Mark was smiling. Sarah noticed. She was smiling too. "I'm glad you could make it up here, Dad." Their smiles got deeper when she said "dad." It was a small joke between them. Well, half a joke.

The world of the diner continued around them. Customers ordered and ate and talked. A waitress unobtrusively picked up the small tray with the credit card sitting atop the bill. She left the last of the dishes.

"I didn't want to head out to the islands without seeing you first."

"I can't believe you're really going."

" I'll be back in a month or so." He shrugged. "I've got money now and plenty of time so it's my chance to just get away for a while."

Sarah tilted her head slightly. "And time far away from Mom?"

"Far, far away from your mother. And her, uh, friend." He rubbed his hands on his pants, like that would rub that woman away. If he was lucky it would rub her friend away too. He tried not to dwell on them. Any thought of his wife, his ex-wife actually, gave him a migrane. "I don't want to talk about her."

Sarah smiled sweetly at him. He knew that smile. "What do you want?" He braced himself. I wonder how much this is going to cost me? What didn't her mom buy her? She regularly bought anything and everything Sarah wanted. For the millionth time he cursed her rich boy friend and the stupid undeserved fame she found. At least he got a good chunk of money to stay quiet and get lost.

"I want to see you smile again."

"Oh?" He knew she was playing him. Since they met, she knew how to wrap him around her little finger.

"And I know just what would put that smile back on your face?"

He leaned back in his chair. "A month away in the islands?"

"Before you go to the islands, I know you want to give your baby daughter a ride to the Devil Center."

They both laughed.

"Devil center? That game of yours isn't a satanic cult turning you into a devil worshiper or something, right?"

She laughed. She knew he was kidding. She hoped he was kidding.

In his mind, pieces fell into place. "For your big competition?" he continued.

"Yeah."

"I have a week to get to the airport, so I can probably manage a drive across campus." And this isn't gong to cost me anything after all.

"We have to stop and grab some stuff from the dorm first."