With Muriel away, Vanni was even more conscientious about making sure he was invited regularly. His daughter so enjoyed cooking, it was always a pleasure to have her do it for him. Then after dessert, if it was still early, he’d take his coffee to the great room and sometimes rock the baby for a while before Matt was settled in bed. Sometimes Paul would join him there, take in a little of the television news, but Paul was often occupied in the garage, working on built-ins for the interior of their house. Vanni refilled Walt’s coffee while he rocked little Matt on a typical evening. “You’ve been awfully quiet lately,” she said to her father.“Maybe I just said everything I have to say. Maybe there’s nothing left.”“Ha-ha,” she said, smiling. “Then tell me what you hear from Muriel.” And Walt’s chin immediately dropped. “Uh-oh. Have you and Muriel had some kind of trouble?”Walt looked up. “I don’t know if it’s trouble or not, but she’s not exactly pleased with me right now.”“And why is that?”He shrugged.
