by Beth Andrews
Her smile dimmed, going from supernova bright to regular shining-star glowing. “I meant you as in Montesano Construction.”
He lifted his right shoulder.
“Okay,” Harper said, drawing the word out. “Guess that’s enough shop talk. No, no—” she held out her hand as if to stop him from speaking, though his mouth remained tightly closed “—really, I know you could go on and on and on about your work but let’s stick to the subject at hand, shall we?”
Scratching his cheek—he really did need a shave—he narrowed his eyes. She was messing with him. He wouldn’t have thought she had it in her, not when she looked all innocent and sincere.
“Max is a very sweet boy,” Harper said as if she hadn’t been yanking Eddie’s chain. “He excels in art, has a real talent for it. Not that I’m an expert or anything but I know what I like.” She smiled at her own lame joke, didn’t seem to mind that Eddie didn’t.
“I really enjoy having Max in my room. He’s kind and thoughtful but a bit of a loner. If we could get him to open up more, to come out of his shell—”
“Being shy isn’t a character flaw that needs overcoming,” Eddie said quietly.
Max was fine the way he was, and if he wanted to stay in his shell, so be it.
As a kid, Eddie had been told to talk more, be more outgoing and friendlier.
All he’d ever wanted was to be left in peace with his thoughts.
“No, of course it’s not.” Harper sounded confused, looked flustered and embarrassed. “I only meant it might be good for him to make a few friends.”
Max had friends. Max had a friend, Eddie amended. Joey Malone, a kid he’d met in first grade. They were in different classes this year but still hung out.
“That why you wanted to see me?” Eddie asked. “To discuss Max’s social life?”
She opened her mouth only to snap it shut and shake her head, as if getting rid of whatever she’d been about to say. “Actually, I want to discuss Max’s progress so far this year. The first marking period ends in two weeks.” She slid a yellow paper from the pile on her desk and held it out to him. “Maybe once you see his progress report, you’ll understand why I’m concerned.”
Eddie forced himself to take the paper. The diamonds in her wedding rings caught the afternoon sunlight so that it dappled across the top of her desk.
He rubbed his thumb around the base of his left ring finger. It’d been years since he’d worn his own wedding band, but he could still feel the weight of it. As the foundation of his marriage had become weaker, the gold ring signifying the vows he’d taken—the vows he’d given—had grown tighter. Heavier with the weight of his failure.
But then, Harper hadn’t failed at marriage—she’d probably never failed at anything in her entire life. Her marriage hadn’t ended due to lack of effort or love, but because her husband had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, an innocent bystander killed during a convenience store robbery in Pittsburgh last year. She still wore her ring.
Eddie had taken his off the moment Lena had shut the door when she’d walked out on their marriage. When she’d walked out on their son.
He’d never put one on again.
Bracing himself, he read Max’s progress report. Exhaled heavily. One D.
Four Fs.
“As you can see, Max is struggling in all subjects.” Her voice was laced with compassion. She watched him with understanding.
He wished she’d knock it off. He didn’t need her pity. Didn’t want her kindness.
“What do we do?” Eddie asked.
She nodded as if that was the right thing to ask, the correct response. Great.
Give him a gold star for being a concerned parent.
“Max has some issues focusing which, I believe, could be one of the factors affecting his schoolwork.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Eddie said. “Tell him to pay more attention in class.”
“That would be helpful, but I’m afraid it might not be enough. What I would like is your permission to have Dr. Crosby—one of the school district’s psychologists—observe Max’s behavior.”
“Observe?” Like an animal in a test lab? Poked and prodded and singled out from his classmates.
“It’s only to see if she agrees with my assessment.”
“Your assessment.” Yeah, he sounded like a parrot, repeating everything she said, but he couldn’t figure out what the hell she was getting at. “You said he’s not paying attention in class.”
“Yes, but I’m concerned that lack of focus—along with other symptoms— could be signs of a bigger issue.”
Eddie stiffened to the point he worried one errant breeze would break him into a million pieces. “What symptoms?”
“I’d rather not get too far ahead of ourselves until after Dr. Crosby—”
“What. Symptoms.”
The only sign she gave that his low, dangerous tone bugged her was a small, resigned sigh. “Max has a hard time sitting still—”
“He’s a boy. He has a lot of energy.”
Her lips thinned but her tone remained calm. “He frequently fails to finish his schoolwork, even when given ample time to do so, and he often works carelessly. He shifts from one unfinished activity to another, has difficulty following through on instructions, working on his own and waiting for his turn in tasks, games and group situations. He’s also easily distracted, often loses or misplaces items necessary to complete tasks—such as his pencil or workbook.”
“He’s seven.” Eddie bit out the words, her list of the ways his son was lacking blowing through him, swirling around his head in endless repetition.
“Kids misplace things and aren’t always patient.”
“True. And that may very well be the case here. But as Max’s teacher, I feel it’s in his best interest to have Dr. Crosby come in and give her opinion. If you’ll just sign this—” she slid a paper in front of him “—we can get started.”
