camp, okay?”
Bailey glared at Cody and returned the gesture.
Before Jenny could continue the checklist, Bailey’s phone sprang to life, and a song began to blare from the tinny speaker. Something about holding on to every moment. Bailey snatched
80
her phone and hurried out of the kitchen into the dining room to answer it.
Jenny wanted to follow her, to listen to her end of the conversation, but she resisted. Lately Bryan Smythe had been calling, showering Bailey with flowery compliments and brazen proclamations. Last night after his call, Jenny had found Bailey lying on her bed. Jim was in the living room with the boys, talking to them about fall sports and whether they wanted to play soccer or football.
“I’m so confused.” Bailey sat up. Her shoulders sagged forward. “I’m dating Tanner, and I still like him. I’ve liked him since fourth grade. But every time we talk, I wait for him to ask me about dance or drama-something that’s interesting to me.”
“Hmm.” Jenny didn’t want to steer her daughter in any one direction. But she needed to help her see the whole picture. “Tanner’s never seen you dance, honey.
He’s never been to one of your shows.”
“Exactly.” She exhaled hard.
“But … you’ve never invited him to a performance either.” Jenny sat cross-legged on the bed and leaned her elbow on her knee. “Right?”
“Of course not.” Bailey had looked horrified. “I’d be so embarrassed having Tanner in the audience. He’s used to seeing me in a cheerleader’s uniform, not in a costume acting onstage.”
“Okay, so all I’m saying is you can’t judge him for not asking about dance and drama. Not when you haven’t allowed him a window into that part of your life.”
She ran her fingers along the bedspread between them. “True.”
“So which part’s confusing?”
Bailey lifted her chin. “The Bryan part.”
“Bryan Smythe from CKT?”
“Yes.” Her voice had taken on a dreamy quality. “He’s tall and dark and broad shouldered. And no one can sing like Bryan. No one.”
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“He called you again, didn’t he?”
“Yes.” She fiddled with the promise ring on her left hand, the ring Jenny and Jim had given her on her thirteenth birthday as a symbol of her determination to stay pure. “Tim Reed’s flitting around talking to every girl he comes across, but Bryan … Bryan’s crazy about me, Mom.”
Jenny reminded herself not to react too strongly. She enjoyed these talks with Bailey, and she couldn’t jump to conclusions. But to Jenny something about Bryan Smythe didn’t feel genuine. “What did he say?”
“Well, he asked me if I was still with Tanner, and I said I was. Then he told me that one day-even if he had to wait a long time-I would see the light.”
“See the light?”
“You know, like dump Tanner and go out with him. He said he’d be right there waiting for me, because one day-” her eyes got big-“he’s going to marry me, and then I’d belong to him forever.” She leaned in, her voice full of excitement.
“Isn’t that amazing?”
Jenny winced. She wanted to tell her daughter the entire conversation was ridiculous. Bailey and the guys she knew were too young to talk about anything so important. But if it felt real to Bailey, Jenny knew better. She had to take the discussion seriously. “Dump Tanner? I don’t know. Something about it sounds awfully callous, honey.”
“I know.” She straightened, more serious again. “Those were his words. I’m just saying, at least he’s pursuing me. My talks with Tanner are so … I don’t know… so simple. ‘How’s baseball?’; ‘Good.’ ‘How’s your family?’; ‘Fine.She groaned. “Where’s his passion? It’s like he’s barely alive sometimes.”
Jenny’s memory of last night’s conversation faded as Bailey returned to the kitchen. Her eyes shone brighter than before, and there was a spring in her step. She looked at Katy. “Bryan’s going to teen camp too. I
Bailey glared at Cody and returned the gesture.
Before Jenny could continue the checklist, Bailey’s phone sprang to life, and a song began to blare from the tinny speaker. Something about holding on to every moment. Bailey snatched
80
her phone and hurried out of the kitchen into the dining room to answer it.
Jenny wanted to follow her, to listen to her end of the conversation, but she resisted. Lately Bryan Smythe had been calling, showering Bailey with flowery compliments and brazen proclamations. Last night after his call, Jenny had found Bailey lying on her bed. Jim was in the living room with the boys, talking to them about fall sports and whether they wanted to play soccer or football.
“I’m so confused.” Bailey sat up. Her shoulders sagged forward. “I’m dating Tanner, and I still like him. I’ve liked him since fourth grade. But every time we talk, I wait for him to ask me about dance or drama-something that’s interesting to me.”
“Hmm.” Jenny didn’t want to steer her daughter in any one direction. But she needed to help her see the whole picture. “Tanner’s never seen you dance, honey.
He’s never been to one of your shows.”
“Exactly.” She exhaled hard.
“But … you’ve never invited him to a performance either.” Jenny sat cross-legged on the bed and leaned her elbow on her knee. “Right?”
“Of course not.” Bailey had looked horrified. “I’d be so embarrassed having Tanner in the audience. He’s used to seeing me in a cheerleader’s uniform, not in a costume acting onstage.”
“Okay, so all I’m saying is you can’t judge him for not asking about dance and drama. Not when you haven’t allowed him a window into that part of your life.”
She ran her fingers along the bedspread between them. “True.”
“So which part’s confusing?”
Bailey lifted her chin. “The Bryan part.”
“Bryan Smythe from CKT?”
“Yes.” Her voice had taken on a dreamy quality. “He’s tall and dark and broad shouldered. And no one can sing like Bryan. No one.”
81
“He called you again, didn’t he?”
“Yes.” She fiddled with the promise ring on her left hand, the ring Jenny and Jim had given her on her thirteenth birthday as a symbol of her determination to stay pure. “Tim Reed’s flitting around talking to every girl he comes across, but Bryan … Bryan’s crazy about me, Mom.”
Jenny reminded herself not to react too strongly. She enjoyed these talks with Bailey, and she couldn’t jump to conclusions. But to Jenny something about Bryan Smythe didn’t feel genuine. “What did he say?”
“Well, he asked me if I was still with Tanner, and I said I was. Then he told me that one day-even if he had to wait a long time-I would see the light.”
“See the light?”
“You know, like dump Tanner and go out with him. He said he’d be right there waiting for me, because one day-” her eyes got big-“he’s going to marry me, and then I’d belong to him forever.” She leaned in, her voice full of excitement.
“Isn’t that amazing?”
Jenny winced. She wanted to tell her daughter the entire conversation was ridiculous. Bailey and the guys she knew were too young to talk about anything so important. But if it felt real to Bailey, Jenny knew better. She had to take the discussion seriously. “Dump Tanner? I don’t know. Something about it sounds awfully callous, honey.”
“I know.” She straightened, more serious again. “Those were his words. I’m just saying, at least he’s pursuing me. My talks with Tanner are so … I don’t know… so simple. ‘How’s baseball?’; ‘Good.’ ‘How’s your family?’; ‘Fine.She groaned. “Where’s his passion? It’s like he’s barely alive sometimes.”
Jenny’s memory of last night’s conversation faded as Bailey returned to the kitchen. Her eyes shone brighter than before, and there was a spring in her step. She looked at Katy. “Bryan’s going to teen camp too. I
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