Feisty Heroines Romance Collection of Shorts

by D. F. Jones

  “He’s four years old. What do you think you’re doing? I’ll be here - I can handle him. You don’t need to call the police on my son!”

  “Well, hi again. I thought I recognized your voice.”

  Keira turned her glare from the principal to the man approaching her. It took her a minute to place him; the cop from the mall last week, once again seeing her when she was definitely not at her best. Wait, where did that thought come from? Who cared if he saw her at her worst or her best?

  He held out his hand. “I see you haven’t misplaced your son again.” Was his grin supposed to be friendly? Neither his words nor his presence put her at ease.

  The administrator frowned. “Again? Is he a flight risk?”

  “No, he’ll be fine. He just wandered away from me that time when we were at the mall. I’ll be here with him, so there’s no chance he’ll walk off anywhere.”

  “We’ll alert Officer Dean of the potential …”

  “My son is neither a problem nor a potential criminal. He does not need the police watching him just because he’s different.”

  “May I?” Officer Dean asked the principal. At her nod, he explained. “The community policing program aims to create relationships with students, to see cops as the good guys, someone they can turn to for help. I like to get to know the kids. Some don’t have a lot of positive male role models.”

  That struck a note with Keira. Much as she tried to be everything to her son, there were fleeting times when she wondered what it would be like for Daniel to have a male influence.

  Outside the classroom door, a young man and woman hovered. They’d poked their heads in several times over the last ten minutes.

  “I’m sorry, but the next parents are here,” explained the Pre-K teacher. “Is there any chance that we could continue this tomorrow?”

  Keira came to the next meeting armed with her list of demands. Her plan was to be firm. While she could negotiate on a couple of points, she would stand strong on most of them. They were required for her son’s safety and well-being.

  Again, the teacher, administrator and special ed. teacher perched on the tiny chairs, while Keira stood. She liked the psychological advantage that gave her. She read the first item on her list.

  The principal nodded. “Yes, we can do that.”

  After the next two points, the teacher said, “We do that already. All the kids need that kind of structure.”

  The special ed. teacher spoke after one of Keira’s demands. “That’s a new one for me, but it sounds doable. We might need to contact you if we don’t think we’ve got it quite right though.” Keira faltered a bit, and then carried on. The teachers nodded. Were they faking her out, being this easy to get along with? It never went this way when she tried to work with the daycare centers.

  The principal’s posture changed. “There will be many activities where parents are welcome, but no, you may not spend the next three months here with your son.”

  As Keira drew herself up, ready to fight as she always had for her son, the principal continued, “Our insurance does not cover adults who are not staff members. It allows for a few hours a week for volunteers, but that’s it.”

  “We have found that children actually settle in better in Pre-K without their mothers or fathers around.” As Keira opened her mouth to protest…

  The principal said, “Please trust us. We have a lot of experience. We can accommodate your other requests, but not that one. We also don’t believe that it would be in your son’s best interests.”

  “You’re telling me that you let cops into this building but not parents who just want to protect their child?”

  Chapter 4

  Sensing that the discussion was heating up, Daniel edged closer to his mom, becoming visibly agitated. Mrs. Rose got up and brought him bean bags and a large cardboard box. “Daniel, want to come play with me?”

  Before Keira could object, he followed the teacher into the hall. “We’ll stay right here where you can see him,” she told Keira.

  In the hallway, she showed Daniel how to pitch the bean bag through the holes in the box. Soon, both of them were giggling, and then Keira heard a deeper voice join them. Now Mrs. Rose held the box above her head. Keira’s breath caught in her throat as Officer Dean grabbed Daniel under his arms, swooping him into the air, helping guide Daniel’s bean bags toward the waiting box.

  How dare he? Touching her little boy was bad enough, but tossing him around? Before she made it to the doorway, laughter filled the classroom from a woman, a man and a little boy.

  The administrator looked pointedly at Keira. “You said Daniel doesn’t have a relationship with anyone but you. We’ll work on that. And just maybe you’ll get some well-deserved time to yourself.”

  So maybe these people weren’t the enemy, thought Keira. Still, she needed to protect her son.

  The school involved the special education teacher and the kid hadn’t even begun school. What did that say about their expectations of Daniel? That’s how things started at the daycare centers - first they reported to the director then called in so-called experts, and then her kid got kicked out. Well, if the school planned anything like that, she was definitely up for a fight. Her son would get the education he deserved.

  She knew she was devoted to her son, truly she was. But it was rather pleasant to have some time to herself. Errands got done more quickly without a child in tow. She could stroll along the street at her own pace.

  “Hey, Ms. Foster. Is that you? Wait up.”

  Keira turned toward the male voice behind her. At first, she didn’t recognize him out of his uniform. Oh, great. Just what she needed when she was enjoying a couple hours of freedom. “Hi. Remember me? I’m Jake Dean; we met at the mall and at the school. Great day for a walk, isn’t it?”

  Keira nodded.

  “Um, do you like coffee?” He jerked his head sharply to the coffee shop on the right.

  Keira frowned. “Yes.”

  “Good, then.” He stepped closer to the building and opened the door.

