Heather

Heather is David’s ten-year-old daughter and a small but meaningful presence in Tessa’s summer. Through her affection, playfulness, and bond with her father, she helps Tessa see Carol’s capacity for tenderness in a new light.

Identity and Background

Heather is the daughter of David, who owns a bakery and dates Carol. Her mother died when Heather was seven. By the time Tessa meets her, Heather is ten; the account identifies her loss but gives no further details about her life before joining David and Carol’s household.

Heather takes a strong liking to trying on Tessa’s clothes, which are far too large for her small frame. She also lets Tessa practice her developing makeup and hairdressing skills on her. Tessa describes her as sweet, and their activities suggest an easy, playful familiarity rather than a distant acquaintance.

Summer with Tessa and Carol

Tessa spends the summer with Carol, Carol’s boyfriend David, and Heather. During a walk along streets familiar from an earlier, more difficult period in Tessa’s life, Heather stops at every block to pick a flower for her. The repeated small gesture makes their outing an affectionate shared memory, while placing Heather alongside Tessa as she revisits places associated with her past.

Heather also changes how Tessa sees Carol. Tessa is surprised by how sweet her mother is to the girl. David, Tessa observes, brings out a side of Carol she had never seen before, and she delights in watching her mother laugh and smile around him. Heather’s place in this new household therefore matters not only as David’s daughter but as someone toward whom Carol’s tenderness becomes visible.

Narrative Significance

Heather’s role is conveyed through concrete domestic details: clothes that do not fit, Tessa’s practice with makeup and hair, and flowers gathered one block at a time. These moments give texture to Tessa’s summer and show her spending time within a family arrangement different from the one she grew up with. Heather is not developed through an independent plot or extensive dialogue; instead, her warmth and presence help mark the changes in Carol and the gentler atmosphere Tessa encounters with them.