Tiny Little Thing Read Online Free PDF Page A

a machine gun nest in the dining room.”
    “Of course not. It’s just . . . well, like you said. Everybody else knows him so well, and this entire dinner is supposed to revolve around him. . . .”
    “Hey, now. You’re not nervous, are you? Running a big family dinner like this?” Frank takes a step toward me. His hair, sleeked back from his forehead with a brush and a dab of Brylcreem, catches a bit of blond light from the window, the flash of the afternoon ocean.
    “Don’t be silly.”
    He puts his hands around my shoulders. “You’ll be picture-perfect, honey. You always are.” He smells of Brylcreem and soap. Of mint toothpaste covering the hint of stale cigarette on his breath. They were probably smoking on the long road from New York, he and Pepper, while Caspian, who doesn’t smoke, sat in the passenger seat and watched the road ahead. He kisses me on the lips. “How are you feeling? Back to normal?”
    “I’m fine. Not quite back to normal, exactly. But fine.”
    “I’m sorry I had to leave so soon.”
    “Don’t worry. I wasn’t expecting the world to stop.”
    “We’ll try again, as soon as you’re ready. Just another bump on the road.”
    “If you tell me you’re just sure it will
take
this time,” I tell him, “I’ll
slap
you.”
    He laughs. “Granny again?”
    “Your impossibly fertile family. Do you know, there are at least four babies here this week, the last time I counted?”
    Frank gathers me close. “I’m sorry. You’re such a trouper, Tiny.”
    “It’s all right. I can’t blame other people for having babies, can I?”
    He sighs, deep enough to lift me up and down on his chest. “Honey, I know this doesn’t make it any better. But I promise you we’ll have one of our own. We’ll just keep trying. Call in the best doctors, if we have to.”
    His kindness undoes me. I lift my thumb to my eyes, so as not to spoil his shirt with any sodden traces of makeup. “Yes, of course.”
    “Don’t cry, honey. We’ll do whatever it takes.”
    “It’s just . . . I just . . .” Want it so badly. Want a baby of my own, a person of my own, an exchange of whole and uncomplicated love that belongs solely to me. If we have a baby, everything will be fine, because nothing else will matter.
    “I know, darling. I know.”
    He pats my back. Something wet touches my ankle, through my stocking, and I realize that Percy has jumped from the bed, and now attempts to comfort my foot. Frank’s body is startlingly warm beneath his shirt, warm enough to singe, and I realize how cold my own skin must be. I gather myself upward, but I don’t pull away. I don’t want Frank to see my face.
    “All better?” He loosens his arms and shifts his weight back to his heels.
    “Yes. All better.” But still I hold on, not quite ready to release his warmth. “So tell me about your cousin.”
    “Cap.”
    “Yes, Cap. He has a sister, doesn’t he?”
    “Yes. But she’s staying in San Diego. Her girls aren’t out of school for the summer until next week.”
    “And everything else is all right with him? He’s recovered from . . . all that?”
    “Seems so. Same old Cap. A little quieter, maybe.”
    “Anything I should know? You know, physical limitations?” I glance at my dresser drawer. “Money problems?”
    Frank flinches. “
Money
problems? What makes you ask that?”
    “Well, I don’t want to say anything awkward. And I know some of the cousins are better off than the others.”
    He gives me a last pat and disengages me from his arms. “He’s fine, as far as I know. Both parents gone, so he’s got their money. Whatever that was. Anyway, he’s not a big spender.”
    “How do you know?”
    “I went out with him last night, remember? You can tell a lot about a man on a night out.”
    Frank winks and heads back to the wardrobe, whistling a few notes. I look down at Percy’s anxious face, his tail sliding back and forth along the rug, and I kneel down to wrap one arm