Trouble With Tonya

by Lorna Michaels

  Tonya squeezed his hand. “How can you say that’s not a pretty story?”

  “It’s not.”

  “You didn’t turn out like Rick, did you?” she said. “I think what you’ve accomplished is wonderful.”

  “Thanks, but my story’s about as far away from the Brewster saga as you can get.”

  Tonya grasped his chin and pulled him around to face her. “Don’t say that Don’t ever say that It doesn’t matter. You and I—that’s what matters.” She pulled him closer and kissed him hard.

  His arms wrapped around her, and he kissed her back. You and I. He’d like to believe that. He’d like to think the differences between them didn’t matter. That would be like a fairy tale in reverse—Cinderfella ending up with Princess Charming. Yeah, that would be great, but he didn’t put much stock in fairy tales. He’d learned not to believe in them a long time ago.

  FIRST THING Monday morning Tonya called Sam.

  “So, what did you think of Kirk?” Tonya realized she was holding the phone in a white-knuckle grip and consciously relaxed her hand while she waited for her cousin’s pronouncement. She’d always respected Sam’s opinion. This time especially, she wanted it to be favorable.

  “Mmm,” Sam said.

  ‘“That’s all you have to say?‘Mmm?’ Is it a good mmm or a bad one?”

  “Definitely good.”

  Tonya let out a breath. “You liked him. You don’t think he’s wrong for me?”

  “He’s perfect for you,” Sam insisted. “The three important qualities are there—he’s solid, strong, and definitely sexy. What more could you ask?”

  Tonya beamed at the phone. “Nothing. I just wanted someone to confirm my opinion.”

  “And if I didn’t, would it have made any difference?”

  A laugh bubbled out. “Nope, not a bit” She and Sam talked for a few minutes more and hung up.

  As soon as Tonya put the phone down, it rang again. “Ms. Brewster, this is Karen Monroe.”

  The two women exchanged pleasantries, then Karen said, “Germain’s test results are back, and everything points to his having an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.”

  “I...I’ve heard that term,” Tonya said, frowning at the phone, “but I don’t really understand it”

  “It means that Germain’s problems in school and probably his behavior problems, too, stem from an inability to sustain attention. His mind can’t stay focused, so he switches attention from one thing to another and misses things, like homework assignments. And his body can’t stay in one spot, either.”

  “That means he has a physical problem. He’s not just a bad kid, right?”

  “Exactly,” Karen said.

  “Can it be cured?”

  “That’s the bad news. We can work with it, work around it, but we can’t make it go away. But this is only a preliminary diagnosis. We’d like Dr. Matthew Goldsmith, the psychiatrist who consults with the school district, to confirm it and also to determine whether medication will help control it.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Uh-oh is right. That means we need permission.” She cleared her throat. “You got Germain’s mother to agree to the testing. Want to try again?”

  “Sure, I’ll be by to pick up the papers as soon as our staff meeting is over.” She hung up and hurried to the meeting. As usual, she was late, but today at least she had a good reason.

  “Well, Tonya, your idea about the feature worked,” Ramon said. “We just got a call from the reluctant—the formerly reluctant—Captain Morales of the Magnolia police station. He practically begged me to include his officers in our mentoring program.”

  Lusty cheers sounded around the table, and Tonya beamed. Even Kirk seemed pleased. God, it felt good to have her accomplishments lauded. And she’d have another one to brag about if she was successful with Germain’s mother.

  She stopped Kirk on the way out of the meeting. “I have to run an errand. I’d like to talk to you when I get back.”

  “Sure.” He lowered his voice. “My desk or yours?”

  Tonya felt her cheeks flush and figured they were probably the same shade as her Jaguar. “Why don’t we meet in the conference room?” she asked sweetly.

  “Good idea. There’s a long table. We can...spread out.”

  “Rat,” she said out of the corner of her mouth, and hurried off.

  She picked up the forms at Germain’s school, then headed for his house.

  She pulled up in front and got out of the car. A movement at the living room window indicated that Mrs. Parker was home, but no one answered her knock. She knocked again, louder. Still no response. Well, she’d just stay until the woman decided to show herself. She flopped down on the porch steps.

