by Debbie Mason
“There’s a problem. The principal called. Jamie was in a fight at school, and she’s threatening to expel him for the rest of the school year. I need you to come with me to talk to her.”
“And why would I do that? My angel assignment is to find the boy a mentor, not to become one.”
“I know, but these are extenuating circumstances. Please, Caine, you out of anyone know what—”
“Don’t try to use my past against me, Evangeline. It won’t work. The boy lost his father; I lost mine. So what? It happens all the time. If the principal believes he should be expelled, then he probably should. You’re not doing the kid any favors by coddling him.”
“He’s acting out because he’s angry and he’s in pain. In an instant his world was turned upside down, Caine. He lost the father he adored, the house he grew up in, and his mother is working three jobs to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened, his finger hovering over the button to end the call, to stop the words that recalled a past almost identical to his own. “I’ll write the mother a check for fifty thousand. That should be enough to take care of their rent and expenses until they get back on their feet. The boy can work. He’s old enough to help out his mother.” It would be money well spent. Each week of delay to the office tower development cost more than that. “Now, I have a conference call I can’t miss, but I’ll stop by this evening to pick my second angel-wish assignment.”
“Are you really so hard-hearted that Jamie’s plight doesn’t affect you?”
“Did you miss the part where I said I’d write the family a check?”
“Money can’t solve everything! You can’t just buy people off and get what you want.”
And there was the woman he was used to dealing with. She’d said the last through gritted teeth. He was sure of it. She’d wear them down to the gum if her angel assignments took him longer than a few days. “In my experience, money does solve everything. It certainly would have solved some of your problems, wouldn’t you agree?”
“No, I wouldn’t. But what—”
“So you’re telling me that having enough money to offset your less-than-stellar sales this past summer wouldn’t have been helpful? You can’t tell me that Lenore hasn’t exacted a pound of flesh over the loan you had to ask for and will probably continue to do so.”
It sounded like she’d had to stifle a snort of agreement before she ground out, “My sales were fine. It was damage from the hurricane that caused my cash shortfall.”
“Because you were unable to afford insurance that included coverage for—”
“This isn’t about me! This is about you. And just FYI, you cannot buy your way out of our bet. Jamie’s mom didn’t ask that her rent and bills be paid. She asked for a mentor for her son. Someone who will fill the role of an uncle or big brother.”
“All right. I’ll find him a mentor.” Surely there was someone in this town who would take the boy under his wing. “What time is the meeting with the principal?”
“In twenty minutes.” She gave him the address of the school. “Please don’t be late. The principal is a stickler,” she said. Then, after a brief pause, “Thank you. I know how busy you must be, and I appreciate you taking the time to come with me.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you at the school.” He turned the steering wheel toward town instead of the highway, deciding to head directly to the school. He’d sit in the parking lot and get some work done while he waited for Evangeline to arrive. He plugged the address into his GPS and turned onto Main Street.
Outside the hardware store, Mr. O’Malley adjusted the wreath in his window. The older man looked up and, upon seeing Caine driving by, flagged him down.
He slowed to a crawl and lowered his window. “Hello, Mr. O’Malley. What can I do for you?” Caine glanced in the rearview mirror. Seeing several cars coming up behind him, he pulled to the side of the road.
“Nothing. Just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done yesterday, son,” Mr. O’Malley called out when the last car had gone by.
“I can’t take credit. It was all Bruiser’s doing. So thanks for that.”
“Anything for Evie.”
Caine cast the older man a speculative glance. He seemed spry and certainly had his wits about him, and while he’d been kind and helpful, he was clearly no pushover. “Mr. O’Malley, do you have children of your own?”
“I do. I have two boys and five grandsons. Why do you ask?”
He’d found his perfect candidate. And if Mr. O’Malley wasn’t up for the job, maybe one of his sons or grandsons would be. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in mentoring a thirteen-year-old boy? Becoming a surrogate grandfather, if you will. It wouldn’t be more than a few afternoons a week. He could help you around the store.”
“The lad in question, he wouldn’t happen to be young Jamie, your first angel assignment, would he?”
Bollocks. “Let me guess. Everyone in town knows about Jamie, and Evangeline has warned all of you not to help me.” He’d badly underestimated the woman.
“No. Small town. Jamie’s mother works weekends at the flower shop with my son’s girlfriend. As to helping you, the ones supporting Evie won’t; the ones supporting you will. But I’m a good judge of character, and I think you’re just what the boy needs in his life.”
“That’s just it, Mr. O’Malley. I’m only here for a short time.”
“I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard that. Give us some time—we’ll grow on you.” He doffed his Santa hat at an older woman and held open the door to his shop, giving Caine a wink as he followed the woman inside and saying, “Top of the morning to you, my lady. May I say you’re looking particularly lovely today.”
“Best-laid plans,” Caine muttered, about to pull away from the sidewalk when he was flagged down by Theia. She was with her grandmother-in-law-to-be, Rosa DiRossi.
The curse of small towns, he thought as he lowered the passenger-side window. Theia stuck her head inside, and Rosa joined her.
