Abide: A Christian Romance Novel (The Lewis Legacy Series, Book 7)

by JoAnn Durgin

  “If you say so.” Miles shrugged and gave her a look like she was a little mentally off-kilter. “At least it might come in handy in case we get flies up here on the floor. I’ll see you around the office, Miss Lewis—I mean Caty. Welcome to Belac.”

  “I’ll see you soon. Thanks again.” A fly swatter. Who could have known? The gift showed ingenuity. Yeah, the guy might be her boss, but she considered his gestures charming. Definitely unique.

  As soon as Miles moved his mail cart farther down the hall, Caty opened the card.

  Go Get ’Em, Scrappy!~Caleb

  Chapter 15

  Wednesday Afternoon, the Same Week

  Caleb pounded a light rhythm on the steering wheel with his fists as he waited. Unfortunately, it wasn’t because he was listening to a great song and drumming with the beat.

  “Greenbriar-Browne Academy.”

  He leaned closer to the open window and directed his words into the intercom box. “Caleb Reid to see Mrs. Winthorpe. I have a two o’clock appointment.”

  “Yes, Mr. Reid. She’s expecting you,” a crusty, older-sounding female voice responded.

  “Thank you.” Seconds later, the massive iron gates opened. Gunning the accelerator faster than warranted, Caleb roared down the long driveway. Reminded him of The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. He’d visited with his mother once and joked about the three-mile long driveway. This driveway seemed every bit as long.

  The landscaping of the grounds was equally spectacular with perfect rows of sculpted bushes and towering shade trees. If he didn’t have lecturing his delinquent daughter on the brain, he might take a few seconds to appreciate and enjoy the view. When he spied a few students walking about the grounds, he slowed the car. Besides that, Lauren would be mortified if he was ticketed for speeding on the grounds of her school.

  The private academy was housed in a former residence built by an eccentric billionaire who fancied himself a king. The place did resemble a small castle, again how he remembered Biltmore, and that made Caleb chuckle as he pulled into a Visitor parking space. After slamming the car door with undue force, he stalked toward the front walkway. Although he didn’t see them, he wouldn’t be at all surprised to find a moat and drawbridge leading into the castle.

  Pausing a moment, Caleb repositioned his red silk tie and buttoned his navy suit coat. He didn’t wear a suit often, but he’d been courting Olivia Randall the last few months—strictly in the business sense—in the hopes of obtaining mineral rights for oil and gas exploration on her land. From all preliminary reports, the property in West Texas she’d inherited from her daddy promised to be quite profitable.

  This meeting had better be worth missing his afternoon meeting with Miss Randall and her attorneys. He’d sent Steve in his place. Lauren was certainly worth it, but he hoped the school hadn’t summoned him for a trivial reason. Likewise, he hoped his daughter hadn’t committed some unforgivable offense. Squaring his shoulders, he headed inside the school.

  Within a few minutes, Caleb was ushered into the Office of the Headmistress. Seemed the academy preferred the British terminology instead of simply calling her the principal. Considering the setting and its whole Pride and Prejudice vibe, he could understand the allure of this place for impressionable teenage girls. Although fairly modern in décor, the office seemed dim and cheerless. He folded his sunglasses and tucked them in the inside pocket of his suit coat.

  “Mr. Reid, thank you for coming at such short notice.”

  Caleb rose to his feet as Lenore Winthorpe—a name befitting an Austenian character—entered the room. In her prim and proper black suit with a high-collared blouse, mid-fifties or thereabouts, not a stitch of makeup, and her hair severely pulled back in a bun, the woman was a walking stereotype if ever he’d seen one.

  Mrs. Winthorpe took her seat behind a desk every bit as large and imposing as his own. Something about this woman gave him the creeps but, if pressed, he wouldn’t be able to give a reason why. He wouldn’t want to meet up with her in a dark alley, and he could only imagine what the students must say about her. For little girls more timid than Lauren, this woman must be downright frightening. Forbidding. That was a good word for her.

  Caleb reclaimed his chair. “Will Lauren be joining us?”

