He looked happy with that answer, "I'd better get home," he said suddenly. "Thanks for the dinner."
"Thanks for helping me with this math."
"Thanks for letting me kiss you,"' he countered.
I laughed. "I didn't really let you."
"Oh. Well then." he said, leaning forward to bring his lips to mine, only very slowly, waiting for me to pull back. I didn't, and he kissed me again.
I looked into his eves. They seemed to be blazing from the thoughts behind them.
"You're the first girl I've kissed like that." he admitted.
"How does it make you feel?" I asked, almost as curious about his reaction as I was about my awn.
He thought a long moment. "Like not wanting to disappear." he said.
I smiled, and then he started out of my room. I followed him to the patio door.
"Let me know how your grandmother is doing." I told him. "Come by tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," he said.
I watched him walk away. He paused, looked back at me, and continued through the deeper shadows until he was gone.
I fell asleep before Mommy came home, but when she entered I heard her and woke. I called to her. She seemed to take forever to come to my room.
"Why are you still awake?" she asked, silhouetted in the hall light.
"I fell asleep. but I heard you come in. What happened at the restaurant?"
I heard her release a deep sigh. and I leaned over to put on my lamp that was on the nightstand.
"They finally found the money," she said. "During the course of the evening Warren bundles what they've taken in up to that point and gets it ready for depositing the following day. He had left this sack of bills on his desk, and it wasn't there, so there was panic."
"Where was it found?"
Mommy looked up at the ceiling, tilting her head back as if she wanted to keep her tears from ernerzinz.
"In the room where the waiters and waitresses keep our coats and purses and things. It was under mine," she said.
"Phoebe did that." I said immediately.
"Phoebe?" She thought a moment. "You were saving something about her on the phone before. Why would she do that?"
I summarized everything as quickly as I could. Mommy came into the room during my explanation and sat on my bed, listening.
"You're probably right then," she said. nodding.
"They don't think you tried to steal it, do they. Mommy?"
"No. Dallas was as upset about it as I was. and Warren was just so happy about finding it. They do suspect other employees, however, and that doesn't make for a pleasant working atmosphere. I'm going to tell Dallas everything you told me." she decided. "In the meantime. if I were you. honey, I would just..."
"Ignore her?"
"Yes."
"Someone else gave me that advice." I said, and told her about Augustus and his grandmother.