by Susan Meier
He pointed his index finger at her nose. “I’ll be back after the holidays. You have my money for me then.”
He smiled, turned and walked away.
She closed the door behind him then leaned against it. Her knees shook so much it was everything she could do not to slide down to the floor and wrap herself in a tight ball. Hot, prickly fear enveloped her. But it wasn’t fear for herself. It was fear for Teagan, Jack and even Clark.
This was why she couldn’t have a relationship. Anybody she brought into her life would have to deal with her dad.
* * *
When Clark arrived in his office, he had thirty-seven emails waiting. But he saw only one that concerned him. Jack’s test scores.
He blew his breath out on a sigh and prayed the results were good because Jack was counting on this. Althea was right. He needed to go to school in town, needed friends. But if he failed and had to enter school a grade below his peers that might be worse than not going to school at all.
Slowly, deliberately, he clicked on the email and the message popped up on his screen. As he read the scores, his frown lifted into a grin. Jack had done it!
He sat back on his chair. Althea had done it. She’d worked real magic on his family.
He called the house to see if she’d be free to go to the school with him that afternoon but got no answer. Realizing she might have taken the kids Christmas shopping, he chuckled...then stopped himself. He’d chuckled. He really wasn’t afraid anymore. Wasn’t dead inside. She’d brought him back to life.
He called the school and set an appointment to meet with the principal that afternoon. He tried the house again, but again got no response, so he went to the redbrick school alone.
He sat in the office, in a chair meant to accommodate a middle-school kid, feeling tall and gangly. He jumped out of his seat when Mrs. Osborne stepped out of her office.
“Mr. Beaumont?”
“Yes.” He extended his hand to shake hers. “I’d like to enroll my son for the next semester.”
“That’s wonderful.” She directed him to go into her office. “I trust you have his transcripts.”
The first ten minutes Clark took care of the business of transcripts and qualifications, then he sucked in a breath and did what had to be done.
“Jack’s mom was killed in an automobile accident three years ago.”
Mrs. Osborne laid her arms on her desk. “I remember.”
“There was gossip.”
She winced. “I remember that, too.”
“I’m afraid it will resurrect when he returns to school.”
“It might. But the interesting thing about middle school is that the kids don’t really care so much what their parents do. They’re quite self-absorbed.”
He laughed. “For once that would work in my favor.” But he quickly sobered. If the DNA test results came back that Teagan wasn’t his, he had some big decisions to make and those decisions could impact Jack.
He sucked in another breath. He didn’t want to tell his secrets, his shame, to a complete stranger, but he did want Jack to be protected.
“Just in case these kids aren’t so self-absorbed, how about if you have Jack’s teacher report anything unusual to you.”
She brought her hands together and knitted her fingers. “Define unusual.”
“You know...if he’s bullied, teased, that kind of thing.”
“We’re very proud of our antibullying policies. We will protect your son. But, it’s also our policy to alert parents if there’s any extra trouble.”
He nodded. Rose. He couldn’t ask for anything more than to be apprised. But he still had a sense he was leading his son into a den of lions and it sickened him, resurrected his anger with his dead wife, made him feel powerless.
Never in his life had anyone been able to make him feel powerless...until Carol.
* * *
When Clark arrived home, Althea could see he was antsy, nervous. Their moods fit and she was glad. With him upset, it was unlikely he’d notice she was upset.
She’d intended to make something fancy and festive for supper and instead only had the mental energy to open two cans of soup and make cheese sandwiches.
Teagan loved it. Jack ate three sandwiches. Clark barely touched his food.
When the kids disappeared before having to stack the dishes in the dishwasher, Clark sniffed a laugh. “Well, we sort of made our bed on that one.”
A shiver raced through her at his unexpected choice of words. “Our bed?”
He met her gaze. “Neither one of us talked enough to slow down the kids’ eating and keep them here long enough to do dishes.”
She almost laughed at the silly way she’d misinterpreted him, but nerves overwhelmed her. If she wanted to have a life with Clark, she didn’t just have to tell him about her dad’s visit. She had to admit her dad had found her. Wanted money. Would probably want more money, even after she paid for the car.
“I visited Jack’s school today.”
“Oh.” Good news. Thank God. She could certainly use it.
“I got his grades this morning.” He shook his head. “Damn. I should have printed them out and shown him.”
Althea smiled. “He knows he did well. He’ll be okay waiting another day or two to actually see his scores.”
“He did exceptionally well.” He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Thanks to you.”
Her spirits lifted a bit. “You’re welcome.”
“Anyway, I enrolled him for the next semester.”
“That’s great.” Her spirits rose again.
“It seems great.” He toyed with his silverware. “I just hope I’m not throwing him to the lions.”
“Sixth-graders are bad, but they’re not lions.”