  “In a few minutes. She’s completing a test in her English Literature class.”

  Threading his fingers together, he rested them on his lap. “Well, then, by all means, let’s not interrupt her.”

  “It shouldn’t be much longer. May I offer you something to drink?”

  “No, thank you. This isn’t a social call.” Although honest, he could stand to tone down the flippancy. “I’d like to know about the incident you referred to on the phone.” He didn’t know much other than it involved contraband. Of course, here at Greenbriar-Browne, contraband might include chewing gum or a jawbreaker.

  “Of course. I know your time is valuable, Mr. Reid. I’ll give you the basic facts so you can digest them before Lauren arrives.”

  Digest? Caleb found himself slouching and forced himself back up in the uncomfortable chair. With the tuition this place charged, they should be able to afford decent chairs. No doubt it was an antique that impressed some of the parents passing through these hallowed doors.

  “Lauren was found smoking in the restroom at the end of the lunch break today, Mr. Reid. The alarm picked up on it, and I assure you the cigarette was immediately extinguished.”

  Part of him wanted to shout Is that all? while another part of him cringed to know his daughter had ingested nicotine into her lungs. Hopefully, it was a one-time thing. Not that it excused Lauren’s behavior. Kids experimented. Although it seemed a lifetime ago, he’d done the same thing. He’d also instigated some dumb pranks and done time in school detention. A classic overachiever, he’d been bored. It’d taken him years before he’d finally recognized his behavior was a manifestation of misdirected anger toward his absentee father.

  The woman’s gray eyes bore into him while she waited for his reaction.

  “I’m afraid I was caught in the same offense when I was Lauren’s age.” Wrong thing to say. He could practically see the antennae rising from the back of the woman’s head. The Bad Dad radar.

  “I see,” she said slowly. “Do you smoke now, Mr. Reid?”

  “No, I do not. I hope it doesn’t shock you that some of my friends smoke.” Not many, but a few. He wasn’t even sure why he’d said it since he didn’t keep regular company with much of anyone these days. This woman brought out the worst in him.

  “As long as they’re adults, they’re free to do as they wish.” Disapproval oozed from the woman.

  “Exactly. Look, Mrs. Windsocket…”

  “That’s Winthorpe.” If it were possible, he’d be able to see the hackles rising on the woman’s back.

  “My apologies. I assure you that I will deal with this issue. Lauren will not smoke again.”

  “With all due respect, sir, how can you promise that? I trust you see the possible long-term ramifications of this incident. If you have friends who smoke, your daughter could be continually exposed to secondhand smoke. That’s almost as dangerous for a child as if she were the one smoking.”

  Caleb had been tapping his foot on the carpet. Now it was going full throttle. If he had anywhere else to enroll Lauren, he’d yank her out of the academy. No wonder Lauren thought he’d imprisoned her.

  “Dad?” He turned to see Lauren standing in the doorway. Her navy and green plaid school uniform hung on her thin frame, and she appeared on the verge of tears. So vulnerable and small. His heart wept at the sight of her.

  God, I could use your help. Again.

  He jumped to his feet. “Lauren, baby. There you are. We need to talk.”

  His daughter’s expression transitioned into more of a smirk. “Don’t call me baby around other mortals,” she hissed under her breath. “Even Winthorpe.”

  “Sorry,” he muttered, placing one hand her shoulder. “Tha
nk you for the call, Mrs. Winthorpe. I’ll be taking Lauren with me now. If you can make sure she’s properly signed out for the day, I’ll take it from here.”

  “We’re not done quite yet, Mr. Reid. We have some business to attend to first.”

  His jaws clenched. “Of course. Is there paperwork to fill out?”

  “Yes. Lauren is suspended for the rest of the week and you’ll need to sign the necessary parental acknowledgment forms.”

  “Suspended? For a first offense? Isn’t that a little harsh?” He barely kept his tone controlled.

  “She’s still in the enrollment probationary period. As such, her offense is weighted more heavily.” Winthorpe rose to her feet and walked around her desk. It wasn’t a stretch of his imagination that she didn’t like him any more than he liked her.