“Hello, ladies. How did the fitting go?” He still couldn’t believe Theia was going through with a traditional wedding.
She lifted a shoulder. “Good.”
“Good? She looked beautiful. Now, when are you coming for your fitting?”
He looked from Rosa to Theia. “I agreed to be your man of honor. I didn’t agree to wear a dress.”
Rosa reached in to swat his arm. “Stupido. You don’t wear a dress. You wear a tux. Like Marco and his groomsmen. They rent them from Merci Beaucoup.”
“Okay. I’ll stop by later and make an appointment,” he said, despite owning three tuxes of his own. “When are Marco and his groomsmen going for their fitting?” He might get lucky and find a mentor in the group.
“This weekend,” Theia said, then added, “But if you’re thinking of tagging along just to hit one of them up to be Jamie’s mentor, forget about it.”
“Is there one person in this bloody town who doesn’t know my business?”
The two women looked at each other and grinned. “No.”
From across the road, he heard Mr. O’Malley calling his name. He turned to see the older man waving at him and pointing to a dark-haired woman shivering on the sidewalk. She wore some kind of uniform, and whatever Mr. O’Malley said to her had the woman turning Caine’s way, a hand pressed to her mouth. Then, without any concern for her own safety, she ran across the street to his car. He knew without anyone telling him who the woman was. He’d seen the mark grief and hopelessness left on a woman’s face, a mother’s face, before. And now he saw a desperate hope shining in the woman’s eyes, and that hope was directed at him.
“Caine, lower the driver-side window. It’s Jamie’s mother. Mrs. Murphy,” Theia said before pulling her head from the passenger-side window to smile and greet the woman.
Like bloody hell he’d open the window. He wasn’t being dragged into this family’s drama. Evangeline Christmas was
not using her psych degree and her angel wish to make him confront his past.
With his hands wrapped around the steering wheel, he stared straight ahead. “I have to go.”
Theia stuck her head back inside. “If you don’t lower your window right now, you and I are done. Because the man I know and love would not turn his back on that woman and her son.”
Chapter Twelve
The clock loudly ticked down the seconds on the wall behind the principal as Evie sat perched on a chair across from the woman. Principal Wright was a study in gray today. Her steel-colored blazer matched her hair, glasses, and demeanor.
“I’m sure Mr. Elliot will be here any minute.” The need-to-please tone in Evie’s voice made her cringe. She didn’t know how Principal Wright did it, but she made her feel like a teenager who’d been caught smoking in the girls’ washroom every single time she was called to the woman’s office. Which happened on an almost-twice-weekly basis as the principal was hands-down the biggest proponent of Evie’s after-school program.
Within weeks of moving to Harmony Harbor, Evie had begun volunteering at the community center. As much as she loved Holiday House, she’d missed her job at the hospital. At least aspects of her job.
After what had happened with Aaron, she saw a monster in the eyes of every patient on the psychiatric ward. During her first week back to work, something as simple as a loud noise or a patient’s abrupt movement triggered a memory and a panic attack. She didn’t blame the hospital administrator for suggesting she take a leave of absence. She wasn’t doing her patients or herself any good. The first place that had come to mind when Evie had thought of healing was Holiday House, and she’d known she wouldn’t leave once she got here.
The families she counseled at the community center didn’t trigger her PTSD. She found the work emotionally fulfilling and satisfying. It helped fill the void. But more importantly, the programs she’d introduced were making a difference for families in Harmony Harbor. Evie had met Jamie through her after-school program.
Principal Wright had recommended that Mrs. Murphy sign him up for the program after his first schoolyard fight. The principal was responsible for at least half the participants in the program. Which was why Evie ended up in her office so often; the only students Principal Wright sent to her were the ones she’d labeled problem children. One day Evie vowed to work up the courage to tell the stern-faced woman that the children were simply living up to her expectations.
At the sound of Principal Wright impatiently clicking her pen, Evie silently cursed Caine for putting her in the woman’s bad book. It was not a pleasant place to be. Not to mention putting her in the position of having to lie to defend him. She didn’t know why she’d trusted him to be here. “Mr. Elliot had a conference call he couldn’t reschedule, but he promised to be here as soon as he can.”
Evie forced a smile and pushed her glasses up her nose with her forefinger. She didn’t need them to see. She’d had laser surgery a month before moving to Harmony Harbor. But weirdly, the glasses made her feel more professional and in control. A little more like the woman she was before Aaron. She used to put them on whenever she spoke to Caine on the phone.
“Mr. Elliot is not the only one with a busy schedule, Ms. Christmas. If he isn’t here within—” The woman pursed her lips at the decisive knock on her office door. “Come in.”
“Sorry I’m late, Principal Wright,” Caine said, shutting the door behind him. He glanced at Evie, did a double take, then said, “Evangeline.”
He reached across the desk to shake the principal’s hand before taking a seat beside Evie. Or tried to, she thought, pressing her lips together when he stood to remove his coat. She doubted it would help. The man was too big for the chair. Still, he managed to get himself situated after several tries. But no matter how awkward he looked with his knees practically to his chest, he took control of the room without trying.