Eddie glanced from the permission slip to the pen she held out and then to his son’s grades, the black letters stark on the pale yellow background. He should sign the damn paper and let Harper do what she felt necessary, what she thought best. She was the teacher, the person entrusted with his son’s care and education for the next eight months.
“What bigger issue could it be?” Eddie asked.
“I’d rather not speculate—”
“I’d rather you did.”
She slowly lowered the pen. For the first time, she seemed reluctant to speak—must be a new sensation for her. “Max’s behavior could...possibly...be symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. But I’m not qualified to make any diagnoses,” she added quickly. “Which is why I’d like Dr. Crosby’s help.”
“ADD,” Eddie said, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact there could be something wrong with his son. “Don’t they put kids on drugs for that?”
“Medication is one option, but there are also modifications that can be made in the classroom. Instructional strategies and practices that can be implemented to help children with ADHD learn.”
“So if Max has ADH—” he emphasized the H as she had “—D, and you use those strategies, his grades will improve?”
“Possibly.”
The second possibly she’d given him in under a minute. When it came to his kid, Eddie preferred definitely. “What else is there?”
“There are other options.” She averted her gaze as she moved the stapler to the left only to put it back exactly where it had been. “But let’s not worry about any of that until we get through these first steps.”
He had a child, was solely responsible for the well-being of another person.
For making sure his son was healthy and happy and whole. It was his job to worry. And to get straight answers out of smiley, sunshiny teachers who were blowing smoke up his ass.
“What options?”
Her smile turned to steel. “Options we’ll discuss after Dr. Crosby has made her observation.”
Nudging the paper forward, she held out the pen again.
Eddie’s fingers tightened, crumpling the edges of the progress report.
Frustration coursed through him, hot and edgy. But worse than that was the fear. The terrifying thought that if Max was diagnosed with ADHD, he’d spend the rest of his life wearing that label. His peers would judge him, would think he was deficient in some way. He’d be put into a box, one he’d never be able to escape from.
Eddie wanted to slap the pen from Harper’s hand. Wipe his arm across the top of her desk, knocking aside the wooden holder so that pens and pencils scattered over the floor. He wanted to tell her in no uncertain terms what she could do with her observation, her opinion and her sympathetic expression.
He looked at his son. Max was perfect, just the way he was. And Harper wanted some psychologist with more education than common sense to tell him there was something wrong with him? So Max would think he wasn’t smart enough? Capable enough? Good enough?
There was only one response to that, one he was more than happy to give as he faced Harper. “No.”
2
HARPER KEPT THE PLEASANT, understanding smile on her face. But it cost her. Boy, did it cost her.
Because Eddie Montesano, with his dark scowl, broad shoulders and cool hazel eyes, was getting on her last nerve. She’d spent the day surrounded by seven-and eight-year-olds who were alternately loud, whiny, cranky, happy, hilarious and fabulous. And most of them had better manners than this man.
“I’m sorry,” she said, though she had nothing to apologize for. Honestly, the man should be the one begging her forgiveness. “No?”
“I’m not signing that.”
Her hand dropped to the desk with a thud. “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear—”
“You did.”
“Well, good. That’s good,” she said cheerily.
She would remain cheery, polite, in control and, above all else, professional. Friendly. She’d watch her tongue and choose every word carefully. She had a habit—some said a bad one—of speaking her mind. Which was fine in her personal life, but in her professional one? Not so good. At least not according to Sam McNamara, Shady Grove Elementary School’s principal.
She twisted her engagement ring. “Maybe you don’t understand how important it is—”
“I’m not an idiot.”
Something in his gruff tone, in his hard expression, gave her pause. Made her think she’d somehow insulted him. “I never thought—”
“We’re done.”
He stood. The man actually stood. And he’d dismissed her, as if he had the right to end this meeting. Stunned, she stared for a moment, her mouth slack, her mind reeling. She’d done everything right, the way it was supposed to be done. She’d talked to Max’s first-grade teacher, had checked his file to get more insight into his schoolwork the past two years. Then she’d met with both Julie Giron, the school’s guidance counselor, and Sam about her concerns, had gotten their go-ahead to bring up those concerns with Max’s father.
The only way she’d veered away from the usual protocol in situations like this was by meeting with Eddie alone instead of with Julie and Sam. She’d thought Eddie would appreciate her discussing Max’s situation with him one-to-one.
That was the last time she tried to be nice to someone just because they’d known each other since the first day of kindergarten and had relatives dating each other—his brother, her cousin.
Hurrying around her desk, she stepped in front of him and smiled. Okay, it was more a baring of teeth, but surely she couldn’t be faulted for one tiny slipup.
“Eddie, I’m not sure what the problem is,” she said, all faux conciliatory and apologetic. She checked on Max, who was still engrossed in his game. “I certainly didn’t mean to offend you in any way.”
She waited. And what did she get for her patience? Nothing. Not even one of his nods or shrugs.
Easy to see where Max got his reserve from.
“It’s important that we assess what issues Max is having so he can overcome them and reach his highest potential.”
