Which brought her back to the thing with Ed. Not a relationship. She didn’t want to fall for some guy and then have to choose between him and finding a new job, if it came down to that. She blinked at the turn of her thoughts. “Any guy,” she said out loud. “I don’t want to make life decisions based on a guy ever again.” Not like she had with Dennis.
And if things didn’t work out with Ed, it’s not like it would affect whether or not she stayed in Chatham. Sure, it was a small town. Smaller than Stamford by quite a lot. And okay, one of his friends was now her contractor and fixing her roof. But it’s not like it could be too hard to avoid him if things went south, right? Or maybe it would. He did tell her he had a brother who also lived in town, and six other cousins. Maybe she should think about moving out to California to be closer to her sisters and their families.
She let out a sigh and tried to refocus. It was too soon to think about moving anywhere. And besides, things with Ed had been going well all week. Really well. Both in and out of the bedroom – the sex was like something straight out of a romance novel. Who knew multiple orgasms actually existed in the real world? She wasn’t going to write him off because he ditched on one date. He had a job to do. So what if they missed a concert? They’d talk when he got back from Boston and make other plans for the rest of the weekend. And beyond the weekend, maybe, even after school was back in session on Monday. Emily and her husband Dan would be back from their vacation… maybe she and Ed could plan to do something with the other couple, since Ed worked with Dan.
And there she went, making plans around a guy again. She shook her head. When would she ever learn?
13
Monday, April 27, 8:30 a.m.
Monomoy Middle School, Chatham
Claire dropped her bag on the top of her desk with a resounding thud. On the one hand, it felt good to be back in the classroom after a long week of vacation time. She’d gotten a lot accomplished around her grandmother’s cottage, including replacing the roof, and finishing all of the indoor painting. Logan even gave her an estimate on painting the outdoor trim, which he advised to put off until the drier summer months. He might look like a bear of a man, but he’d been nothing but respectful and kind to her, whether it was because he was Ed’s friend, or because he was a really nice guy under his gruff, mountain man exterior.
Also on the plus side, she’d experienced three nights of the absolute best, most passionate sex she’d ever had in her entire life. Even better than when she’d first met Dennis and thought they were totally in love with each other. She orgasmed more in the last week than she did in all her years of marriage.
Which led her to the down side of vacation week. After Ed’s phone message Friday morning, she didn’t hear from him again. Not a call. Not a text. Nothing. She’d even broken down and tried to call him Saturday, but it went straight to voicemail without ringing as if his phone was turned off. Which sent her Saturday night spiraling into a place where she was sitting on her deck drinking a whole bottle of wine by herself as she watched the sun set behind the hills.
Dennis’s phone used to go straight to voicemail a lot when he was away on business. Come to find out, he always turned his phone off when he was with another woman.
She shook her head to dispel the errant thoughts. Ed was nothing like Dennis. He’d never lie to her. Something unexpected must have happened with the trial to keep him in Boston through the weekend. Because if he’d planned to be away for days, surely he would have mentioned it? Then again, they’d only started dating a week ago. He didn’t owe her anything, and she’d be foolish to count on him for anything. She’d given herself the very same lecture countless times in the last three days. Maybe one of these times it’ll sink in.
“Knock, knock!” Emily’s blond head poked into her classroom. “Can I come in?”
Claire found a smile for her friend. “Of course! How was your trip to Florida?”
Emily stepped in from the hall, twirling her skirt as she walked to show off the red dress with the white polka dots, matched with a white cardigan with the familiar silhouette of a famous mouse on one side. White ankle socks and red Converse sneakers completed the look. “Don’t let anyone tell you Disney World is no fun without kids. Dan and I had an absolute blast.”
“And now you’re dressed like Minnie Mouse in tribute?” Claire chuckled. “Do you have a whole new Disney-themed wardrobe?”
“I may have picked up a few things, but sweetie, it’s nothing new. Is it my fault you never put the clues together before?” Emily swished her polka dots a bit before setting onto the edge of Claire’s desk. “So. Tell me everything.”
“What is there to tell?” Claire busied herself unpacking the books and folders from her bag. She felt Emily’s eyes focused on her the whole time. Of course she wanted to hear how the blind date went. And right up until Friday, Claire would’ve gushed with praise at Emily’s matchmaking prowess.
But after a weekend of radio silence, she wasn’t quite as sure.
“C’mon. At least give me a few crumbs. What did you think of Ed? He’s hot, right?”