He met her gaze. “No, but their parents are. What the hell is going to happen if I get the DNA results back and Teagan’s not mine? What if Brice picks this year to finally figure out she might be his? What if I decide Teagan has a right to know her real dad?” He squeezed his eyes shut. “Is this the right year to put him into school?”
“I don’t know.”
He burst from his stool. “Damn it all, anyway! What the hell was Carol thinking? How could she bring this trouble to our door? Where the hell was her head?”
She swallowed. “I don’t know.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “I can’t even comprehend that level of selfishness.”
Althea stayed quiet. She might not have betrayed Clark the way his deceased wife had, but if she stayed, she’d bring every bit as much trouble to his house.
He shook his head as if shaking off his anger and faced her. “I’ll do the dishes.”
She rose. “No. I’ll do the dishes. You need to get the kids and start decorating the tree we bought yesterday.”
“That’s right.”
She smiled. “I know you want to make this a special holiday for the kids and I think having something to do every night like decorating the tree is an excellent way to do that. Don’t let the past ruin the present.”
He nodded. “You’re right. How’d you get so smart?”
She looked away. “Oh, I am so far away from smart that you’d be amazed.” She tossed a dishtowel at him. “Go or I’ll make you dry.”
He started out of the room, but stopped suddenly. “There’s one more thing.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“All this time you’ve been here, I’ve never paid you.”
She tilted her head. “No. You haven’t.”
“So, I transferred your salary into the checking account number you gave me.”
A thrill of happiness ran through her. She’d loved working here, even without pay. But that money had a purpose. It gave her choice
s rather than have to become a baker by default.
“I also added a bonus.”
“Oh, Clark! You shouldn’t have done that!”
“Hey, you washed dishes, did laundry, babysat the kids...all things that weren’t in the job description when I hired you. You earned the money.”
Grateful, she smiled. “Thanks.”
He left the room and Althea made short order of the dishes. Her mood improved, she raced into her room and fired up her laptop. In a few quick keystrokes, she was at her banking account page and when she saw the amount Clark had deposited, her eyes bulged. Over double what they’d agreed to.
She rose, ready to go into the living room and argue, except...
It was enough money to pay off her dad.
She paced her room. The problem was no amount was ever enough money to pay off her dad. Still, if she gave him this money she needed documentation that she’d paid off the car. That their debt was settled. Before she gave him a check, she had to print out the receipt and release she’d found on the legal website, stating that her debt to him was paid in full.
But that wouldn’t stop him from asking again.
And again.
And again.
Missy had told her that.
She’d told her that the only way to get rid of him was to stand up to him. And she wasn’t sure she could. Oh, she would try. She would go to him with the best of intentions, but he’d baby girl her...or he’d threaten her and her knees would knock together.
She stopped pacing. She’d never been able to face him for herself, but for Clark, Teagan and Jack...
Her shoulders straightened. For Clark, Teagan and Jack, she could pay him his money, get him to sign the receipt and tell him she would call the police if he ever came near her again. That’s what Missy had done. It would work for her, too.
She closed her laptop and headed into the living room. Clark and Jack had strung multicolored lights in rows on the tree. Teagan walked a shiny red ornament to one of the bottom branches and hung it.
Jack saw her first. “You missed all the cursing.”
She laughed. “Lights that hard to string?”
“No. They were tangled. Right, Dad?”
“Tangled doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
They had two more days until Christmas Eve. The house was decorated. The tree was being decorated. They could bake cookies the next day or she and Jack could do a special project.
“I was thinking.” She bit her lip. “We don’t really have any more decorating to do tomorrow. We could bake cookies—”
Jack fist-pumped. “All right!”
“Or we could take the family pictures off your dad’s computer and send them to a photo site. When the pictures get here next week, we could create photo albums.” She paused, caught Clark’s gaze. “We could make special albums for you and Teagan,” she said, still talking to Jack, though she looked to Clark for approval. “Albums with memories of your mom.”
Jack said, “That would be nice.”
Clark smiled. “That would be really nice.”
They finished decorating the tree. Clark thought of another memory or two to tell his kids. Althea’s nerves calmed. She would face her dad as soon as she could sneak away. Not for herself but to protect the new family she was creating.
She was so high on happiness that she began singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Jack joined in immediately. Clark soon after. Teagan grinned.
Althea stooped in front of her. “We know you know this.”
The little girl giggled.
Clark said, “Yeah, Teagan. We know you know this song.”
She giggled again.
“One of these days you’re going to forget yourself and talk to us.”
She laughed and hugged her bear to her face.
But that night when Althea went upstairs to put away some of Jack’s laundry, she heard Teagan singing in the bathroom again and she smiled. Clark was right. One of these days his little girl would relax enough and be calm enough to forget she didn’t talk out loud and she’d just speak.