  She waited less than ten minutes before the door opened. “What you want?” Germain’s mother asked.

  “To talk to you.” Tonya jumped up and stood in the doorway. “I have some more papers for you to sign.”

  “I ain’t signin’ no more papers.” She backed up and reached for the door.

  Tonya anticipated her move and pushed the door back before the woman could slam it in her face. “At least listen. Please.”

  “Okay, I’m listening,” Mrs. Parker said sourly.

  “The school thinks Germain has a problem.”

  His mother let out a cackling laugh. “Right, I coulda tol’ ’em that.”

  “It’s the kind of problem they can help. They want him to see a doctor to be sure.”

  “What a doctor gonna do? Give him some pills? He can get pills on the street”

  Tonya’s patience ebbed. “Look, this might be Germain’s only chance and you’re tossing it away. Mrs. Parker, if you’ll just sign these papers, the doctor will see Germain and—”

  “How much it gonna cost me?”

  “Nothing. Not one penny.”

  The woman stared at her suspiciously. “The school gonna pay?”

  No use going into an explanation of Dr. Goldsmith’s relationship with the district. “Yes.”

  “Well, I guess one more paper’s not gonna matter. Give it here.”

  Tonya handed it over. She watched the woman scrawl her signature on the sheet. “Thank you, Mrs. Parker. You’ll be glad you did this.” She hurried away before Mrs. Parker could change her mind.

  As soon as she returned to the OK Center, Tonya went in search of Kirk. She found him in his office poring over a folder on his desk. He looked up when she entered and his lips quirked with that sexy grin she loved. Mischief filled his eyes. “Are we gonna have that meeting now?”

  She shut the door behind her and advanced toward him. Inches from his chair, she stopped. “Nope, later. Now I have something to tell you.” Before he could grab her, she sat down. “It’s good news.”

  She explained what the school district had determined through Germain’s testing. “So he isn’t just a bad kid. Oh, Kirk, I think there’s hope for him.”

  “You’ve done a lot with him,” Kirk said, admiration in his eyes. “I wrote the kid off, but you believed in him. I have to congratulate you.”

  “Thanks.” Tonya reveled in the rare words of praise. “I can’t wait until the doctor sees him and we really know. I—”

  The door crashed open.

  Panting, Ladonna rushed in. “Kirk, we have a problem. Harry!”

  He was already on his feet. “Where?”

  “In childbirth class. Rick Henderson’s back.”

  13

  “STAY HERE!” KIRK CALLED over his shoulder as he ran out of his office. To his annoyance, Tonya paid no attention. She was at his heels all the way to the classroom.

  He found Janene huddled on a beanbag chair, her face in her hands. Tears streamed through her fingers. Corelle bent over her, smoothing her hair, trying to calm her. A circle of teenage mothers-to-be surrounded her. Rick was nowhere in sight. “Where is he?” Kirk asked.

  “He took off soon as Ladonna ran to get you,” Corelle sniffed.

  “Get rid of the spe
ctators,” Kirk said to Ladonna. He crouched beside Janene. “You okay, honey?”

  She peered up at him and shook her head. “He hit me.”

  Sure enough, her lip was cut and swollen, her cheek sported a bruise that was already turning purple, and one eye was half-shut. “As long as you’re here, get some ice for her eye,” he snapped at Tonya. “Then let the cops know Rick’s in the area.”

  “N-nooo, ” Janene wailed. “If Rick finds out, he’ll hit me again.”

  “No, he won’t. I promise you that.” He tamped down his anger and gentled his voice. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I...I saw him at school yesterday. He came in the building.”

  And no one-picked him up. Great security, Kirk thought with disgust.

  “And he came over to my locker and talked to me. He said I could be his girlfriend again. H-he even gave me a ring.” She held up her hand, showed Kirk a cheap gold band.

  Probably stole it. And she thought that meant everything was going to be just peachy. Naive kid. “And?”

  “And he met me after school today. We started walking home, but when we got near here and he saw I was goin’ in, well, he got mad. I told you before he doesn’t like me comin’ around here.”

  “He got mad and punched you.”

