* * *
A LITTLE ENVIOUS, Andrea watched the ease with which Jake talked to Shannon and Kyle. Jake truly understood teenagers, keeping to topics they’d find relevant without seeming patronizing or fake.
Before he left this evening, Andrea would ask his advice about how to deal with Scott and how to protect Shannon from his schemes. It would be good to have a professional opinion again. The counselor she’d seen during the divorce had helped her formulate strategies to deal with Scott’s behavior back then. But things were different now. Shannon was older, able to make her own decisions and less likely to accept her mother’s position on issues, which meant that Andrea had to consider a different approach. And because Jake had proven helpful in the past few hours, she was more inclined to seek his advice going forward.
Smiling across the table at Jake, she asked, “Would you like more lasagna?”
“Thank you.” As she served, his gaze was so intent it seemed he could see everything about her. Even while she was uneasy with the sensation, it sent a thrill through her.
Wanting to focus on something other than the handsome man across from her, she glanced at her daughter and Kyle. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, chatting about school and Kyle’s plans to try out for the basketball team in November.
“Jake, have you talked to my dad lately?” Shannon asked.
The question startled Andrea because, much to her embarrassment, she’d accused him of the same thing.
“No, I haven’t. Why do you ask?” he said. His smile made the question nonthreatening.
“I really want to see my dad.”
Andrea tried not to show how much she resisted that idea.
“That’s reasonable,” Jake offered, a look of understanding in his eyes. “I’m sure something can be worked out.”
Shannon flicked a glance toward Andrea. “Wish someone else understood that.”
One...two...three... Andrea waited until she reached ten before lifting her fork to take a bite. As she chewed, she gave herself a pat on the back for not rising to Shannon’s bait.
“Did you know Shannon is a really good volleyball player?” Kyle asked.
“I can believe that,” Jake said, giving Shannon his full attention. “I played varsity volleyball in school. Great game.”
“Would you be willing to give me a few pointers?” Shannon asked.
“I’m sure we can find time, although I’m pretty rusty. It’s been a while since I played.”
“I’m trying to get better around the net.”
Although Andrea had played volleyball in high school, Shannon had never once asked for her help. She struggled to not feel left out and hurt.
“I can help you with that.” He seemed to think for a moment. “Maybe we can get three others on your team together and really work out your moves near the net.”
“Awesome.” Shannon smiled at Jake. “When do you want to do it?”
Andrea wasn’t about to be sidetracked by Shannon’s enthusiasm to play volleyball with Jake. She wanted answers. “Shannon, before you make plans to play volleyball, we need to talk about what happened to you. Being sent to the emergency room is serious, and you promised to explain what happened.”
Shannon looked across the table at Jake, all innocence. “We were walking and Kyle was teasing me.”
“You fell so hard because you were joking with Kyle?” Andrea demanded. “I don’t believe that.”
“I made a mistake, and I admit it,” Kyle said, rubbing his palms over his thighs. “I should have caught Shannon before she hit the sidewalk.”
Andrea ignored Kyle. “Not good enough, Shannon. You told me before I went to the meeting at the school that you would tell me the truth when I got home. Instead, I find you at the airport ready to leave for your father’s. That is not a responsible, mature way to behave.” Andrea paused, reining in her hurt and sense of injustice. It was so difficult to do as Jake had suggested, but she wanted to try. She wanted to prove that she could listen, could be understanding. Deciding to change topics, she asked, “Shannon, why did you and Chloe have a fight?”
Shannon glanced at her plate, picked up her fork and put it down. “It wasn’t really a fight.”
“Chloe was crying on the phone to me about something you and she talked about.”
“Mom, can this wait until after we finish eating?”
“Is this another excuse?” Andrea asked.
Kyle rubbed his chin, pushed his bangs up off his forehead. “This is my fault. I was teasing Shannon and didn’t pay attention when she tripped. I’m sorry for all the worry I’ve caused.”
Shannon looked up to exchange glances with Kyle, tears glistening in her eyes. She opened her mouth as if to speak then stopped, focusing again on her hands.
“Are you okay, Shannon?” Andrea asked, seeing her daughter’s reaction.
“Sure.” She didn’t look up. “I’m just a little tired from all that’s happened with Dad and stuff.”
One minute she was cocky and sassy, and the next she was quiet and compliant. Andrea could so easily blame the shifts on being a teenager. Was this simply a phase she was going through, some sort of temporary madness?
“Shannon, Kyle’s given an explanation but not you. You have not been honest with me. And you’ve been rude to me. You’re not leaving this house until I have an explanation.”
The tension pulsed to life. No one met anyone else’s gaze. Andrea regretted asserting her control, because it had killed the potential for getting answers. Yet she knew Shannon was lying.
Andrea looked to Jake for support, but he was studying Shannon, seeming deep in thought. She needed a cue from him to know how to continue. Should she back down or continue to stand her ground? Her frustration growing, she stared at her plate as if the food would offer sudden clarity.
Jake leaned back in his chair, the action causing everyone to look his way. “This might be a good time for me to leave,” he said.
