, or out on the
porch? That way you two can visit."
I hesitated, looking at Hannah. She nodded just a little. "Go on," she encouraged.
"Okay," I said, and as I was leading the way to the living room, I offered, "Do you want some coffee?"
"That would be wonderful, darling," Karissa responded, and I turned back to the kitchen as she walked on.
The kitchen was still full of McFaddens, though Evan and Ford had made their escape outside.
I poured a cup of coffee for Karissa, and then caught at Guthrie as he headed past me, towards the back door.
"Come with," I told him.
"No, thank you," he said, with a bit too much emphasis on the 'thank you' part. His way, I knew, of expressing his desire to have no
close contact with Karissa.
"Guthrie," I hissed, and I would have pinched him if he'd been close enough. But, wise to my ways, he had moved out of reach, and
gone out the door, a piece of pie in his hand.
Crane, watching and listening, asked me, "Want me to come in in a few minutes?"
I nodded at him gratefully.
I went into the living room, which seemed startingly quiet after the number of people in the kitchen.
I handed the cup of coffee to Karissa, and she thanked me as I sat down on the couch opposite her, tucking one leg under me.
"Tell me about things," she said. "What's been going on with you lately?"
"Nothing too exciting," I said. "School, mostly."
"Have you had any dates recently?"
I shrugged. "Not for a couple of weeks."
"Why is that? You're such a pretty girl. I'm sure you get asked out?"
"I do," I said, thinking of the week before when two boys from my history class had caught up with me in the school hallway and both had
asked me to the movies.
"But you don't go?"
"Sometimes I do. " I remembered then that I'd had this same conversation with Karissa already, another time.
"I'm just busy," I told her. "I have to keep my grades up, and then I have that college English class I'm taking.
There's a lot of homework with that. And there's always stuff to do around here."
"Chores?"
"Well, yeah," I agreed.
"This is the stage of your life to be having a good time, though," Karissa pointed out. "Maybe if you weren't trying to take that extra
class, well then you'd have more time."
"I have to take the class," I pointed out. "I need to get a head start on my college hours."
"You're only a sophomore," Karissa said. "What's the urgency?"
"Becoming a veterinarian is going to be tough. I have to do the easier stuff now."
"I see," Karissa said, as if she was thinking. "Could you drop the class, though, if you wanted to? If it got to be too much
for you, I mean?"
Without thinking, I said, "No. Crane wouldn't let me."
"Why is that?" she asked, but before I could explain that Crane wouldn't want me to be a quitter, and explain our agreement about how
he would pay for the class as long as I carried at least a B average, Crane himself walked into the room.
"More coffee?" he asked Karissa.
"No. Thank you, Crane."
Once Crane had settled himself next to me, his long legs stretched out in front of him, Karissa regarded him with a smile.
"Harlie's been telling me about her English class that she's taking."
Crane nodded. "Hmmm," he said.
"It sounds very intense," Karissa said then.
"It's not that bad," I protested, but Karissa addressed herself to Crane as though I hadn't spoken at all.
"It seems a lot for a young girl," Karissa continued, her piercing gaze on Crane. "Perhaps too much?" she suggested.
"I don't think so," Crane answered easily. "Harlie can handle it."
He reached over and patted my knee. "Can't you, kiddo?" he added.
I nodded at him.
"You grew up with so much responsibility, at such a young age yourself," Karissa said. "It seems as though you'd want Harlie to have
a chance to spread her wings a bit, and be a little more carefree than you got to be."
I stared at Karissa in rising annoyance, ready to come to Crane's defense.
"I want Harlie to do whatever she feels she should do," Crane said. His voice was even, steady, not raised even a notch. But there was a set tone to it.
"But if it became too much for her?" Karissa asked.
"It's not!" I interrupted stoutly. "I like the class!"
"I always have an open ear for anything Harlie wants to talk to me about," Crane said. He gave Karissa a half-smile, and then turned
the conversation to the real estate business, effectively causing Karissa to talk about something else.
After a time, Adam and Hannah came into the living room, to sit down with us as well. The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully.
Well, except for one minor, or possibly major, instance.
Without thinking beforehand, I brought up the next day's appointment that I had in Angel's Camp, at the Animal Control office, with Nathan, to
discuss the dog mill case.
Karissa was suitable impressed, and asked questions.
"What time was it again?" Adam asked me.
"Nine."
"I thought it was in the afternoon, after school," Crane said.
"No. He wants to do it in the morning," I said.
Too late, I saw both Adam and Crane's expressions, and wished that I'd held my tongue.
"I don't think you should miss school for that," Crane said.
"I can make it up," I protested.
"You might be over there for hours," he pointed out. "You can call in the morning and leave him a message that you'll be over
after school."
"I can't do that," I protested. "It's not like that. He's the one that gets to say when I'm supposed to come."
"I'm sure another time can be worked out," Adam said.
"There's nothing wrong with nine in the morning," I said dourly, and the room became quiet. Karissa appeared to be watching
the exchange with interest.
Crane spoke first, his voice firm. "Enough." That's all he said.
I felt my face warm in embarrassment. I wanted to say something sassy, like "Fine!" But I didn't. I sank back against
the back cushions of the couch, and didn't argue.
Later, as Karissa made her way down the front steps to her car in order to leave, she was charming once again, thanking Hannah for
the meal, and thanking Adam and Brian for letting her come. She almost seemed emotional as she thanked them.
Adam said, "You're welcome," as Brian only nodded.
"I'll call you soon," she told me, as she got into her car.
"Okay."
After she'd driven away, Hannah let out a sigh. "Well, I think it went well," she said.
"Lunch was good," I told her.
"Thanks, sweetie." She smiled at me, and then at Adam. "I think I'll go upstairs and take a nap."
When she'd gone, I turned to look at Adam and Brian.
"It wasn't as bad as you thought it would be, was it?" I asked them.
"No, it wasn't all that bad," Adam said. He ran a hand over my hair. "Think I'll put my feet up and take a nap, too," he said, and went into
the house.
Which left me with Brian.
I looked at him, searching his face. "Bri?" I asked.
Brian didn't pretend to misunderstand what I was getting at. "It had its moments, but I guess all in all, it wasn't bad."
There was something else in his voice, though. I could hear it.
"But?" I prodded him, knowing that he hadn't voiced his entire opinion.
"I still stick with my original opinion, peach."
"Which is what?" I persisted.
"Which is, that a leopard doesn't change its spots."
He said he was going inside then, to get another piece of pie. And I sat on the front steps for a long time, thinking.
7