  “Here’s the ice.” Tonya bent and placed a plastic bag against Janene’s cheek. “I’ve called the police.”

  “Good. Now go call Janene’s mother.”

  “My mother?” the girl wailed. “Why’s she have to know?”

  “Honey, you can’t keep it from her,” Kirk said. “All she has to do is look at your face and shell know. Now, you rest here a few minutes. When your mom gets here, I want to talk to her. In the meantime,” he said, grasping Tonya’s arm, “I want to talk to you.” Ignoring the indignant look on her face, he propelled her down the hall and into an empty office.

  Tonya turned on him and gritted her teeth. “What are you doing—impersonating a Neanderthal? Why didn’t you just drag me in here by the hair?”

  “I’m sorry. But I told you to keep out of the way.”

  “Don’t give me orders. And stop behaving like Rick.”

  Damn, Kirk realized, he was acting like that punk. He put his hands on Tonya’s shoulders and tried to keep his grip gentle, even though his temper smoldered. “I don’t want you getting mixed up in a situation where you might get hurt. What if Rick had stayed?”

  Predictably, her chin went up. “I would have defended myself.”

  “Yeah, that chin could knock him dead.” A sharp longing to plant a kiss right on the edge of her pugnacious chin rushed through him, but he ignored it. “Come on, baby, simmer down.”

  “Baby?”

  “Tonya. Ms. Brewster. We don’t have time to argue now. I just want you to be careful.”

  “I know enough not to get hurt,” she retorted. “And don’t give me a lecture about going home where I belong. Now, I’m going to take Janene to my office while you and Ladonna talk to her mother.”

  “Okay.” He gave in, but not too gracefully, and watched Tonya stalk out of the room.

  When he returned to the classroom, Mary Lou North was already there, looking pale and shaken. “Janene, I’ve told you a hundred times to lose that boy. Now look what he’s gone and done. You’re lucky he didn’t punch you in the belly.”

  Kirk agreed. “That’s what I want to discuss with you, Mary Lou. Ms. Brewster will take care of Janene while we talk.” He gestured to Tonya, and she put an arm around Janene and led the girl out.

  “Let’s go to my office,” Kirk suggested, and signaled to Ladonna to accompany them. Once they were seated, he began. “Rick’s apparently not going away. And, as you said, next time he may not stop with her—he may harm the baby.”

  “That no-good kid ought to be behind bars,” Mary Lou said.

  “We can’t count on that happening in time,” Kirk said.

  “We have to concentrate on keeping Janene out of his way. Is there anyone she could stay with—friends or relatives in another neighborhood?”

  “You...you mean, send her away?”

  “For her own protection,” Ladonna said.

  “Th-there’s no one,” Mary Lou said, “leastways not in Houston.”

  “Somewhere else?”

  “I got a sister in Lubbock.”

  “Can you call her?” Ladonna asked.

  “I... guess so. I think she’d be willing to help me out. Yes, I can call.”

  “Is Janene planning to keep the baby?” Ladonna asked.

  “She hasn’t come to no decision on that. We’ve talked but she keeps changing her mind. She’s still got three months.”

  “Whatever she decides to do, for now she needs to leave.”

  “You’re right. I shoulda thought of it myself, but I kept hopin’ Rick would stay gone.”

  “You’d better make the arrangements and get her out of town as soon as possible,” Kirk said, and the woman nodded. “I think we should call Janene in and tell her what we’ve been talking about,” he suggested.

  He went to Tonya’s office, where he found the two of them waiting. “Would you both join us,” he said, deliberately including Tonya. Her eyes met his, and she smiled. He was relieved at that. He didn’t like being at odds with her.

  As soon as he explained the plan to Janene, he found himself at odds with her. The girl burst into tears. “But I’ll have to leave all my friends. And Lubbock is hicksville. I won’t know anybody there.”

  “Janene,” her mother said sharply. “What you need to be thinkin’ about now is your baby. You don’t want Rick to hurt it, do you?” Turning to Kirk, she muttered, “That girl don’t ever think of nobody but herself.”