So he wasn’t going to help her or offer support where Shannon was concerned. The realization deflated her. She had been counting on his help. She really had.
Feeling the familiar rush of anger, she fired a look at him. “I agree,” Andrea said. “I’ll walk you to the door.” She stood and stalked toward the front door. The sooner he was gone, the sooner she could talk to Shannon. If he wasn’t going to help, there was no reason for him to stay.
When she opened the door, he didn’t move to leave, and his closeness was a little unnerving. “Andrea, I know this isn’t easy for you, but try not to get too angry with Shannon and Kyle.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, uncomfortably aware his words felt like more criticism.
“What I’m saying is, you need to get to the truth, but you might not get it if you’re angry.”
“But I am angry.”
“I know you are,” he said in a soothing tone. “It might be better, though, if you can contain it while you seek answers.” His glance was more assessing than caring, and no wonder. He had nothing to lose in all this. He was a psychologist trained to ferret out any information he could from his clients.
But no one in this house was his client. As she looked up into his deep brown eyes she felt silly for entertaining the idea that she would seek his help in dealing with Shannon. As far as she could see he’d done his duty, answered her urgent call and now wanted to leave her to deal on her own. He’d been at that school meeting because he was available, not because he was the right person to help her address Shannon’s issues. She didn’t owe Jake anything. “Mr. Polegato, I understand your professional interest in my daughter, but I’d like to point out that being a parent and being a psychologist are two different things. I can look after my daughter.”
“Not if what I heard in the meeting with Melody is true. You don’t seem to be aw
are of what’s going on in your daughter’s life.”
His words hurt. She lashed out at him. “You don’t know anything about my relationship with Shannon. You walk in, watch for a bit, then convince yourself you know what’s going on. How can you be so unfair?”
He raised his hand in what seemed like a dismissive manner. “All I’m saying is that you might learn more if you put your anger on hold and listened to your daughter.”
With that he walked out of the house. And not a minute too soon, as far as Andrea was concerned. She would do what needed to be done, and that started with getting the truth out of Shannon and Kyle.
She was tempted to slam the door but stopped herself. She would not reinforce his belief that she had anger issues. A strange pain rose, settling in her throat. She wished someone cared enough about her to see how much she needed support and understanding. A moment of sheer loneliness assailed her senses.
After a moment’s indulgence, she straightened her spine and dug deep for fortitude. She could handle Shannon.
She had no choice.
* * *
JAKE SEETHED ALL the way home. Few parents frustrated him the way Andrea Taylor did. There were moments in the past few hours when he’d felt close to her, as if they were working as a team to solve Shannon’s problems. Then, with little warning, she’d begun treating him like a complete outsider.
He remembered what she’d been like when he’d first met her. The anger she’d shown, much the same as tonight. She clearly didn’t see that her anger wasn’t helping her relationship with Shannon.
Yet something about the woman had attracted him to her. What was it? She was abrasive and driven, angry and openly hostile toward him. Yet he had to admit that when she’d stood up to Scott, when she tried to get answers from Shannon, Jake had admired her strength and tenacity.
He remembered how his mother had struggled to be treated fairly after his father left. She’d fought to be recognized as a hardworking woman dedicated to raising her children well. And maybe that was what he admired most about Andrea—her spirit and determination to keep trying. Seeing her struggle alone and clearly without the support of her ex-husband reminded him of his mother’s efforts to make a life for him and his sisters without the support of his dad.
Pulling into his driveway, he remembered the expression on Andrea’s face as she stood at the doorway. Bereft and sad.
He’d seen the vulnerability in her eyes after the call from Scott. She obviously had concerns about her daughter living with Scott in Phoenix. Were those concerns only about her own loss, or did she have serious worries about Scott’s behavior? Jake stopped himself from going too far into speculating about Scott. Wasn’t the fear of losing her only child enough? How must that feel?
An empty feeling slid through Jake. Would he have had the same issues with his daughter as a teenager? Would he be facing similar circumstances? His daughter would be five now. Where would he be if she had lived? In hindsight, it seemed unlikely he and Maria would have kept their marriage together. So would he be facing the same parental doubt that Andrea expressed?
Deep regret, the kind he hadn’t experienced since Maria’s death, swamped him. He shouldn’t have walked out of Andrea’s house without trying to resolve his mixed-up feelings where she was concerned. It wasn’t enough for him to walk away, assuring himself it was up to Melody Chapman and the school psychologist to deal with the Taylors. Sure, he didn’t agree with Andrea’s approach with Shannon, but she was right. He wasn’t a parent. He had no idea how he would have reacted in similar circumstances.
One thing he did know was that he shouldn’t have left Andrea tonight. For reasons he still couldn’t quite work out, he had been unsure of his role. He wasn’t their psychologist, and Andrea didn’t trust him as a friend. Yes, she had asked for his support, but he’d lost sight of that when she’d started pressing Shannon for answers and Shannon had stonewalled her. His initial response hadn’t been as a detached but caring therapist. He could admit now that he’d reacted like he imagined a parent would. And that had startled him. He wasn’t Shannon’s parent, and he certainly wasn’t Andrea’s partner.
