Chapter 812

• Within two weeks, Gerald had all but moved into Joyce's house. He had yearned to get out of his cramped little apartment, especially since a lot of his stuff had to be placed in a storage unit. Joyce was secretly ecstatic at his arrival: she realized how much she missed having a man in her bed, and in the house generally. Both of them regarded the move as only temporary or tentative, but they were confident that it was likely to become permanent.
• Hilary was also pleased at having a quasi-father figure in the house. She herself had been unaware how much she'd missed her father; and while there was no way Gerald could ever take Richard's place, he was a genial, generous older man who seemed to fit right into the household. Hilary regretted that she'd have to leave the house herself in just over a month to take up quarters in a tiny dorm room on campus.
• It was on a Saturday afternoon, when Gerald was out taking care of some business, that Hilary sat her mom down on the living-room couch for a little talk.