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I look down at the plate He has arranged the eggs so that they are like eyes, and the bacon is a s mouth, just like he used to do when I was a kid

Suddenly I ae to cry

Damn him How can he do this to me?

"They’re fine, thanks," I mutter, and sit down at the kitchen table

"Well," Cooper says, finally lowering the paper, "now that that’s settled, Heather, your dad is going to be staying with us for a while, until he figures out what his next ood, because I can use the help I have more work than I can handle on my own, and your dad has just the kind of qualities I need in an assistant"

"The ability to blend," I say, cho on a strip of bacon Which is, by the way, delicious And I’m not the only one who thinks so Lucy, whom Dad lets back in after she scratched on the door, is enjoying a strip I snuck her, as well

"Correct," Cooper says "An ability which should never be underestiative field"

The phone rings Dad says, "I’ll get that," and leaves the kitchen to do so

The second he’s gone, Cooper says, in a different tone, "Look, if it’s really a probles were so…unsettled…between you two I thought it ood for you"

I stare at hiood foruncomfortable "It’s just that…you don’t have anyone"

"As I believe we have discussed before," I say acidly, "neither do you"

"But I don’t need anyone," he points out

"Neither do I," I say

"Heather," he says, flatly "You do No one died, left you their townhouse, and made you independently wealthy And, no offense, twenty-three thousand dollars a year, in Manhattan, is a joke You need all the friends and fa jailbirds?" I deentto land on his feet And I think you’re going to want to be around when that happens, if only to inflict enough guilt on hie tuition, at least"

"I don’t need tuition o free because I work there, remember?"

"Yes," Cooper says, with obviously forced patience "But you wouldn’t have to work there if your dad would agree to pay your tuition"

I blink at hietting a degree is really your goal?" He sips his coffee "Yes"

It’s funny, but though what he’s saying ine what it would be like not to work at Fischer Hall I’ve only been doing it for a little over half a year, but it feels like I’ve been doing it all e