That was why he’d left. Because with his attraction to Andrea clouding his perspective, he hadn’t trusted himself not to overstep. And Andrea was wary enough of him that she’d freeze him out the moment he made a wrong move. Of course, he’d already made the wrong move and she had frozen him out.
He had to fix this. As soon as possible.
* * *
WITH JAKE’S PARTING words ringing in her ears, Andrea returned to the kitchen to clean up. As she loaded the dishwasher, she could hear Kyle and Shannon in the family room sharing a laugh. How could they be so lighthearted when Shannon was clearly in some sort of trouble? It wasn’t a rational thought, but Andrea felt they were mocking her with their laughter. Why was she worried when Shannon clearly wasn’t? Andrea was losing patience, yet she could still hear Jake cautioning her to approach carefully. Okay, she would try.
The kitchen tidied and the leftovers put away, Andrea walked into the family room to find Kyle and Shannon sitting together on the sofa, their laptops open on the coffee table. “Shannon, it’s time to talk.”
“Give us a minute,” Shannon said, holding up her hand.
That hand was so dismissive. “You have ten more minutes to wrap up, then we talk.” While Andrea hadn’t been able to keep the reproach out of her voice, she thought she was being reasonable.
“Kyle and I are working on an assignment,” Shannon said, a frown forming she glanced up. “You remember I have this assignment due, don’t you?”
“No more excuses. Ten minutes.” Andrea sat, watching the clock, silently counting the minutes. When the time was up, she strode across the room and closed the laptop. “Start talking now.”
“Why do you have to be like that?” Shannon cried, her face flushed. “Kyle and I have lots to do, and we’re way behind on our project.”
“And yet you were prepared to leave for Phoenix today. If you don’t take your assignments seriously, how do expect me to?” Shannon remained stubbornly silent. “Shannon, either you start talking or Kyle leaves.”
“Why can’t you be more like Dad?”
As much as she ached to launch into a litany of Scott’s bad behavior, Andrea refused to engage in the same old argument. Scott could be lighthearted and smart because he never took responsibility for anything, especially raising his child.
She decided to turn her attention to Kyle. “What really happened yesterday?”
Kyle glanced from Shannon to Andrea. “A couple of the kids in our class were fooling around and bumped into Shannon. If I’d been quicker, they might not have knocked her over.”
“What do you mean?” Was Shannon being bullied? Was that what Kyle was trying to say? She’d read that one of the signs indicating your child was being bullied was changes in behavior.
“They were mad at me,” Shannon offered slowly.
“Why were they angry with you?” Andrea asked, the need to protect her daughter surging.
Shannon looked at her hands. “I...did something they didn’t like.”
“Which was?” Andrea pressed her, needing the full story before she could take any action.
“Some of my classmates don’t agree with my beliefs.”
“That doesn’t give them the right to bully you.”
“Mom, please give me a little time to deal with this. It’s something I can manage myself. Really.” Shannon looked up, her gaze imploring her to understand. “You’ve always said that I needed to take responsibility for my actions. That’s what I’m going to do next week at school. I know I shouldn’t have tried to run away from it. And I know I should have done it a long time ago, but I couldn’t.”
Seeing the unguarded look on Shannon’s face Andrea’s heart rose in her chest
. If only Shannon would share her thoughts, her worries...
“Why don’t you let me help make this easier for you?” Andrea said, her voice gentle.
“Let me try first. Then if I can’t manage...” Shannon shrugged.
“Shannon, whatever it is, I’m more than willing to go to the school on your behalf. Bullying is wrong.”
“Mom, please let me deal with this. You can trust Kyle and me to work things out. We know we can handle this if we have a little more time.”
Seeing the look of regret in Shannon’s eyes Andrea pulled back. Even though every mothering instinct told her to defend her daughter, she knew she had to allow Shannon this opportunity to fix the situation.
If that didn’t work, then Andrea would step in. And heaven help anyone who got in her way.
* * *
THE NEXT MONDAY, Andrea drove Shannon to school, checking each cluster of students as she passed them, wondering if they were involved with bullying Shannon. She was more and more convinced that she should go to the principal with her suspicions, but if Shannon and Kyle simply denied her allegations, her efforts would be pointless.
No. What she needed to do was to find out as much as she could before taking action. “Why don’t you invite Kyle to dinner tonight?”
“Not if you’re going to interrogate him,” Shannon said.
“I won’t interrogate him. I simply want to get to know him a little better. What’s wrong with that?”
Shannon pointed her finger at her mother. “I know why you drove me to school today. You’ve donned your daughter-protector suit,” she teased. She was more serious as she said, “I appreciate that, Mom, I really do. But let me do this on my own, okay?” She opened the car door and got out. “Kyle and I have to get together after school to finish our social-sciences project.”
“I thought you had volleyball practice this evening.”
“I’m skipping volleyball tonight.”
So Melody was right that Shannon was skipping volleyball. A few weeks ago, it would have been unheard of for Shannon to miss a single practice. There was so much Andrea had no idea about when it came to Shannon. “I can pick you up from school.”
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