Heroes Are My Weakness(77)

Livia shifted her position on the balustrade so she was facing Annie. She slowly moved her head. A hesitant nod.

Annie felt as if her heart skipped a beat. “Very well,” Scamp said. “I shall call my song ‘The Ballad of Livia’s Terrible Experience.’?” Annie stalled for time with some dramatic throat clearing. The best she could hope to do was drag the topic out of the darkness into the light. Maybe that would make it less taboo. She also needed to tell Jaycie about this. She began to sing softly.


“Little girls shouldn’t see bad things

But sometimes they do . . .”

She continued her song, making it up as she’d done yesterday, but this time keeping the tune more serious and avoiding any Olés. Livia listened to every word, then nodded at the end and went back to riding her balustrade horse.

Annie heard a noise behind her and turned.

Theo leaned against the corner of the house at the far end of the porch. Even from where she was, she could see the frown etched between his eyebrows. He’d overheard, and he was judging her for it.

Livia saw him, too, and stopped riding the balustrade. He came forward, the collar of his parka turned up, his footsteps silent on the stone porch floor.

Screw his judgment, Annie thought. At least she was trying to help Livia. What had he done, other than scare her?

Scamp was still on her arm, and she thrust the puppet forward. “Halt! Identify yourself!”

He halted. “Theo Harp. I live here.”

“So you say. Prove it.”

“Well . . . My initials are carved in the floor of the gazebo.”

His initials as well as his twin’s.

Scamp thrust her chin forward. “Are you good or bad, Mr. Theo Harp?”

One dark eyebrow shot toward his hairline, but he kept his focus on the puppet. “I try to be good, but it’s not always easy.”

“Do you eat your vegetables?”

“Everything except rutabaga.”

Scamp turned toward Livia and said in a stage whisper, “He doesn’t like rutabaga either.” Then back to Theo. “Do you take a bath without making a big fuss about it?”

“I take showers. I like ’em.”

“Do you run outside in your socks?”

“No.”

“Do you sneak candy when nobody’s looking?”

“Only peanut butter cups.”

“Your horse is scary.”

He glanced over at Livia. “That’s why kids need to stay out of the stable if I’m not there.”

“Do you ever yell?”

He returned his attention to Scamp. “I try not to. Unless the Sixers are losing.”

“Do you know how to comb your hair by yourself?”

“I do.”

“Do you bite your fingernails?”

“Absolutely not.”

Scamp took a deep breath, dropped her head, and lowered her voice. “Do you ever hit mommies?”

Theo didn’t blink. “Never. Absolutely never. Nobody should ever hit mommies.”

Scamp turned to Livia and cocked her head. “What do you think? Can he stay?”

Livia nodded agreeably—no hesitation, firm nod—and slipped down off the balustrade.

“Could I speak with Annie now?” Theo asked Scamp.

“I guess,” Scamp replied. “I’ll go make up songs in my head.”

“You do that.”

Annie returned Scamp to her backpack. She expected Livia to go inside, now that the puppet wasn’t part of the conversation, but instead she wandered along the porch and down the three front steps. Annie started to tell her to come back, but Livia didn’t stray. Instead she poked around in the frozen dirt next to the house.

Theo tilted his head toward the end of the porch, clearly indicating they needed a private conversation. Annie went over to him, still keeping her eye on Livia. He spoke quietly, so the child couldn’t hear. “How long has this been going on?”

“She and Scamp have been friends for a while, but I only started talking about her father a couple of days ago. And, no, I don’t know what I’m doing. And, yes, I realize I’m meddling with a problem that’s too complicated for someone who’s not a professional. Do you think I’m crazy?”

He considered. “She’s definitely not as skittish as she was. And she seems to like being around you.”

“She likes being around Scamp.”

“Scamp is the one who started talking to her about what she saw, right? It was Scamp, not you?”

Annie nodded.

“And she wants to be with Scamp?” he said.

“She seems to.”

He frowned. “How do you do it? I’m a grown man. I know damn well you’re the one who’s making that puppet talk, but I still look at the puppet.”

“I’m good at what I do.” She’d intended to be sarcastic, but it didn’t come out that way.

“Damn right you are.” He tilted his head toward the little girl. “I say keep going. If she’s had enough, she’ll let you know.”

His confidence made her feel better.

He turned to leave only to have Livia come scampering up the stairs after him. She’d brought something with her. Looking up at him, she opened her hands, showing him a couple of small rocks and some clamshells. He gazed down at her. She gazed back, her lips setting in their familiar mulish line. She extended her hands. He smiled and took what she’d given him, then rubbed the top of her head. “See you later, kiddo.” He disappeared down the cliff steps to the beach.