“Don’t know.” Monica shook her head. “It was just the operator saying she had a call from Honolulu for Mr. Thomas Brewster.”
“You’d better go out and hang up the phone in the kitchen,” Ted ordered.
Monica left the room and returned almost immediately.
“You didn’t listen in?” Ted asked suspiciously.
“Course not! I have very excellent manners. No lady would listen in.”
“Ha,” Ted sneered. “You, a lady? A ’leven-year-old-lady!”
“I’m older than you,” Monica replied.
“Ten minutes older. Call that older? I don’t. And don’t tell me you never listen in. How ’bout yesterday? When I was talking to Peteso? I suppose you didn’t try to listen in then.”
“That’s different. You’re only a kid.”
“A kid!” This was too much. “And what about you? You think you’re so grown up.”