Grudgingly, Claire agreed. Because it was totally true. Ed was hot. And sweet. And helpful around the house. And an animal in the bedroom. And could do amazing things with his tongue that were probably illegal in most states. The thought alone sent a shiver down her spine, pooling heat between her legs.
And… Claire found she didn’t want to share any of those details with Emily. But she knew her friend wouldn’t let up until she got a few nuggets of information. Instead, she focused on the blind date. “The date last Monday was great. We walked through Kate Gould Park where the high school jazz band was doing a fundraiser. Then he took me to the Beach Grille at the Inn, so we could eat on the deck and watch the sunset.”
It had been a pretty perfect first date, actually. Complete with the moonlit walk on the beach and the kisses that rocked her world. The corners of her mouth turned up as she remembered how it felt when he pressed her up against the side of her car in the parking lot behind Gilley’s bar, kissing the hell out of her before they said good night.
When she refocused her attention on Emily, she saw the wide grin on her friend’s face, looking like the cat who ate the canary. “I knew you guys would hit it off! And wasn’t it better for me not to tell you all the gory details about who he is or who he’s related to, so you could discover it all on your own? I mean, if you knew going into the date he’s your boss’s son, would you have gone along with it?”
Claire froze. “Excuse me? What was that last thing you said?”
Emily cocked her head to one side. “Ann MacDonald, the principal? Surely he told you… she’s his mom. I mean, you can’t throw a stick in this town without hitting a MacDonald. His dad owns Old Country Construction whose signs are on projects all over town, one of his aunts runs the library, his brother and another cousin own The Speakeasy over on Main Street, another cousin is a State Trooper… ooh, and you know the band NBT? The lead singer is his cousin Quinn! The guy who used to be in Dead Ball Line, you know, the only one who survived the killer storm in Bali? Not that the band is based in Chatham or anything, but you get what I mean. Those MacDonalds are all over the place...”
Claire lowered herself into her chair, stunned by Emily’s revelations. How had none of this come up in the week they’d been together? Old Country Construction put the roof on her cottage. His dad’s company. He’d never said a word. And the fact that his mother was her principal? Maybe not a topic of conversation on a first date, sure, but they’d gone well beyond those boundaries when he slept over at her place Tuesday night. And Wednesday. And Thursday.
What. The. Fuck?
Emily’s expression had gradually sobered from her earlier enthusiasm as she took in the panicked look on Claire’s face. “I’m going out on a limb here and guessing he didn’t tell you any of those things on your blind date.”
“No. He didn’t.” Claire’s throat felt raw, the words like sandpaper as she s
pit them out.
“Okay… well…” Emily laughed awkwardly, obviously at a loss for what to say. “Maybe he didn’t want to scare you away on the first date?”
Claire swallowed the lump rising in her throat. He’d lied to her. Lied by omission, but he still wasn’t telling her the truth. “There was more than the one date.”
“Oh.” Emily’s one syllable carried the weight of an entire monologue. She seemed to be searching for something positive to say and coming up short. Voices in the hallway and the sounds of lockers slamming signaled that the students had been allowed into the building to get ready for class. “Listen, I should get to my classroom before the hordes descend. We will talk more after school.”
Claire nodded, unable to come up with a suitable response. She busied herself again with unpacking her bag while Emily left the classroom and students began to trickle in. A flash of hot pink caught her eye. Kayleigh MacDonald stood in the doorway, looking way too serious as she chatted with Cindy Baker, one of Claire’s homeroom students.
MacDonald. Probably also related to Ed in some way. And to the principal.
How did she spend a whole week with the guy and not find out his last name? Or that his mother ran the school?
Kayleigh turned and Claire froze – the girl’s entire right arm was in a cast, from her wrist to her shoulder, and the right side of her face looked black and blue. Claire’s entire body went cold as their conversation came back to her about the abusive father. When coupled with the black eye from a few weeks prior, it seemed like Kayleigh really was talking about her own situation and not a “friend.”
Claire walked over to catch the girl before she went to her homeroom. “Hey Kayleigh! What happened to you?”
The girl gave her a half smile, which looked garish amidst the bruises. “So like I was telling Cindy, I was climbing a tree in Central Park…”
“Central Park? In New York City?”
“Uh huh, yeah, in New York. I was showing off how fast I could scramble up there, you know, in a rush, so I didn’t see the squirrel coming at me until he was, like, right in my face! I lost my grip and boom! I end up with a better black eye than the one from tae-kwon-do last month.”
