Page 82 of Tangled Memories
“Oh?” She upended the bag. Out slipped a small paperback titledWhere did I Come From?The Facts of Life Without Any Nonsense and With illustrations. She paged through it rapidly. “Uh-uh. No, she’s not ready for this.”
Tyler began backpedaling. “I’ll check the grill, see if the coals are—”
Stormy grabbed the front of his shirt. “What possessed you to—”
“I didn’t do anything. I wouldn’t dare. That’s your job. But she’s ready,” Tyler muttered. “You can’t have your daughter going around asking men about sperm. It’s not… It’s not seemly, for crying out loud. Hell, it’s not safe. Suppose she asked some pervert.”
“But this is so graphic.” The illustrations were cartoon fashion, but they clearly delineated body parts. The language, too, was quite specific.
“The clerk said it was the bestselling book on sex educa—”
“They don’t sell books like this at minimarts.”
“I browsed the bookstore at the mall.”
“What are you two whispering about?” called Liane.
“Nothing, sweetheart. Do your homework.”
“If it were Priss, I’d give her this,” Tyler said.
“Liane isn’t Priss,” Stormy shot back.
Tyler picked up the platter of steaks. “I’ll just toss these on the grill,” he said and went out to the deck.
Stormy leaned on the sink and muttered an unladylike epithet. She had spent eleven months in prison and survived the experience. Why was she so worried about talking about sex with her daughter?
Because it would mean the end of innocence.
But how innocent were the children of today? Not very. Sex was on television, in the schoolroom, in the movies, their video games—on their phones. She hadn’t gotten Liana a Smartphone yet. Heck, she didn’t even have one again yet. Still, Stormy knew she and Janelle spent plenty of time on Janelle’s iPhone.
Perhaps Tyler was more objective than she. At the least, he had shown a willingness to tread where other men might falter. She picked up the book and pored over it for a few minutes. Then, dry of mouth, she went into the alcove and sat on a stool opposite Liane. She held the book in her lap.
“Sweetheart?”
Liane looked up.
“You know you can talk to me about anything, don’t you?”
“No, I can’t. Janelle and I have secrets. I can’t tell you or anybody, or it wouldn’t be a secret anymore.”
“I’m talking about…other things. Remember when you and Janelle were talking about sperm?”
“Yes, but we can’t find anybody who has any.”
“Well, men have sperm.”
“What men?”
“All men.”
Liane’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Then why didn’t he tell me when I asked?”
“He wasn’t comfortable discussing it with you.”
“Where does he keep it?”
“I have a book here that tells you all about it. I want you to read it, and then we can read it together.”