They hired a babysitter and took her to the Tiki Room at the Fairmont Hotel, her choice for an eighteenth birthday dinner, to discuss the proposal. She had gotten to know—and like—both of them, but had to admit that the two were not only strange animals by Modesto standards, they were not quite typical for the city, either. They had mostly a “don’t ask” relationship with Marlowe. She didn’t raise her eyebrows when guests disappeared upstairs with her employers and wild party noises flowed down, no explanations were offered when Sean was out of town and one of their friends stayed the night with Val upstairs—and it wasn’t always a male friend. They didn’t bother Marlowe. While they never asked her to join them with guests, or serve food or drinks when they had guests over, they were very laid back and she knew they would welcome her if she decided to sit down and light up one of the joints that were neatly laid out on the coffee table when guests arrived.