  “How many offenses is a student allowed during the probationary period? And how long does it last? Not that she’ll have any,” Caleb added. “Just for my own personal information.”

  “None, and it’s for three months. In other words, if she does anything else warranting suspension, Lauren will be expelled. Permanently. Your deposit will not be refunded, Mr. Reid.”

  “Got it,” he said.

  Those intense pale eyes leveled on his daughter, and Winthorpe’s tone was grave and foreboding when she spoke again. “Lauren, when you return to Greenbriar-Browne on Monday, you will be administered a drug test. If you pass the test, then your homework will be given to you. You’ll have three days to make up your missed assignments.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Winthorpe.” Lauren was smart enough to act appropriately repentant.

  Caleb sucked in a breath. “I’d prefer you give my daughter the benefit of the doubt. We’re not talking about a repeat drug offender here.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply that was the case, Mr. Reid.” He begged to differ. Her use of the word if as opposed to saying when she passed the drug test was proof enough.

  Keeping his hand on Lauren’s shoulder, Caleb gave her a reassuring squeeze. His daughter had been caught smoking, and her punishment seemed to fit the crime although the drug test infuriated him. Losing his temper in this woman’s presence wouldn’t help matters. “Is there a way to get her assignments online? She needs something to do while she’s suspended, after all.”

  When he felt Lauren’s shoulder slump, Caleb moved his arm around her waist. The glare from Winthorpe made him quickly withdraw, but he stood close enough for Lauren to feel the warmth of his presence. In a weird way, it gave him comfort having her so close.

  “Online is not how we do things here at—”

  “Yes, at Greenbriar-Browne Academy. I’m well aware.” Caleb looked the headmistress in the eye. He bit his tongue not to advise her to join the rest of the modern age in regard to technology. “If you’ll kindly provide those forms, I’ll sign them, and then I’ll be leaving with my daughter.”

  The woman nodded. “Very well, sir. Follow me.”

  ~~♥~~

  “Dad, you were such a bad—”

  “Enough,” Caleb growled, drowning out the last part of the word. “Don’t add cursing to your growing list of crimes.”

  “That’s not really a curse word.”

  “It is, and I don’t want to hear you say it again. Understood?”

  “Understood.” Silence reigned as Caleb waited for Lauren to fasten her seat belt.

  “I was trying to pay you a compliment,” Lauren pouted. “You were pretty awesome back there standing up for me and everything. Winthorpe’s a trip, isn’t she?”

  Caleb twisted his lips not to laugh. “I called her Windsocket. I feel safe in saying she’s not a big fan of mine after this afternoon’s chat.”

  “That’s stellar.” Lauren laughed. What a beautiful sound. Her long dark hair danced in the wind through the open window as he roared back down the driveway.

  “What book was the test in your English class about?”

  “Emma,” she said. “Jane Austen.”

  He chuckled. “Of course.” After exiting the gates, Caleb guided the car to the side of road and shifted into Park. He pulled out his sunglasses and repositioned them on his face. “Lauren, I owe you an apology.”

  “For what?”

  “For making you go to that God-forsaken place. Believe me, if I had anywhere else to send you, I would.” He lifted his hands in a helpless gesture. “I’m fresh out of ideas. The school came highly recommended. I can investigate other options, but it’ll take some time.”

  “It’s not so bad when Winthorpe’s not around.”

  “When is she not around?”

  “That’s the problem. She’s always lurking. The kids are okay, though. And the teachers.” Lauren twirled long strands of her hair around her index finger, over and over. Helena used to do the same thing.

  “No wonder you feel like you’re in a prison.” Steering the car farther down the street, he turned into the first available parking lot, a medical facility of some sort.

  He cut the engine, released his seat belt, and turned to face her. “Start by telling me why you were smoking in the first place.”

  “I wasn’t the only one.”

  He arched his brows. “That doesn’t answer my question, but how many others?”

  She shrugged. “Two.”

  “Were they also suspended?”

  “Not that I know of. They’ve been students here longer than me and told me they smoke all the time.”

