by Claire Adams
But even though Irvine was very different to inner city LA, I would be facing a set of challenges to deal with here, too — a new drug called “Rocket” was sweeping through southern California and leaving tragedy and broken dreams in its wake. It was creating an ugly mark on the formerly pristine JFK College. According to the head of the school board, they needed a man who could turn things around, who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, a man who could go toe-to-toe with drug dealers and gangsters and not back down. They needed me. I was ready to rise to the challenge. I had a tough job ahead of me, but like I said, we could all use a bit of distraction from time to time.
Besides, I had the perfect excuse to talk to her – a new resident wanting to meet his neighbors. It was all perfectly innocent.
I turned off the mower, checked the monitor in my shorts pocket to make sure Jane was still sleeping, and walked across the street, grinning. When I got to her porch and knocked on the door, it seemed like it took a while for her to open it, and in those few seconds between me knocking and her opening the door, I actually started to feel a little nervous.
When she opened the door, however, I felt that I had definitely done the right thing by going over and talking to her. She was even more beautiful close-up with her big blue eyes, dainty button nose, and full, dark pink lips. I was so busy staring at her that I forgot to speak.
“Umm, hi,” she said, breaking the silence after a few awkward moments. “You just moved into the Sanchez place across the road, right?”
“Hi. I did, yes.”
I extended a hand to her, which she took and shook gently.
“I'm Everett James,” I said. “Just thought I’d come over and introduce myself since I saw you pull in.”
“I'm Vivienne Andrews,” she replied. “Nice to meet you.” She smiled, and it made her even more beautiful. “Say, you've got a bit of an accent. Texas?”
I nodded. “Grew up on a ranch in East Texas. I haven't been back for many years, but yeah, a lil' of the accent is still there.”
“My grandmother was a Texan,” she said. “Also from East Texas. That's how I recognized it.”
“Great place. You get out there much?” I asked.
“We visited a few times when I was a kid, but I don't know it too well. Like you, it's been a few years.”
I nodded. An awkward silence passed between us, and I scrambled to think of something to say to keep the conversation going.
“Say, uh, I noticed as I was coming up the steps that your porch rail is loose. Didn’t know if maybe you or your husband had noticed and—”
“Oh, I’m not married,” she interrupted, somewhat hastily.
“Oh, I see. Well, maybe your boyfriend might want to take a look at—”
“I uh, I don't have a boyfriend either,” she said.
“Really?” I blurted out without thinking, surprised that she didn’t and kinda taken aback at how quickly she had corrected me. It was good to know, though. “Well, since I'm almost done mowing my lawn, and I’m pretty good with a hammer, how about I see if I can get that fixed for you? It won't take more than, say, 15 minutes.”
“Oh no, I really couldn't ask you to do something like that; it would be—”
At that moment, my phone started ringing in my pocket.
“Excuse me, Vivienne,” I said as I took my phone out and looked at the screen. The babysitter. “I just need to take this call.”
“Sure.”
I answered the phone.
“Hey Maggie,” I said. “What's up?”
Maggie explained that she had come down with a bad cold and thus wouldn't be able to babysit my daughter, Janie, tonight while I was at my meeting.
“Oh no, sorry to hear that, Maggie. I sure do hope you get better soon. I'll, uh, I'll find someone else to look after Jane tonight. Thanks for calling and letting me know.” We said our goodbyes, I put the phone back in my pocket, and shook my head and sighed. Maggie was the teenage daughter of my contact at the school board and essentially my only option for a sitter.
“What's the problem?” Vivienne asked.
“Oh, that was my babysitter. She can't take care of Jane tonight. Seems she's come down with a bad cold.”
“Oh, you're a father?” her eyes widened a little, and it was quite clear that she was surprised.
“I am, yeah. My lil' Jane is three years old.”
“And your wife isn't able to look after her tonight?” she asked.
