The end of January saw Cully back to school for her final semester. And Joyce was glad to see her go.
She loved her daughter, but her almost weekly dinners or parties in Gavin's company were becoming increasingly hard to keep from Tom. There was never a lie, but a carefully worded phase here, distraction there. It was difficult to keep him off something for long, he was determined to get to the bottom of mysteries wherever they came from. And he was acutely concerned with his daughter's increased social life of late.
Joyce realized this would be something she would need to start acclimating Tom to, slowly of course, before Cully graduated and returned home. It didn't seem like there was any plan for her to slow or end her friendship with Gavin. And given some of the looks she had seen from both in the company of one another, it was only increasing. There was no discussion of romantic interest yet, but Joyce was beginning to see the signs of increased affection from both.
Over dinners, when Tom was home for them, Joyce would broach the subject of Cully moving back home and how it would be different.
"What do you mean different?" Tom said, stilling his hands attempting to cut the roast before him.
"I mean she is an adult now, she has to have much more freedom. You can't expect her to behave as she did before with curfews and telling us where she will be all the time. She may not even keep normal hours." Joyce had chosen to carefully skirt the mention of Cully dating, that would have to come later. baby steps.
"If she lives under our roof I don't see why she wouldn't follow our rules." Tom grumbled, knife clattering as he set it down and move to consume the meat hunk on his fork.
"She's a young person in the prime of her life, why should she have to be home by 8 just because we are? I don't think we had many evenings in when we were her age." Joyce knew it would take Tom a while to adjust his mental picture of Cully from child to adult, but he didn't make it easy.
"Yes, but we were out getting into trouble. If she insists on having a boyfriend or going out with friends fine. But she doesn't need to be out at all hours. Our rules are not that bad." Tom reached for more gravy for his roast.
"She's independent now. If you try to put any rules around her staying here I can guarantee she will look for a place of her own. Is that what you want?" Joyce handed him the gravy boat and gave him a look.
"No." Tom said, generously drizzling his dinner. "But we can address it when the time comes."
With that Joyce let it drop for the evening.
Over the next few months Joyce kept gently working Tom as much as she could. By March he was semi accepting that Cully would be going wherever she wanted at whatever time. And by April he was even accepting that she would have friends, and maybe even a boyfriend that she was out with or brought home.
"I still think we must meet any perspective boyfriends. You know she can sometimes be blind to people's true character. I don't want her to fall in with someone not good enough for her." Tom was a big gruff teddy bear, wanting to protect his daughter from the world as much as he could.
"Well we can ask to meet him, if he ever comes into being, but you know that you couldn't stop her even if you didn't like him. You two share that stubborn gene." Joyce smiled down at Tom from where she sat on his armchair's arm. Ruffling his hair she continued, "You know I recall a certain girl's father who was similarly determined to protect his daughter from her boyfriend. And that didn't work out as intended, did it?"
Folding his paper down he looked up to her. "Yes, but that was a foolish prejudice. A policeman has a stable job and strong moral character. Not like some of these businessmen or financiers I see in my work". Tom brought his newspaper back up.
Joyce rose and made to exit the room. She made a mental note that this would be a pivotal moment to play back for Tom when it came time to reveal a relationship between Gavin and Cully (if ever).
This breakthrough was timely as Cully's play was coming up in less than a month. She was visiting home for a little Spring break before they went into the final stretch.
Cully had let slip once or twice in their Sunday calls that she spoke to Gavin. It seemed infrequently frequent, and Cully usually mentioned it offhand. Sometimes Cully was the one updating Joyce on the cases Gavin and Tom were working, which was an interesting turn of events.
Her first day back was delightful, she hadn't been home since she left in January.
"You know Mum I don't know that the garden could look any happier." Cully said as they sat on the veranda sipping lemonade and basking in the warming sun rays poking through retreating clouds.
"Yes, we had a good spring, without too much rain." Joyce said, looking around with pride. "I think the bees have been hard at work this year."
There was a companionable silence between them for a few moments.
"Mum I wanted to talk to you about something." Cully said, placing down her drink on the table and turning to Joyce, tucking her legs under her as she did.
"Yes." Joyce said obsequiously. Her face was open and neutral, with a gentleness that always helped Cully unburden herself in the past.