  “On school property?” When she nodded, he slumped back against the seat. “Still doesn’t get you off the hook, young lady. And you don’t know that they’re telling the truth. People—not just kids—brag all the time to try and impress people. A lot of the time, it’s stretching the truth to suit their own purposes.”

  “Young lady? What are you, my mother now?”

  “Look, Lauren. I’m trying to be both a mom and a dad to you, and that’s not working out so well lately. You are, in fact, young, and I pray you stay a lady as long as possible. Meaning until you’re married.” Caleb shook his head. That hadn’t come out right.

  “Let me tell you something,” he said. “When I was about your age, this cool new kid moved to town and starting coming to my school. His name was Wayne.”

  Lauren snorted. “Wayne’s not a cool name.”

  “The right person can put the cool in any name. Wayne wore ripped jeans, chains, and black leather and claimed he’d done all sorts of stuff. All the guys wanted to hang out with him. So did the girls.”

  “He must have been hot.”

  Caleb grunted. Hearing her talking about a guy being hot made him uncomfortable in more ways than he could count. Ignoring it was best for now. “Anyway, my friend, Matt, and I started hanging around Wayne. One day he passed around a pack of cigarettes at the park. Everyone else was puffing away, so I tried it.”

  “Did you like it?” Lauren watched him with wide eyes.

  “Not really, but I didn’t hate it either. I didn’t get the big deal about smoking, didn’t understand the thrill. I think the idea of getting away with something illegal made us want to try it. At least we weren’t at school, but we easily could have been. Anyway, when I got home that day, your Grandma Reid jumped on my case about being late and how I was supposed to be doing my homework. Then she caught a whiff of my breath, and…”

  “Did she lay into you? Give you the big parental lecture about how smoking shaves time off your life?”

  “Something like that. But she also did something I’ll never forget.”

  “What?”

  Caleb refastened his seat belt and then turned the key in the ignition. The Porsche roared to life. He loved that sound. “You’ll find out soon enough.” Reaching into the inner pocket of his suit coat, he pulled out his cell phone.

  “Sir?”

  Caleb started at the sound of someone standing beside his open window. Relief tempered with annoyance raced through him to find an overdone but attractive blonde woman standing beside the car. He must be jump
ier than he thought. “Yes?”

  “Excuse me, but do you have an appointment with Dr. Lewensteiner this afternoon?” Before he could answer, she continued in her honeyed southern accent. “He’s had an emergency and had to go to the hospital, so all of his appointments are canceled for the rest of the day.”

  With a smile, the woman rested her left hand on the open window. No one could tell him that wasn’t a strategic move. Then she tapped her manicured fingernails a few times. Yes, he wasn’t blind. She was neither engaged nor married. Clearly looking for a man. He figured she wouldn’t need to go far to find a willing participant for whatever she had in mind.

  “I happened to be walking by and thought I’d mention it. Save you some time, perhaps.”

  “Thank you for the heads-up, but I don’t have an appointment with Dr. Lewen…whatever. I only needed a place to sit and talk with my daughter for a few minutes. That’s the only reason I’m here.”

  Caleb strategically adjusted his sunglasses with his left hand so she’d see his wedding ring. The ring he should finally remove and store away. For now, he was thankful it was still in place.

  “I see.” Disappointed laced her words as she tapped those fingers again. “I won’t keep you. Bye now. I hope you have a lovely day.” With a small wave and a parting smile, the woman sashayed away toward a nearby Mercedes.

  “See now, she thought you were hot.”

  Caleb grunted. “She did not.” Yeah, she did, but what was he supposed to do? He spied a business card balanced on the window ledge. Snatching it before Lauren could see it—if she hadn’t already—he tossed it in a compartment on the door. He might be out of touch with dating, but he didn’t appreciate a woman with strategically overinflated body parts making a play for him in front of his daughter.

  “I’m not stupid, Caleb. And, for an older guy, you do look kinda sharp in your suit today. Do you have a hot date or something?”

  “Lauren, can we please cut the hot talk? And what’s with calling me Caleb?”