“I'm not married . . . We've uh, we've been divorced a couple of years now.”
She nodded. “Ah, I see. Well, I'll tell you what, Everett, how about I take care of Jane for you tonight in exchange for you fixing my porch rail? I know it might seem a little weird, you know, me offering to do that when we've only just met each other, but I happen to have a lot of experience with very young children. I own a daycare 15 minutes away from here. See? Here's my card,” she said, reaching into her handbag from the coat hook next to her on the wall and taking out a business card to give to me. “It's got my cell number right there if you need to get hold of me for anything.”
“Thanks! Actually, that would work out perfectly. I've just taken a job as principal of JFK High School, and as you know, the new school year starts in a few days, and I've got a meeting with the teaching staff tonight about certain, uh, issues that have been plaguing the school in recent months.”
“Sounds like important business. Like I said, I'd be happy to take care of Jane tonight if that would help you.”
“If you could, it'd be great,” I replied. “But you gotta allow me to compensate you with more than just fixing your porch rail, as I don't feel like that's too fair a bargain. Fifteen minutes of easy work for me compared to three hours of dealing with a three-year-old for you. Can I at least pay you for your time? Or mow your lawn or something?”
She chuckled. “I appreciate the offer, Everett, but I'm not really in need of any extra cash. However, if you're anything of a handyman . . .”
“I am. See those boxes in the back of my truck?” I pointed to my black 4x4 sitting in my driveway.
“Yeah?”
“Those happen to be my power tools. I'll be setting them up in my garage tomorrow if I get everything else unpacked before then.”
“Great. So then, if you wouldn't mind helping me fix a few things around my house in exchange for any babysitting needs you have, I'd really appreciate that.”
I extended my hand and she took it, and I gave it a firm shake.
“That sounds perfect,” I said. “I enjoy working with my hands, so it’s a win-win.”
She smiled, and a hint of electricity passed between us.
“Well, this all worked out quite nicely then!” she remarked.
“It really did. Can I bring her over at 7:30?”
She nodded.
“You can. I'll see you then.”
I beamed a warm smile at her.
“You’ll see me before then. I’m still going to cut this lawn of yours.”
***
“Janie, this is Vivienne,” I said, holding Jane's hand reassuringly as she half-hid behind my legs, looking out shyly at Vivienne. “She's gonna play with you for a bit while Daddy goes to work, okay?”
Jane motioned her little finger to get me to come down to her level like she wanted to tell me something. I complied. “Vivienne is pretty,” Jane said with a smile in a voice she thought was whispering, but wasn’t. I grinned, and Vivienne chuckled a little.
“Yes, sweet-pea, Vivienne is very pretty,” I halfway whispered back and glanced up at the woman standing in front of us.
“Looks like you two will be getting on famously,” I remarked with a smile. “Thanks again for doing this, Vivienne, you're a life saver.”
“It's lovely to meet you,” Vivienne said, squatting down and taking Jane's little hand in hers. “Do you like chocolate chip cookies?”
“Uh-huh,” replied Jane, still smiling shyly.
“Well, come on in. I've got some
nice fresh ones we can eat. And do you like Frozen?” Vivienne added.
“Yes!” Jane’s eyes lit up.
“Well, I've got that too; we can watch it together,” Vivienne told her.
“Yay! Frozen!” Jane squealed.
“See, sweet-pea? I told you you'd have fun with Vivienne. Alright, Daddy's gotta go to work now. I'll see you later.”
I turned to Vivienne, handing her the small piece of paper I’d written my cell phone number on and a Ziploc bag with Jane’s asthma medication in it. “Thanks again for helping out. Here’s my number if you need to get in touch with me and, of course, her inhaler. I guess I'll see you around 10.”
“Not a problem. And I'll call you if there are any problems. Have a good meeting, Everett.”
“See ya later, Vivienne.”
