run-down right now but my dad will have it fixed up before long. You know, get rid of a lot of the old-fashioned junk. Put in new bathrooms and stuff like that. It won’t be too bad once that’s done.”
“No, I suppose not,” Mom said. “Anyway, we’re glad you’re here. Neely says your father came back to Halcyon because he has a job at a bank. I was wondering if it might be where we do our banking.”
“Oh.” Curtis looked startled. “Well, he may not take the bank job after all. He may just rest for a while. He’s been kind of sick lately. Or maybe he’ll just write his book. He’s been working on this great book lately and he practically has it sold already. He’s a great writer. There are a lot of great writers in our family.”
“Why, that’s wonderful,” Mom said. “How exciting.” Her lips were twitching and she was careful not to catch Neely’s eye, as if she were afraid they both might laugh if she did. Neely knew what was funny, of course. Mom always thought it was funny when people did what she called ego-tripping...strutting around and trying to sound important.
After Mom went back in the house Curtis still hung around, walking around the yard and looking at Grub’s chickens and rabbits and turtles. Grub came out, too, and followed them around, but he didn’t say much. Curtis talked a lot. He asked about what school Neely went to and it turned out he would be in the sixth grade too. He also talked about the private school he’d gone to in Beverly Hills and how maybe he’d go to public school this year just for a change, but he didn’t think he’d like it.
“Well, maybe you’ll be in my class then,” Neely said. It was an interesting thought. She wondered what the other kids would make of him. He would not, she decided, be a big hit. Not if he kept on ego-tripping about his rich and famous family and other embarrassing things like that.
“Well, I guess I’d better go,” he said finally. And then to Neely’s surprise, “Why don’t you come too? Up to Halcyon House, I mean.”
“Well, I don’t think we could right now,” Neely said. “We’re going to be having dinner in an hour or two.”
“Oh.” Curtis looked disappointed. “Well, come tomorrow then. Okay? Come up tomorrow.”
It was Grub who said okay first. Poking Neely, who was still speechless with surprise, Grub said, “Okay. Huh, Neely? We can come tomorrow. Can’t we?”
Neely said she guessed they could.
Chapter 25
T HERE WERE A COUPLE OF REASONS WHY NEELY DIDN’T really want to go back to Halcyon House. The most important one concerned the nursery, and it felt, she had to admit, a lot like jealousy. Somehow it really hurt to think about what Curtis probably had been doing to the nursery.
Especially to the dollhouse. Not that he was apt to have actually played with it, but she wouldn’t put it past him to ruin things just for the fun of it. She pictured the lovely cherrywood chairs and tables with missing legs, and perhaps even the beautiful doll family with broken heads and torn clothing. She hated even to imagine it.
The other reason was that going back to Halcyon House under the circumstances just might be a little risky. Of course, Curtis had lied to his father before, to protect her and Grub, but what if he got mad at them, or just changed his mind? What if he got them up there and then told his father that he’d been lying and that Grub and Neely were actually trespassers?
On the other side of the argument there was the fact that Grub definitely wanted to go. There was no doubt about that. Ever since Saturday he’d been, if not in a full fledged gloom-and-doom attack, not very far from it. He’d been spending a lot of time in his room since then, reading or staring out the window. When Neely asked him he always said he was okay, or that he was just sad because it was August. August always made Grub sad because September came next and the start of school. But this time Grub’s depression
“No, I suppose not,” Mom said. “Anyway, we’re glad you’re here. Neely says your father came back to Halcyon because he has a job at a bank. I was wondering if it might be where we do our banking.”
“Oh.” Curtis looked startled. “Well, he may not take the bank job after all. He may just rest for a while. He’s been kind of sick lately. Or maybe he’ll just write his book. He’s been working on this great book lately and he practically has it sold already. He’s a great writer. There are a lot of great writers in our family.”
“Why, that’s wonderful,” Mom said. “How exciting.” Her lips were twitching and she was careful not to catch Neely’s eye, as if she were afraid they both might laugh if she did. Neely knew what was funny, of course. Mom always thought it was funny when people did what she called ego-tripping...strutting around and trying to sound important.
After Mom went back in the house Curtis still hung around, walking around the yard and looking at Grub’s chickens and rabbits and turtles. Grub came out, too, and followed them around, but he didn’t say much. Curtis talked a lot. He asked about what school Neely went to and it turned out he would be in the sixth grade too. He also talked about the private school he’d gone to in Beverly Hills and how maybe he’d go to public school this year just for a change, but he didn’t think he’d like it.
“Well, maybe you’ll be in my class then,” Neely said. It was an interesting thought. She wondered what the other kids would make of him. He would not, she decided, be a big hit. Not if he kept on ego-tripping about his rich and famous family and other embarrassing things like that.
“Well, I guess I’d better go,” he said finally. And then to Neely’s surprise, “Why don’t you come too? Up to Halcyon House, I mean.”
“Well, I don’t think we could right now,” Neely said. “We’re going to be having dinner in an hour or two.”
“Oh.” Curtis looked disappointed. “Well, come tomorrow then. Okay? Come up tomorrow.”
It was Grub who said okay first. Poking Neely, who was still speechless with surprise, Grub said, “Okay. Huh, Neely? We can come tomorrow. Can’t we?”
Neely said she guessed they could.
Chapter 25
T HERE WERE A COUPLE OF REASONS WHY NEELY DIDN’T really want to go back to Halcyon House. The most important one concerned the nursery, and it felt, she had to admit, a lot like jealousy. Somehow it really hurt to think about what Curtis probably had been doing to the nursery.
Especially to the dollhouse. Not that he was apt to have actually played with it, but she wouldn’t put it past him to ruin things just for the fun of it. She pictured the lovely cherrywood chairs and tables with missing legs, and perhaps even the beautiful doll family with broken heads and torn clothing. She hated even to imagine it.
The other reason was that going back to Halcyon House under the circumstances just might be a little risky. Of course, Curtis had lied to his father before, to protect her and Grub, but what if he got mad at them, or just changed his mind? What if he got them up there and then told his father that he’d been lying and that Grub and Neely were actually trespassers?
On the other side of the argument there was the fact that Grub definitely wanted to go. There was no doubt about that. Ever since Saturday he’d been, if not in a full fledged gloom-and-doom attack, not very far from it. He’d been spending a lot of time in his room since then, reading or staring out the window. When Neely asked him he always said he was okay, or that he was just sad because it was August. August always made Grub sad because September came next and the start of school. But this time Grub’s depression
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