“Why? So you can bump up the school’s test scores?”
“This has nothing to do with standardized testing.” The bane of teachers everywhere. Luckily for her, they didn’t start testing kids until third grade. “It has to do with helping Max.”
Her only priority.
Eddie shifted closer, bringing with him the scent of sawdust. “Maybe this isn’t Max’s fault.”
“I’m sorry. I’m having trouble following you.” Hard to believe seeing as he used as few words as possible to get his point across, but there you had it.
“If you did your job—did it better—Max wouldn’t be having problems.”
Her vision assumed a definite red tint, her fingers curled around the stapler.
She heard him, of course. He stood right before her, close enough for her to see the starburst of gold around his pupils, to notice that his right front tooth slightly overlapped the left. She even understood what he’d said as his meaning had been crystal clear. But his voice was like a roar in her head. A whooshing wave that swept away all her good intentions and drowned any hope she had of remaining professional.
And it was all Eddie Montesano’s fault. She’d tried to be polite. To not let her growing frustration with him show. But did he appreciate her efforts or the great strength of willpower it’d taken her not to simply lift the stapler and hit him upside the head with it? Did he consider what was best for his son or care that all she wanted was to figure out how they could work together to help Max?
No, no and triple no. He blamed her, accused her of not doing her job.
Oh, yeah, all bets were officially off.
“Max,” she called loudly, setting the stapler on her desk and peeling her fingers off it. She tucked her hands behind her back—just to be on the safe side.
When Max looked up and took the headphones off, she forced her tone to remain light. Easy. No simple task when she was two seconds away from kicking his father in the shin. “Your dad and I will be in the hallway. Please wait here.”
Eddie grabbed the sweatshirt and tugged it on. “I have nothing to say.”
“That’s a shock,” she muttered. “It’ll only take a few minutes,” she assured him from between gritted teeth when his head became visible again.
He glanced at Max, who watched them with wide eyes, obviously picking up on the tension in the room. Finally, Eddie brushed past her.
Fuming so hard she lifted her hands to her ears to make sure steam wasn’t billowing from them, she followed him out into the hallway. She shoved her sleeves up to her elbows. She was sweating. She was actually sweating she was so angry. Her skin overheated, her blood boiled. She shut the door with a quiet click, wishing she could slam it with a resounding bang, open it and slam it shut again.
“If you have a problem with me teaching your son,” she said, proud of the composure that kept her tone calm, her temper in check despite the trembling of her fingers, “you may certainly take it up with the principal. But for the record, all I want is for my kids to do well. To succeed.”
“Your kids?”
That composure cracked enough to have her lifting her chin, straightening her spine. “I’m with those children—your child—for close to eight hours a day, one hundred and eighty days of the year. I feel a connection to them, so yes, they’re my kids. In a certain context.”
More than a connection, she felt a responsibility toward them. It was up to her to help them reach their highest potential.
She crossed her arms. “How about we clear the air so we can move forward and both do what’s best for Max. What, exactly, is your problem with me?”
Surprise and, if she wasn’t mistaken, respect flashed in his eyes before they shuttered again.
“No problem.”
Her left eye twitched. She pressed the tips of her fingers against it. “No need to hold back.” She certainly didn’t like to ke
ep her opinions, her thoughts to herself. Not when she could share them with the world. “I can’t fix the problem if I don’t know what it is.”
Eddie wiped his palm down his mouth. His jaw tight, his shoulders rigid, he gave a short nod. “You’re judging Max based on our history.”
Finally they were getting somewhere. “Max’s and your history? Because I’m not all that familiar with it. I mean, I know you’re divorced and that Max’s mother lives in Chicago—”
“Our—” he gestured between them “—history.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I hadn’t realized we—” she mimicked his gesture “—had a history.”
Sure, they’d gone to school together but they hadn’t run with the same crowd. Actually, she couldn’t remember Eddie running with any crowd. Then again, she hadn’t paid much attention to him. Boys like Eddie Montesano had never been her type, though a small segment of her girlfriends had found him appealing.
She had no idea why.
Okay, so he wasn’t exactly a troll, and yes, he had the whole not-quite-tall, dark and handsome thing going for him with a wide chest and flat stomach. His hair was thick and brushed back from his high forehead to fall in wavy disarray. He had heavy eyebrows, a sharp, square jawline covered in dark stubble and a Roman nose with a prominent bridge.
All in all, a pretty package. But Harper had always preferred guys who were more charming, less brooding. Outgoing instead of introverted. Lighter in coloring and personality.
Men like Beau, her blond, blue-eyed husband, who’d swept her off her feet with his humor, charm and joy for life.
Her throat tightened, and she swallowed a pang of grief. Averted her gaze so Eddie didn’t see the pain she knew must be in her eyes. She missed Beau so much. Every day without him was a step in a new direction, toward a future without the man she’d promised to love for the rest of her life.
She wasn’t sure which was worse. The days she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Or the more recent days when she realized she hadn’t thought of him at all.
She cleared her throat, concentrated on the glowering man in front of her.