I watched her as she led Jane inside the house. Jane was already comfortable with her, which was unusual. She typically took a lot longer to warm up to people she didn't know. I guess her experience working with the kids at her daycare probably didn't hurt things.
I got into my truck and was at the school a matter of minutes later. It was close enough for a walk, and I would have, as it was a nice night for a walk, but I preferred to have my vehicle with me just in case anything happened with Jane. Since she was asthmatic, I wanted to be able to get to her side as quickly as possible if she had an attack.
I walked into the school, surveying the grounds. I'd been here before, of course, but I'd been in a hurry and had been focused on getting my interview done, so I hadn't had much time to really look around. Now that I wasn't distracted with an interview, I could take in the surroundings.
It was a nice school, very modern looking, and the facilities were all high-tech and very new; so very, very different from the inner-city school I'd just come from working in. They had told me, though, that the drug situation was bad here. I couldn't imagine it being anything like the problems I'd encountered when working in the inner-city school, but hey, life was always full of surprises, and things could be very different to how they appeared on the surface.
I headed into my new office where the deputy principal, Ben Trower, and three of the senior teachers were waiting for me. They all stood up as I entered the room and took the time to shake each of their hands and briefly make introductions. Ben, however, I already knew, so I gave him a polite nod and then sat down at my desk.
It was hard not to feel like a bit of a kid here; at 32 I was 16 years younger than Ben, who was the next youngest in the room. Everyone else was in their 50s and 60s. Still, I wasn't intimidated by any means; I knew how to do this job, and I knew how to do it well.
“Alright people, let's get down to business. I think I know what's at the top of the agenda here. Rocket. Am I right?”
They all nodded, their expressions grave.
“It was spreading like wildfire through this school before summer break,” Ben spoke up. “Just before the end of the last school year, we had no less than 15 kids drop. Ten of them were pulled by their parents to go to rehab. Four, however, were actually arrested for possession and dealing of the drug, and two of them are currently serving sentences as they were 18 at the time of their arrest.”
“And what about the 15th kid?” I asked.
A look of severity passed between Ben and the teachers before they answered me.
“The 15th kid,” Ben said slowly. “Died of an overdose, Everett. He died.”
CHAPTER 3
Vivienne
“Did you enjoy the movie, Jane?” I asked as I turned the TV off.
“Yeah! Elsa is my favorite!”
“Mine, too!” I beamed back at her and then glanced at the clock on the wall.
“How much longer ‘til my daddy is here?” Jane asked.
“Shouldn’t be too much longer,” I told her. “You know, your daddy is very nice,” I said, switching the topic up a bit, not wanting her to get anxious.
“Yeah, he is. I love him very much,” Jane replied with a smile.
I wondered if I should ask her about her mother. She hadn't mentioned her so far, which was unusual for a child of her age. Part of me was curious about it, but another part cautioned not to pry too much. I figured maybe I could drop some indirect hints to see if I could glean any information that way.
“Do you see your daddy every day?” I asked.
“Yeah, every day. Always with daddy,” she replied.
“And nobody else?”
“No, just daddy, and my bears.”
“You have bears?”
“Yeah, they're my friends. I got lots of bears – big bears, small bears, medium bears, daddy bears, and daughter bears.”
“No mommy bears?”
“No. Just daddy bears and daughter bears.”
I nodded. I guessed she didn't see her mother all that much. It was unusual, of course, and I had to admit I wanted to find out more, but it wasn't my place.
“What do you wanna do now, Jane?”
She yawned and stretched her tiny little limbs.
“I'm tired. Can I go sleepy time?”
I smiled. “You sure can. Come, I've got a nice little bed you can lay down on.”
I took her by the hand and lead her to one of my guest rooms, which had two twin-sized beds in it for when my friend Kerry visited from out of town with her son, who was four years old. It hadn’t been long since their last visit, and so I still had a few things in the room I’d brought home from the daycare and hadn’t taken back yet.