  Strange man, Keira thought. She nodded and started down the street.

  “Hey, wait! Aren’t you coming?” His hand was on her arm.

  Keira stared pointedly at the hand touching her arm. “What do you mean?”

  “For coffee.” He pointed at the coffee shop behind them. “I asked you if you liked coffee.”

  “I answered yes, I do like coffee. You didn’t say any more than that.”

  Jake studied Keira more closely. “You’re right. I implied, but didn’t come right out and ask if you would have a coffee with me.” He gestured to the door. “Will you?”

  When she hesitated, he added, “Please? Just for a few minutes.”

  The aroma drifting out the door was enticing, and she really did like coffee. She glanced at her watch. Yeah, she could spare a bit of time.

  Jake followed Keira to the quietest corner in the shop and they ordered. Blowing on the foam of her cappuccino, Keira kept her eyes on the table. She’s not giving me an inch, he thought.

  “So, how’s your son enjoying school?”

  “He’s tolerating it all right.”

  Damning them with faint praise, he supposed. “How is he getting along with the teacher?”

  “I’ve had no complaints from them so far.”

  His puzzled look didn’t bring out any more from her. She seemed better with plain speaking. “Did you expect them to complain about him? He seemed like an easy enough kid to me.”

  “Easy? Daniel? You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “He wandered off on you in the mall. He’s not the first kid to do that.”

  She sipped her drink.

  Her scowl told him there was more to this story. It took all his skills at gently interrogating a hostile witness to pull more out of her. When she finally began, the dam broke. Kicked out of three daycare centers. Yeah, that would be hard on any mom. Then having to quit her job to stay home with him. She talked about chasing contra
cts so that she could support them.

  “Doesn’t his father help out?” Okay, that was just plain fishing, but he needed to know who was in this intriguing woman’s life.

  “He doesn’t have a father.”

  Grinning, Jake continued his fishing expedition. “He must have had one at some point.”

  Keira glared, but under Jake’s continuing good humor, she relented. “Yes, he had a father. We were together three years before Daniel was born and two years afterward.” She found her almost empty coffee cup of great interest.

  Jake let the silence hang.

  “He took off when we got the diagnosis.”

  “Diagnosis?” Was she ill? Was Daniel ill?

  “Autism. Daniel was diagnosed with autism, and Ted couldn’t take it. Actually, he couldn’t take it long before that. He pretty much checked out in those first few months and was no help at all. Daniel screamed a lot. I didn’t know how to soothe him or get him to sleep. It was tough. It was hell, actually. But he couldn’t help it—he was just a baby. I tried, but nothing seemed to work. He had to be in daycare while I worked, but they couldn’t handle him either. At least that made me feel better, that it wasn’t just me.” She took a deep breath.

  “Ted stayed late at work most nights so he wouldn’t have to come home to a fussy baby. Fussy. That’s putting it mildly. Then Ted started not coming home some nights, and when he was there, it was like he wasn’t. He acted like he couldn’t stand the baby or me either.” She looked into the distance, and then added softly, “I guess he couldn’t. I was all alone when they gave me the news that my child was autistic. It wasn’t really a surprise; I’d known something was different, more than just me being an anxious, first-time mother.”

  Her expression became fierce. “But when I told Ted, he held up his hands and said, ‘That’s it. I didn’t sign on for anything like this.’ He packed a suitcase and left.”

  He asked, “But Ted still supports you and his son, doesn’t he?”

  She went rigid. Damn, he’d pushed too hard. Time to back off before he lost too much ground. “Would you like more coffee?”

  She looked like her first instinct was to bolt, but then he could see her relax. She reached into the purse that was lying on the floor and pulled out her wallet. “My treat this time,” she said.

  Knowing better than to argue, he smiled his thanks. Watching as she flipped through her wallet, he spied pictures of Daniel at various stages. In some, the child was held by a woman with hair cascading to the middle of her back. “Who’s that?” he asked. “She looks like you.”

  An unlady-like snort came out of her nose. “She should. It is me. I was younger then and looked different with long hair.”

  “Why’d you cut it?”

  “Are you kidding? Who has time to look after that much hair when you have a kid, or at least a kid like Daniel?” She pulled her fingers through her current shorn pixie spikes. “This requires all of three seconds to fix; about all the spare time I have to fuss with myself. A shower, a gob of gel, a comb and I’m done.”

  When she returned with their refills, he again broached the subject of child support. It was a father’s obligation, after all.

  “No, we’ve never heard from the sperm donor since the day he left.” Could her body language get any feistier, Jake thought? “But we survived,” Keira continued. “We do just fine, Daniel and me. If it’s us against the world, we’ll take it on.”

  “Do you have family who helps?”

  “No!”

  Okay, then. Jake reached across the table to give her hand a squeeze. When she didn’t pull away, he left his there, engulfing her smaller, clenched fist.

  “I’d say it’s not just you and Daniel any longer. You have a team at school that will have Daniel’s back, and yours, if you’ll let them. You have to start trusting someone, sometime.”

  Keira didn’t relax, but to Jake, this explained a lot.

  “You’ve been through a lot, the two of you, and Daniel is lucky to have a mom like you. You’ve done an excellent job with him.”

