"Sounds okay to me," Jenna said lightly, but she knew her smile was extending from ear to ear.
From there, they did some window-shopping, exchanging comments on fashion, books, art. Stuart had to pick up a few things at the drugstore, and they discovered they both used the same brand of toothpaste.
At one point they paused in front of a tattoo parlor, and Jenna admired the designs displayed in the window.
"Do you like tattoos?" Stuart asked.
She nodded. "I'd like to get one." She watched him carefully to gauge his reaction. Most parents she knew would go ballistic if their kids mentioned getting a tattoo.
Not Stuart. "You might want to wait a while," he said mildly. "Keep in mind that it's pretty much a permanent decision. I know they have treatments to remove them, but that's a big deal and very expensive. I thought about getting one once, a long time ago."
"What kind?" she asked.
"Nothing very original. A name in a heart." He smiled. "Barbara''.''
"I suppose you must be glad you didn't," Jenna remarked, "considering how things worked out."
"Mmm." He smiled wistfully. "Well, you never know. I still might end up with one sometime."
Just any tattoo? Jenna wondered. Or Barbara, in a heart? But she didn't dare ask him. It was too much to hope for.
"Look," he said, "they sell temporary ones. Let's check them out."
They went inside and looked at the various types of press-on tattoos available. Jenna admired a sheet composed of letters and various borders.
"This is cool--you can design your own," she said. "And it says they last at least a week. You could try something, and after a week, if you still like it, you could get a real one tattooed over it."
"Good idea," Stuart agreed. He picked up a sheet and took it to the checkout counter. As they waited in line, he whispered to Jenna, "Keep an eye on the exchange. I don't want you to have to waste your mind-reading skills on me again!"
She grinned. Personally, she didn't think there were any gifts that would be wasted on him.
After paying for the temporary tattoos, Stuart was out of cash, so when they came to a bank, he stopped to get money out of an ATM. There was a woman in front of them, and she was taking an unusually long time. She kept putting in her card, punching numbers, and then taking out the card. Jenna heard her utter a mild curse under her breath.
She turned to them. "I'm sorry I'm taking so long. I can't remember my PIN."
Jenna listened with interest. Here it was--an opportunity to try that subconscious mind reading Mrs. Devon had asked her about. Like an invisible power drill, she bore into the woman's mind.
"Three eight seven two," she said.
The woman stared at her, and her mouth fell open. Then her expression changed to horror.
She jammed the card back into her wallet and took off in a hurry.
"That wasn't very nice of her," Stuart commented.
Jenna laughed. "She must have thought we were thieves."
Stuart started laughing, too. "I guess we make a good team, huh?"
Jenna's heart was so full that she felt like it was going to explode.
It was time for her to get back to the Devons' house. Stuart had a rental car, a cute little yellow compact, and he drove her. Parking in front, he walked her to the door.
"I'm not going to come in," he told her. "It's too close to dinnertime and it'll look like I'm scrounging for a free meal."
Jenna wanted him to stay, but she understood. He was proud, just like her.
"Well, I'll see you," she said. "You're staying in town for a while, aren't you?"
"Absolutely," he assured her. He put his hands on her shoulders, leaned forward, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Then he pulled back and looked a little embarrassed.
"I hope I wasn't being too pushy there."
Jenna shook her head happily. "No, it's okay I
mean, I guess that's what fathers do, right?" He smiled. "Right."
Chapter 11
AMANDA-KEN LAY ON KEN'S bed, staring at the ceiling, and listened. We spent a lot of time at the beach. The sun on her blond hair -- it was like gold sprinkled on gold. Her tan was golden, too. She was like that girl dipped in gold. Did you ever see Goldfinger?
No, but I've heard of it. It's an old James Bond movie, right?
She thought Rick was laughing. I keep forgetting you're living in another century! I was fourteen when I saw Gold finger. That's how old you are, right? You should see it; it's great.
I'll borrow it from the DVD store. .
Man, I wish we'd had DVDs in my time. That must be so neat, to watch movies whenever you want.
Yeah, it's . . . neat.
Nancy and I used to go to the movies practically every Saturday night. She liked romantic films, and I liked action ones. Every Saturday, we'd argue about what to see. Not argue, really -- more like debate.
Who won?
We took turns choosing. But she could have won all the time. I'd always give in to her.
By now, Amanda had figured out how to keep some thoughts to herself. So she could think about how wonderful it would be to have a boyfriend like Rick, who would cherish you and give you anything you wanted. And she didn't have to worry that he might hear that, because Rick still thought he was talking to another guy.
She communicated her next question.
What else did you guys do together?
You know the Public Gardens, near City Hall?
Sure.
That was one of her favorite places, especially when the roses were in bloom. She loved roses. When I sold my motorcycle, I used the money to give her one red rose every day till the money ran out.
Red roses and motorcycles. Wow! What a guy.
What?
She realized she hadn't kept that thought to herself.
Um, I was just wondering, why did you sell your motorcycle?
My brother joined the army and gave me his to use. There was a pause. I don't want to talk about that, okay?
She wondered if his brother had been killed. Had there been a war going on when Rick was a teenager? She still wasn't sure when that had been.
There was a knock on Ken's bedroom door.
"Come in," Amanda called.
Ken's mother stuck her head in. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Sure. Why?"
"It's Saturday afternoon, the sun's out, and you've been lying in bed all day!" She frowned. "I'm going to call a doctor. You haven't been eating much lately either. I think you need a checkup."
Amanda-Ken jumped off the bed. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about stuff. I'm going out now."
To Rick, she said, Later.
What she wanted to do now would require the computer, but she needed to get out of the house before she raised more suspicions in Ken's mother's mind. A teacher had told her class once that there were free online services at the public library. She'd never set foot in the public library before, but she knew where it was.
She was surprised when the librarian at the desk greeted her--greeted Ken, actually.
"Good to see you, Ken," she said with a smile.
Amanda noticed the nameplate on the desk. "Hello, Ms. Fletcher."
The woman looked startled. Then she saw that Ken was staring at the plate, and she turned it around. She laughed softly. "Very funny, Ken. Okay, I just came on and I haven't gotten around to changing the name." She put the plate in a drawer and took out another one that read Ms. Greenwood.