  “No—o, I don’t want anything to happen to the baby,” Janene said, “but—”

  “Then you’ll go, and no buts. I’ll call Aunt Dee tonight”

  “All right,” the girl said, looking sullen.

  Promising to call Kirk as soon as definite plans were made, Mrs. North led her daughter out. Ladonna went to the day-care room, and Kirk was left alone with Tonya.

  “That was a good plan,” she said as they walked to the door of his office.

  “I thought so. Still mad at me?”

  “Not so much. Maybe a little.”

  He couldn’t control a smile. “If we were somewhere else, I’d kiss that pout off your lips.”

  “I’ll save it,” she offered, “and you can kiss it later.”

  “Deal.” He leaned against the door frame and watched her walk back to her office. He was enjoying the sway of her hips when Ladonna tapped him on the arm. He hadn’t even realized she’d come back.

  “You got it bad, friend,” she observed.

  “What do you mean?”

  Her rich laugh rolled through the hallway. “You know what I mean. You sleeping with her?”

  For once, Kirk was speechless. “I...”

  “Yeah, you are.”

  Kirk grimaced and ran his fingers through his already disheveled hair. “I’m crazy about her.”

  “And that’s bad?” she asked.

  “We’re different,” he said glumly.

  “Yeah, you’re a male, she’s a female. Sounds okay to me.”

  “Hell, Ladonna, we’re from different worlds. I’m from one side of the tracks, she’s from the other. You should’ve seen her grandfather’s house.”

  “And you can’t jump over those tracks? Friend, that doesn’t sound like you. Besides, if she took you to her granddaddy’s, she must think you’re okay.”

  “I went for a visit I wouldn’t fit in on a long-term basis.” Before Ladonna could protest, he went on. “Those people and us—we don’t even have the same expectations.” He spread his hands, trying to explain. “They live in a world of unlimited possibilities. Here, we’re just trying to survive. And Tonya doesn’t fit in here, either.”

  “Seems like she’s doin’ pretty well.”

  “What about the jacket? What about g
etting mixed up with Germain Parker and ending up with a broken window?”

  “Okay,” Ladonna conceded, “she’s made a few mistakes. She’s learning.”

  Kirk rubbed at the muscles that suddenly tightened in his neck. “We don’t have the luxury of waiting for someone to learn, especially someone who’s holding the purse strings.” He went back to his desk and lowered himself into the chair.

  Ladonna followed him into his office and took a chair across from him. “Is that what’s bugging you? That she controls the money?”

  “It doesn’t help,” Kirk admitted.

  “I wouldn’t sweat it,” Ladonna said. “She’s not gonna be doin’ that forever. Six months, they said. We’re almost through month number one.”

  “That doesn’t help, either.” Automatically, his fingers traveled to his belt buckle. What bothered him most about the whole situation was that in a few months, Tonya would be gone.

  “You don’t want her here, you don’t want her gone.”

  He smiled ruefully. “Confusing, isn’t it?”

  Ladonna nodded. “Maybe you need to decide exactly what you do want.”

  That, Kirk thought, was easier said than done.

  THE NEXT DAY TONYA SAT at her desk, staring out the window. Spring had never been so beautiful, she thought. The last remnants of winter had faded. The air was fragrant with flowers, the grass was growing, and the weather had warmed. Tonya’s heart seemed full to bursting. Not just from the beauty of the season but because, for the first time in her life, she was truly in love. She had only to hear Kirk’s voice, sense his presence in a room, and her heart danced.

  Yesterday they’d quickly cleared up their misunder-standing about her rushing after him to check on Janene. Except for that, the misgivings he had about her being at the OK Center seemed to be diminishing, and they’d settled into a smooth routine at work. Although the center staff was mindful of Rick’s presence in the neighborhood, there had been no further incidents. Janene was leaving next week for Lubbock and she had accepted, albeit grudgingly, the plans for the remainder of her pregnancy. And Germain had paid off his debt to Tonya and continued to attend basketball practice. He had not created another disturbance; in fact, he was so enthralled with the idea of Dr. Goldsmith’s being able to help him that his behavior was nearly perfect. The conference to discuss his test results was scheduled in a couple of weeks, and Tonya was hopeful that a better future awaited the boy.