  Keira’s chin jutted out. “Yeah, I have.” Then more softly, “But he still doesn’t talk.”

  “True, but he does communicate. They told me that at the school.”

  “They said those words?”

  “What? You think I could make that up on my own?” That provoked a smile, the first one he’d seen on her face since they sat down at the table.

  “Everything’s no longer on just your shoulders. You have support at the school. Hell, they already are in your court if you’d let them in.”

  One corner of her mouth turned up. “I guess I can be a bit crusty sometimes. My granny used to tell me not to go looking for fights. After Ted left, I needed all the armor I could get to make it through.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze, running his finger over the smooth skin. He noticed that her thumbnail was bitten to the quick - just that one nail. As he brushed that abused nail, she tucked her thumb into her fist.

  Would this push her away again, or should he give it a go? “And, then there’s me. I can be in your court also.” He felt her hand pull away but he held on. “Only in ways that you want. Maybe you could use a friend sometimes?”

  Her hand relaxed, and she gave a faint nod. He caught the faint sheen of tears in her eyes.

  “Friends?” He gave her what he hoped was his most charming grin. It worked. She smiled back - a genuine smile that turned her face from interesting into beautiful.

  Chapter 5

  Over the next weeks, Keira’s guard relaxed. Daniel seemed to be doing all right at school without her and a half-day to herself was, well glorious. She met Jake at that coffee shop a few times, and they’d walked through a nearby park. She didn’t even mind when he laced his fingers through hers.

  Once they’d ended up at his place for coffee, where he apologized for his couch. It didn’t stretch her imagination to believe what he said - that he’d had that saggy, frayed couch since college. When he called the next morning, she took pity on him and agreed to help him shop for new furniture. Usually shopping wasn’t her thing, but it was actually fun.

  Keira relaxed and smiled more than Jake had ever seen. It looked good on her, very good. When her phone rang, rather than release her hand from under Jake’s, she fumbled with just her left hand. He brushed her pixie hair; he loved how it showed the smooth skin on her neck.

  The air of fun evaporated as she listened to the words. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Foster, but I have bad news. Can you come to the school right away? Daniel has wandered off and we’re trying to find him. We….”

  Keira was gone, with Jake on her heels.

  “Keira, wait! What’s wrong?” Good thing his legs were longer than hers. When she tried to shake off his hand, he hung on tighter. “I’ll help. What is it?”

  “Daniel. That was the school. They’ve lost him.” She bit her lip hard enough that Jake thought she’d draw blood.

  He grabbed her hand and ran with her to the parking lot.

  “I knew I should have been there. I should never have trusted my son to those people. How dare they lose him?”

  “How long has he been missing?”

  “They said since the middle of recess.” She looked at her watch. “That makes it about half an hour that he’s been gone. Do you have any idea what could happen to a little boy in that amount of time?”

  Jake did. Yes, in his job he had seen more than he’d want to share with her. He pressed harder on the accelerator.

  At school, Keira wasted no time. “Where have you looked?” she demanded.

  “Three people are going through every closet and cupboard in the school. Two staff members are on the school grounds, and two more went in either direction down the street.”

  “What happened? Did something scare him?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary. Ms. Robinson says that he seemed a bit more preoccupied this morning, more into himself, but he followed along with everything, even if he did
lag a bit behind.”

  “What about at recess? What happened there?”

  “He seemed to want to be by himself. He stared at the clouds for a bit. Mrs. Rose was chatting with him about them. Then she moved on when some other children called her.”

  Jake interrupted. “I’ll take a look outside.”

  As if she had not heard him, Keira’s narrowed eyes focused on the administrator. “He was in your care. I trusted you to look after him... I told you he was different and needed watching. If I’d been here this would not have happened.” She went outside in the opposite direction of Jake.

  Jake had an advantage - he was once a little boy. If I was four, what would catch my eye out here? He surveyed the fence surrounding the playground. It was more of a visual impact thing rather than an actual barrier that would keep kids in or out. Looking beyond it, he could see a pond area with willows and aspens. Today the water was clear, and he could see the moving clouds reflected in it. With one hand on the top rail of the fence, he vaulted over.

  Crouched beside the pond, with his knees pulled to his chest was Daniel. He shivered, his wet shirt dripping onto his pants. How’d he get his top wet, but not his bottom half? Ah, those rocks. Looked like the kid slipped in the mud, his torso falling in the water. That was a close call and could have been worse. Jake approached quietly.

  Pulling out his cell, he texted Keira - Found him.

  “Hey, bud.” No answer. Right. He reached out a hand to rub Daniel’s cheek. God was he cold. Stripping off his own sweatshirt, he said, “Daniel, we’ve got to get you warmed up. Here. Let’s get this wet shirt off you then you can wear mine.”

  Keira’s shorter legs made leaping over the fence more difficult, but she made it in seconds, then ran toward the big and small figures she could see a quarter of a mile away. What she saw made her run even faster, if that was possible. What was Jake doing? Removing Daniel’s shirt? He hated to be touched, plus that was his favorite shirt. She had trouble getting it off him at night when it was time for his pajamas.