Evie could feel the subtle shift in Principal Wright. The older woman’s rigid posture softened ever so slightly, her features no longer pinched as she reacted to the power and confidence the man exuded.
Or perhaps, like Evie, Principal Wright was reacting to the man and not the aura of power and confidence. Because there was no denying Caine Elliot was a sight to behold with his wind-tousled ebony hair curling at the collar of the pristine white shirt he wore beneath his expensive black suit, a touch of scruff shadowing his strong jaw, and those brilliant blue eyes alert and assessing.
Caine smiled as he withdrew a pen from inside his jacket. “Are there any papers you need me to sign? Jamie’s mother said she’d call ahead to ask that I be added as his secondary emergency contact as well as granting permission for you to share information about his grades and such. I’m assuming you’ve heard from her?” He clicked his pen.
Evie’s jaw dropped as it became clear why Caine had been five minutes late for their meeting.
And from the way Principal Wright’s narrowed gaze moved from Caine to Evie, the older woman believed they’d tag-teamed her. This was not going to end well for any of them, most especially Jamie.
What were you thinking bringing a shark into a pool of guppies? she inwardly berated herself.
Principal Wright planted her hands on the desk—she had incredibly big hands for a woman of average height, Evie thought inanely as her nerves got the better of her. The principal’s chair scraped across the floor like nails on a chalkboard when she rose to her feet. Now looking down her nose at them, the older woman appeared taller than usual and Evie resisted the urge to peek under the desk to see if she was standing on the tips of her toes.
“I’ll need to have my assistant verify your claims, Mr. Elliot. But even if Mrs. Murphy has authorized you to become a guardian of a sort to Jamie, it has no bearing on my decision as to whether or not the boy will be expelled.” She walked around her desk and headed for the door. “I am well aware of who you are, Mr. Elliot. And I highly doubt your schedule will allow you to make Jamie a priority, as you have already proven today.” With that, she opened the door, then firmly closed it behind her.
Caine stood and stretched. “I wonder if she’d notice if I traded chairs with her,” he said, and walked around the desk.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Evie cried when he sat in the principal’s chair. “Get out of there right now!”
“I’m used to being on this side of the negotiating table. I have to say I prefer it.” He angled his head to study her as he swiveled back and forth in the chair as though he didn’t have a care in the world. “This is the first time I’ve seen you wear glasses. They give you a certain gravitas.” A slow smile spread across his face. “You don’t need them, do you?”
Heat crawled up her cheeks not only because she was embarrassed he saw through her so easily, but because he obviously didn’t take this seriously. “I don’t know why I asked you to come. You’ve made it worse by being late and then coming in here acting like you own the world. You don’t care that your arrogant disregard of other people’s feelings may cost Jamie his year. Now get out of her chair before Principal Wright sees you and throws us out.”
His expression hardened, a glint of fire in those cool blue eyes. She would have sworn he was furious with her if not for the smile that curved his lips seconds later. But at the next words out of his mouth, she realized she should have looked closer at his smile.
“It’ll be at least another five minutes before she comes back. It’s a negotiating tactic. She’s trying to regain control of the situation. I’ve dealt with her type before.” He rose from the chair. “She knows she intimidates you. She’s hoping you’ll be able to keep me in line.” He placed his palms on the desk as the principal had done moments before and leaned toward her. “Don’t make the same mistake, Evangeline.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She leaned back in the chair.
His eyes moved over her, and he gave his head a slight shake. Then he straightened and came around the desk, taking
the chair beside her. “Why do you let her intimidate you? Do you believe Jamie deserves to be expelled?”
She was glad he asked her a second question because she didn’t want to answer the first. She wasn’t sure she knew the answer herself. “Of course I don’t think he should be expelled. I wouldn’t be here defending him if I did. Principal Wright believes that the only way to get through to Jamie is to show him the error of his ways and make him suffer the consequences. But all expelling him from school will do is guarantee the small improvements we’ve seen these last few months will be wiped out. It will only serve to deepen his pain and anger, not weaken their hold on him.”
“So tell her that, and if she doesn’t listen, tell her you’ll go before the board.” He pulled out his phone, typed something with his thumbs faster than she’d seen anyone type before, and then she heard the ping of an e-mail coming from her purse. “It’s the contact information for each member of the board.”
“I can’t do that, Caine.” Before she had a chance to react, he took her glasses. “Give me those.” She reached for them, but he raised his right hand to block hers while he held her glasses to his eyes and then lowered them to look at her.
“You don’t need fake glasses to appear older and wiser and in control of the situation, or whatever it was you were going for. Don’t you see? You intimidate her. She hears what the parents of the kids in your program are saying. You’ve made a difference with their children. They love you and so do the kids. But aside from that, you have a doctorate in psychology, Evangeline. You know what you’re talking about.”
She stared at him, taken aback by what sounded like praise and admiration. She let his words sink in, and just for a minute, she let herself believe they were true. It was a nice feeling to have someone as confident in her abilities as Caine seemed to be. But if he knew about Aaron, he would doubt her as much as the hospital administrator, as much as her mother, as much as she herself did.