Schuyler Square Day 111 Really?

Could it ever be just about Tiffany? Did her relatives and relatives hangers-ons always have to drag the conversation back to their lives and their problems? Tiffany stared at Peter Van Husen with disgust. Peter's strange announcement had pretty much dragged the dinner conversation to a dead halt with the other guests exchanging is he out of his mind? looks that pretty much summed up what everyone at the table thought about Peter.

Tiffany began artfully rearranging the food that was still on her plate. Her father was never going to want to come over for dinner again after this meal. Maybe she should move in with him. Even living with a brand new daddy had to beat living with the lunatics who lived in Schuyler Manor.

"What do you mean?" Mindy Cooper asked, her eyes alive and curious. "What do you mean you're 'pretty sure' you were there when Mary Austin died?"

"Well, it was a long time ago," Peter began. "I was fifteen and I had a paper route and Ms. Austin was one of my customers."

"Fifteen is old enough to remember if you happened to be someplace where a murder happened," Tyler pointed out.

Tiffany silently groaned. This was going to take forever. Peter was so dumb to have even brought up that murder. Mindy Cooper was going to grill him until he was raw and Aunt Mavis was finally going to show him the door and slam it shut behind him. Tiffany considered that possibility. Maybe it was a good thing Peter decided to bring them all along on his jaunt down memory lane.

"So what do you remember?" Tiffany asked. "Because if this is going to take a long time, I'm going to excuse myself. There's something I want to watch on t.v. in about an hour."

"You'll have to excuse me to," Tom Hartman said. "Tiffany, why don't you walk me to the door?" After thanking Mavis for the meal, Tom led the way out of the dining room and into the foyer. Tiffany followed, grateful for the opportunity to leave.

"Thanks," she said to her father. "Just about the last thing I felt like doing was listen to some ancient history. Why can't my family be more normal?"

Her dad looked sympathetic. "It can't be easy living here," he remarked.

"It isn't," Tiffany agreed. To her surprise, her eyes filled with tears. "It's mainly because I always feel like a guest, you know? I'm related to these people but I feel like I should always have my suitcase packed."

"I know we don't know each other very well yet but do you think you might ever consider what Mindy suggested--the two of us living together? I don't know too much about being a dad but I'm would like to learn."

Tiffany considered Tom's offer. If she moved in with him, she'd be giving up living in the lap of luxury with everything she wanted at her fingertips into what she was sure would be a smaller, possibly even cramped space. On the other hand, if she moved in with her dad that would mean she'd be moving away from all of her loony tunes relatives. That alone would be worth giving up a walk-in closet. She could hear Peter Van Husen still talking in the dining room. Moving away would also mean moving away from Aunt Mavis and her annoying boyfriend. "I guess we could give it a try," she agreed.

Her father looked surprised and happy. "All right," he said. "Give me a week and we'll get you moved in."

Schuyler Square Day 110 Tiffany Warms Up to Her New Dad

"Would you like some more trout?" Tiffany watched as her aunt offered her father a second serving of the completely disgusting fish she had served for dinner that night. Leave it to Aunt Mavis to serve trout the very first time Tiffany's father came over instead of something normal, like meatloaf or cheeseburgers.

"Thank you but I'm fine." Tom Hartman smiled politely at Mavis. Tom Hartman. Dad. Daddy. Papa. What was she supposed to call him anyway? Tiffany was clueless.

"Mindy? Peter? Tyler? Tiffany?" One by one everyone turned down the offer for seconds on trout. Tiffany squirmed in her seat. This was the longest meal she'd ever sat through and she had the feeling she wasn't the only one at the table who was thinking the same thing. Tyler's newest girlfriend, the reporter, looked like she'd been lobotomized somewhere between the pumpkin soup and the trout almondine. Even Peter Van Husen seemed especially squirrelly that night and kept sneaking peeks at his cell phone throughout the meal when he thought no one was looking. Tiffany eyed Peter suspiciously. Aunt Mavis and Tyler were taking forever to get rid of this guy. Was she going to have to take things in her own hands?

"Well, that was a lovely meal, Mrs. Schuyler," Tiffany's dad said.

"Please, call me Mavis. We are family after all." Mavis batted her eyelashes at Tom. Tiffany tried not to gag. Honestly, Aunt Mavis flirted with every man she met! It was so embarrassing. "I know this is all somewhat awkward--finding out that we're related after living in the same town for so many years. I don't really understand why Lynette never shared that you're Tiffany's father but I suppose it's too late to ask her now."

"Just a little," Tiffany muttered under her breath.

"I'm sure we'll all adjust," Tom said. "I'm just grateful to have the chance to get to know my daughter." He smiled at Tiffany and Tiffany reluctantly smiled back. If she had to have a surprise father, Tom seemed like an OK choice. At least he didn't do anything disgusting at the table like pick at his teeth or chew with his mouth open.

"So is Tiffany going to move in with you?" Mindy questioned. "Sorry--it's the reporter in me. I seem to be wired to ask blunt questions."

"I'm not moving anywhere!" Tiffany said.

"Not now," Tom agreed. "We barely know each other. Right now we're both just trying to figure things out."

"I know how that is," Peter put in. "Lately I've had the feeling that I can't seem to figure anything out, you know?"

"There's a surprise," Tyler said, giving his mother's boyfriend a flinty stare.

Peter ignored Tyler and continued. "I almost feel like I'm remembering things that never happened. It's really getting strange."

"Maybe you need to see a doctor," Tom suggested.

"No," Peter disagreed, "what I need to do is get to the root of all of this. I can't help feeling like it all goes back to Mary Austin."

Mindy started choking and grabbed her glass of water. When she could breathe again she asked, "What do you have to do with Mary Austin?"

Peter stared at her. "I'm pretty sure I was there the night she was murdered."