She walked down the stairs feeling light and airy. Everything was working out. Once she got rid of her dad all she had to do was take life one day at a time.
She could do this.
But when she walked into the den, Clark wasn’t in front of the TV. He paced back and forth behind the desk.
“What’s up?”
“In all the commotion of getting Jack into school again, I forgot I was supposed to get the DNA results today.”
“So soon?”
“I paid extra to have the tests expedited.”
“So, check your computer now.”
He faced her. “I just did. They aren’t there. So much for the extra money I paid.”
She plopped to the sofa. “Come on. Sit down. Watch some TV. Worrying’s not going to accomplish anything.”
He sat. “I just want to know.”
“No matter what happens, you are her father. Even if Brice gets custody, the judge would let you have visitation. You’ll never really lose her. Your role would just change.”
“I wouldn’t like that.”
“No. But it would be better than nothing. But I don’t think you’re going to lose custody. I actually think it might flip. You’d keep custody and Brice would get visitation. You’ve raised her. You’re the only father she knows. No judge would pull her away from you.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I think you have to focus on the positive options. Not the negative. And that includes remembering that she could actually be your daughter.”
He sniffed a laugh. “I tell myself that a few times a day now.” He caught her gaze. “You came into my life at just the right moment. Jack needed you. But I needed you more. I needed someone to kick my butt and tell me it was time to move on. I appreciate everything you’ve done.”
She smiled, waiting for more. Telling her he appreciated everything she’d done was a perfect opportunity for him to tell her that he loved her. Or that he wanted her. Or even something as simple as he liked her. But he said nothing. He turned to the TV.
She glanced at the TV, then back at him. He wasn’t the only one who had a problem. Now that she knew how she wanted to handle her dad, she could talk to him about it. She needed the same support from him that she gave to him. She wanted to share her troubles, her dreams...her life. She wanted him to love her.
And he was watching TV.
Of course, he’d had a stressful day, made worse by the fact that the DNA test results hadn’t come as they were supposed to.
She slid close to him on the sofa. He put his arm around her. And though she didn’t nestle in, she relaxed.
Everything was fine.
But at eleven, when he excused himself to go to bed he didn’t even think to kiss her.
She watched him leave the room, reminding herself he’d had a rough day. Hell, he’d had a rough three years that was about to culminate in either the best or worst news of his life. She couldn’t fault him for being preoccupied.
* * *
The next morning she rose early again. Not only did she need to prove to herself that she could fit into this family, but also she’d promised herself she’d do whatever it took to keep them happy.
She made oatmeal—every day couldn’t be a pancake celebration day—and though Jack groaned, Teagan clapped with glee. Clark also entered the kitchen looking bright and chipper.
Scooping a bowl of oatmeal for himself, he said, “Remember the email I told you I was waiting for?”
Her breath froze and she spun to face him. There was only one piece of news he had been waiting for.
“It turns out I had been worrying for nothing. The last project Car
ol had been working on belongs to me.”
Joy burst inside her. She wanted to run to him and hug him. News like this deserved fanfare...a celebration. But he’d used code so he could tell her without letting the kids in on a secret they were too young to know. She couldn’t hug him.
Of course, if they were going to have a relationship, why delay letting the kids see? Why not hug him? Wasn’t that what a normal person would do?
She peered over at him. He dished oatmeal into a bowl.
She couldn’t hug a man holding a bowl of oatmeal. So she smiled. “That’s great.”
“Yeah, Dad, I hope you get the bid.”
Clark ruffled Jack’s hair. “The wait is over. It’s mine.”
Althea chuckled at the double meaning in that and joined them at the breakfast table.
Clark said, “So today’s the day you look through pictures on the computer?”
“I thought we’d do that in the morning and bake cookies in the afternoon.”
Teagan gasped and clapped before she slid off her stool, ran to Clark and tugged on his shirtsleeve.
Clark shook his head and kissed the top of her head. “Nope. No more whispering. I want you to talk.”
She frowned. Althea’s eyebrows rose. With the worry of her paternity issues out of the way, Clark wasn’t going so easy on her. She frowned and sulked her way back to her stool.
Clark ate his oatmeal reading the Wall Street Journal, then left for work. He didn’t catch her shoulders, pull her to him and give her a quick kiss. He didn’t smile at her. Actually, he was so caught up in gathering his briefcase and coat that he barely looked at her.
This time she couldn’t blame it on him being preoccupied. Jack’s grades were up. The DNA results were in. Now that he was free of worry and happy, he seemed to have forgotten all about her.
She shook that off. Told herself that was ridiculous. But actions spoke louder than words. He hadn’t noticed her worry the day before. He’d hardly noticed her that morning.
She occupied herself helping the kids choose the pictures for the albums in the morning. But she couldn’t stop the worry over his indifference that morning. To take her mind off that, she and the kids made cookies all afternoon.