"I" she started looking away. With a breath she turned back, "I have a date tomorrow night".
"Oh that's nice" Joyce said, "It will be lovely to get out. Who's the lucky man?" Somehow Joyce managed to keep the knowing tone out of her voice, like she didn't have firm guess.
"I'd." Cully looked away again. "I'd rather not say yet."
Joyce waited, knowing Cully would continue.
"It's not that I don't think you would approve or should be worried. But I don't know how it will go, so it seems a waste to go through the trouble to explain or introduce you right now." She kept her gaze on her hands, twisting the hem of her shirt.
"Cully you are an adult, I trust you to make smart decisions. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." Joyce put down her glass and stood next to her daughter.
Stroking her hair, Joyce said. "As long as you are happy, that is all that matters. And if you like him, we will like him."
Cully beamed up at her.
"Now I have to run out to pick up some groceries before dinner, would you like anything?"
"Actually" Cully said, rising herself. "I'd like to come with. There is something therapeutic about old routines."
With that they were off, falling into happy familial patterns.
There was no explicit mention of Gavin, but Joyce was sure that is who Cully planned on seeing the next day. His name only came up once later that night when Tom mentioned that Gavin was covering for him so he could be home with Cully on her first night back. Joyce filed that nugget away as well, yet another positive point for Sargent Troy.
Cully had asked to borrow her mother's car for her date the next day. Joyce suspected in an effort to avoid any suspicion on Tom's part about who her date was with.
Tom was as amenable to the idea as he could be. He did lament she came back to visit them and here she was leaving her parents for a whole evening.
"I will be seeing you for another 4 whole days. One evening is something you can survive." Cully said, giving him that Barnaby look. With a kiss on both parent's cheeks she was off, looking lovely in a ruby dress.
"Do we know who she is going out with?" Tom asked looking at his wife.
"No, she didn't mention it." Joyce answered honestly. "But it doesn't matter. She is just going out for dinner and drinks, not on a voyage to Australia."
Tom grumbled his way into his study to work on some paperwork and read his novels. Joyce patted his arm as he passed her chair.
It was several hours later, nearly 10 o'clock before he came back out again.
"Where can she be at this hour?" Tom said, standing before the large bay window and glaring at the street.
"She is having fun, let her be." Joyce said, working on her landscaping plan for a friend's garden.
"You and I both know nothing good happens at this hour." Tom said, still facing the street.
"You and I both know that nothing can keep young lovers apart." Joyce reminded him. "Even overbearing fathers."
As usual Tom had no response to this, just glowered in his position.
He waited another 5 minutes before returning to his study. Joyce marked 20 minutes on the clock before he was back out at the front window, looking and mumbling.
"Tom it is only 10:30, don't be so negative." Joyce set down her pencil and rose, grabbing her tea glass. "She is having fun, if it was anything else she would call." Kissing his cheek she continued to the kitchen for some chamomile tea.
Tom remained where he was, and he was there when Joyce returned a few minutes later.
"But if there's been an accident." Tom started.
"You know that your men would have called you first thing." Joyce cut him off. It was best to prevent some of his rabbit hole doomsday tailspins.
There were lights flashing on the road. One set turned into the drive way and another continued on without stopping.
Thankfully Tom had seen the first lights and headed to the front door. Joyce was almost certain he missed the second set on the road, and the vehicle they belonged to.
Cully came in looking very happy but surprised to see her parents.
"I didn't think you'd still be up!" She said.
"It's late, you can't expect us not to worry" Tom said, his tone veering into dissatisfaction.
"I was working on this landscape plan and lost track of time. Your father was in his study." Joyce said, interceding. "I think we should all get to bed. We can catch up in the morning."
With a shepherding motion to Tom, he turned and headed for the stairs. He stopped just up the first one to turn and look at Cully, "Fine. But tomorrow I'd like to hear more about you new friend."
Joyce and Cully gave each other the knowing look they had shared for years about Tom and his boyfriend suspicions. With a kiss on Joyce's cheek Cully scampered upstairs. Joyce turned off the lights and noted there seemed to have been yet another change in the Gavin/Cully relationship. And the morning might start to shed some light on it.