'Her own father ran out on her mom and her when Corey was just a baby,' Diana said, sobered by the thought of such an unspeakable act by a parent.
'His stupidity and irresponsibility are my good luck, and I intend to make certain Mary and Corey feel lucky, too. Want to help me pull that off?' he asked, standing up and smiling at her.
Diana nodded. 'You bet,' she said.
'Just remember, Corey hasn't had a lot of the advantages you've had, so take it slow and teach her the ropes.'
'Okay, I will.'
'That's my girl.' He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. 'You and Mary are going to be wonderful friends.'
He started away, but Diana's quiet announcement made him turn back and stop. 'Corey would like to call you Dad.'
'I didn't know that,' Robert Foster said, his voice turning gruff with emotion. 'Mary and I hoped she might want to someday, but I thought it might take a long, long time before she came around to that.' He studied Diana for a long moment, and then hesitantly asked, 'How do you feel— about Corey calling me Dad—I mean?'
Diana grinned. 'It was my idea.'
Across the hall, Mary Britton Foster was seated on her thirteen-year-old daughter's bed and running out of small talk. 'So you had a nice time with Diana today?' she asked Corey for the third time.
'Yep.'
'And you enjoyed going over to the Hayward children's house and riding their horses when Diana took you there this afternoon?'
'Mom, we're all teenagers; you aren't supposed to call us children.'
'Sorry,' Mary said, idly rubbing Corey's leg beneath the blankets.
'And it wasn't what you'd call a house; it's so big, it's practically a motel!'
'That big?' Mary teased.
Corey nodded. 'It's about the size of our house.'
The fact that she'd referred to Diana and Robert's house as 'our house' was very revealing and immensely reassuring to Mary. 'And do the Haywards have a barn at their house?'
'They call it a stable, but it's the same as a barn, only it looks like a beautiful stone house from the outside, and it's as clean as one on the inside. They even have a guy who lives down at the stable and looks after the horses. They call him a groom, and his name is Cole, and the girls think he's a complete hunk. He's just gotten out of college at—I forget where—but I think he said it's here in Houston.'
'Imagine that,' Mary said, shaking her head in amazement. 'Now it takes a college degree just to get a job looking after horses in a barn—er— stable.'
Corey suppressed a laugh. 'No, I meant he's just finished the semester, and pretty soon he starts another one. The horses are just awesome!' Corey added, switching to the topic of primary interest to her. 'I get to ride again at Barb Hayward's birthday party next week. Barb invited me, but I think Diana asked her to do it. I met a bunch of Barb and Diana's friends today. I didn't think they liked me very much, but Diana said I was just imagining it.'
'I see. And what do you think of Diana?'
'Diana's.' Corey hesitated, thinking. 'Diana's cool. She told me she's always wanted a sister, and maybe that's why she's being so nice to me. She's not a snob at all. She even told me I could borrow any of her clothes that I want.'
'That's very nice of her.'
Corey nodded. 'And when I told her I liked the way she wears her hair, she said we could practice different styles on each other.'
'And... um... did she say anything about anyone else?'
'Like who?' Corey asked with sham confusion.
'Like me, and you know it.'
'Let me think. Oh, yeah, I remember now! She said you looked mean and sneaky, and she said you'll probably make her stay home and scrub floors while I get to go to balls and dance with princes. I told her she was probably right, but that I'd ask you to let her wear the glass slipper as long as she didn't leave the house.'
'Corey!—'
Laughing, Corey leaned forward and hugged her mother as she finally told the truth. 'Diana said you seemed very nice and she likes you. She asked if you were strict, and I said you were sometimes, but then you feel guilty and bake up batches of cookies to make up for it.'
'Did she really say she likes me?'
Sobering, Corey nodded emphatically. 'Diana's mother died when she was only five. I can't imagine what life would be like if I didn't have you, Mom—'
Mary hugged her daughter close and laid her cheek on Corey's blond hair. 'Diana hasn't had a lot of the advantages you have. Try to remember that. Having lots of clothes to wear and a big bedroom isn't the same as having Grandpa and Grandma to love you and teach you all the things you learned when we lived with them.'
Corey's smile faded a little. 'I'm going to miss them something terrible.'
'Me, too.'
'I told Diana about them, and she was really interested. Could I take her to Long Valley sometime soon so she can meet them?'
'Yes, of course. Or maybe we could ask Robert to let them come for a visit.'
Mary stood up and started to leave, but Corey's hesitant voice stopped her. 'Mom, Diana said I could call Robert, Dad. Do you think he'd mind?'
'I think he'd
'Tomorrow,' Corey said with a knowing smile.
'Tomorrow, what?'
'She's going to call you Mom, starting tomorrow.'
'Oh, Corey, isn't she wonderful?' Mary said, her eyes filling with tears.
Corey rolled her eyes, but she didn't deny it. 'It was my idea that she call you Mom. All she did was say she wanted to do it.'
'You're wonderful, too,' Mrs. Foster said with a laugh as she kissed her daughter. She turned out the light and closed the door when she left. Corey lay there, thinking about the conversation and wondering if Diana was asleep. After several moments, she scrambled out of bed and pulled on an old plaid flannel robe over her nightshirt emblazoned with 'SAVE THE TURTLES' across the front.
The hallway was dark as pitch as she groped her way across the hall toward the door of Diana's room. Her fingertips finally encountered the doorframe, and she raised her hand to knock just as the door flew open, startling a muffled squeal from her. 'I was just coming over to see if you were awake,' Diana whispered, backing up and beckoning Corey into her room.
'Did your dad have a talk with you tonight?' Corey asked, perching on the edge of Diana's bed and admiring the cream lace ruffles at the throat and wrists of Diana's high-waisted, pale rose robe and the delicate lace trim on her matching quilted slippers.
Diana nodded and sat down beside her. 'Yes. Did your mom have one with you?'
'Yep.'
'I think they were afraid we weren't going to like each other.'
Corey bit her bottom lip and then blurted, 'Did you happen to ask your
dad about me calling him Dad?'
'I did, and he loved the idea,' Diana said, keeping her voice low so that this cozy pajama party for two wouldn't be ended by parental decree.
'Are you sure?'
'Yes. In fact, he got all choked up.' Diana looked down at her lap and drew a long breath, then lifted her eyes to Corey's. 'Did you mention to your mom about me calling her Mom?'
'Yes.'