“Here you go; isn't this nice?” I said as I lead her over to the bed, picked her up, and set her down on it.
“It's so blue in here,” she said. “I like pink! My old room was pink, and my bed was pink. And my bears like pink. And daddy's gonna make my new room pink.”
I laughed. “Well, it's nice to try something different for a change, isn't it? Life's boring if it's always the same.”
“I guess,” she said, and let out another big yawn.
“And I have a little feeling,” I said as I helped her get comfortable. “That because you're so tired, you don't really mind that this room is blue.”
She smiled. “Yeah, blue isn’t so bad. Can you read me a story? Daddy always reads me a story before I go to sleep.”
“Sure,” I said as I went over to the bookshelf, which had a few children's books on it. “I have Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the Three Bears—”
“Ooh, ooh, Goldilocks and the Three Bears! I like bears!”
“Alright,” I said and sat down next to her and began reading the story.
She was so tired; she fell asleep within minutes. I checked the time and found that it was only nine. There was still an hour to go before Everett would be back to pick her up. I switched on the baby monitor in the room to make sure I could keep an eye on Jane while she was sleeping, and then went over to my study to fiddle around on the internet to pass the time. I saw the Skype icon on my laptop and decided to take a chance and see if my best friend Kerry was online. She and I had grown up together, and she was one of the very few people from my past I still kept in touch with. By chance, she happened to be available, so I shot her a message to see if she had time to chat.
“Hey, Ker, how's everything in San Francisco?” I asked when she popped up on the screen in front of me.
“It's all good. Ethan looooves kindergarten, thank God, and Carl is handling some tough cases at work but swears he enjoys the stress. Things are busy with the catering business, but that's a good thing, right? So, I guess you could say life is busy all round. How are things with you? How’s it going being a business owner these days?”
“It's a whole different set of challenges to just working at the daycare,” I replied. “But I'm really glad I went ahead and bought it. It's been hard, but very rewarding. I'm actually turning a good profit these days, even though things can be stressful and unlike your hubs, I can’t say I enjoy the stress,” I joked.
“Yeah, well, I never claimed he wa
s normal. So, what else is new?”
“Well,” I said. “This new guy just moved into the house across the road from me.”
“The one that's been empty for months?”
“Yeah, that one.”
A mischievous grin spread across her face.
“And is he hot? Is he rich? No, wait, he lives in your neighborhood, so probably not rich. So, is he gainfully employed? And most importantly... is he single?”
I chuckled. “Actually, he is hot. Like holy hell hot. Like those guys you see on calendars hot. The first time I saw him, which was earlier today, he was mowing his lawn shirtless – all muscled and ripped.”
Kerry laughed. “No way! And did you speak to him?”
“Actually, I've got his kid sleeping in the room Ethan always sleeps in.”
“What? Damn girl, you move fast!” Kerry teased.
“You know it's nothing like that! He's a single dad. And yes, he is gainfully employed. He's the new principal of the high school down the road, JFK High.”
“Wait. He’s a principal? How old is this guy?”
“According to the neighborhood historian, he’s 32. I guess he must be really good at his job. Anyway, his babysitter canceled at the last minute, so I offered to help him out.”
“Oh, I bet you did.” She gave me that nod like I was some kind of harlot. “And what's he gonna give you in return? A nice, long, drawn-out massage, huh?” she asked with a wink.
“No,” I replied with a laugh. “That wasn’t part of the bargain, but a girl can dream,” I joked. “And hey, he says he's good at handyman stuff, so—”
“Oooo, so he’s good with his hands,” Kerry wiggled her eyebrows.
“I was gonna say he's going to help me fix up a few things around the house. You know I'm not good with that stuff.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I know. I guess that worked out pretty well then, huh?”
“It did.”
“I still think that you should have asked him for a good, long massage, though.”
“Kerry!”
“Come on; you know you need it. And by it, I’m not talking about an actual massage. I want to make that clear.”