Her friend elbowed her side. “You got thrown out a tree by a squirrel! Classic!”
And a little unbelievable, thought Claire. “What about the cast on your arm?”
Kayleigh scrunched up her face. “So… apparently, the squirrel thought I was after her nest of babies or something, and jumped right out of the tree and landed on my back to keep scolding as soon as I stood up. I spun around trying to get it off me, and tripped and landed on my elbow.”
“Wow! Unbelievable, like something out of a book,” Cindy said with a laugh. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Unbelievable being the operative word for the entire story, thought Claire.
The bell rang through the hallway and Kayleigh started walking backward toward her homeroom, giving Claire one last shrug. “See you in class, Mrs. M. We’ll talk more at lunch, Cindy.”
Claire stood in the hallway, watching until Kayleigh entered the classroom next door. She couldn’t ignore their cryptic conversations any longer, not when there was physical evidence of child abuse. Broken bones weren’t something she could ignore.
But how to proceed? At her old school, the proper chain of command would have her taking her suspicions to the school principal first. She’d been through this sort of situation a few times in the course of her tenure at Stamford, and knew it was important to escalate through proper channels. But given the child was related to Ann MacDonald in some way, she wasn’t sure what the best course of action might be. She needed to be sure of the facts. Confronting Kayleigh’s parents might be the first thing to do, to gather more information before going to the principal. She’d send a note home with the child and request an after-school meeting the following day to get to the bottom of whatever was actually going on with Kayleigh’s home life.
Her own situation with another lying MacDonald could wait until she knew Kayleigh would be safe.
14
Monday, April 27, 9:00 p.m.
Pleasant Bay, Chatham
“What are you still doing awake, sweetie?” Ed pushed Kayleigh’s bedroom door open all the way. His daughter sat up in bed, pillows propped behind her and around the casted arm, cushioning it. He saw the book in her lap, although the lamp on the bedside table barely gave off sufficient light. He flicked the switch next to the door to add the overhead lights to the mix. “You’ll hurt your eyes if it’s not bright enough in here when you’re reading.”
She rolled her eyes as only a preteen daughter seemed capable of. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“Grandma told me about your accident.” He sat on the edge of her bed and gently pushed the hair back from her face, tucking the long strands behind her ear to check the extent of the bruising. “Wow, you really did a number on your face, too. Does it still hurt?”
Kayleigh shook her head. “Not as bad as when Riley punched me by accident at the dojo. But it’s hard to get comfortable in bed when I have to keep my arm up like this. Grandma said I could sit up and read until I got all-the-way sleepy.” She held up the book she’d been reading. “Besides, I didn’t get a chance to finish this over vacation, and I think my Reading Arts teacher knows I’m behind. Plus, we have a test at the end of the week. And double plus, I wanted to see you when you got home from Boston. I missed you last week.”
Ed turned his body to sit parallel next to his daughter, leaning back against the headboard. “I missed you too, sweetie, and I’m sure you’ll do fine on the test. You take after your Uncle Dylan with all your school smarts.”
“I’m not so sure, Dad.” She pulled an envelope from the back of the book and handed it to him. “Mrs. Masters gave me this letter to give to you.”
“Masters? I thought you had Mrs. Philipson for Reading and Language Arts?”
“She had a baby in December, remember?”
“Vaguely.” He took the envelope and opened it, scanning the contents quickly.
“Am I in trouble?”
He lowered the letter to skewer his daughter with his best Dad look. “Should you be in trouble for something, young lady?”
“No way.” She shook her head emphatically. “But, um, I did have a run in with Clarissa and Melanie on the playground today. They were saying mean stuff about Aunt Bella being a gold digger, and I ended up yelling at them. I might have used some words I shouldn’t have.”
“That’s not what this note is about, but I’m glad you told me.” He rubbed a hand across his face, trying hard not to use any words he shouldn’t be using either. Bella had been dealing with negative gossip of one form or another since high school. The current situation was a new twist on an old theme. “There is something else I want to talk with you about.”
“Okay. What’s on your mind, Dad?”
He’d spent a lot of time over the weekend trying to figure out the best way to broach the subject of dating with his daughter. In the end, he decided it had to be short, quick, and matter-of-fact, like ripping off a bandage. But first… “You know I will always love you no matter what, right sweetie?”
She gave another eye roll before putting her book down in her lap and throwing the arm without a cast around his neck for a quick hug. “I love you too, Dad.”
“And you know I’ll always love your mother too,” he added. “You have Mom’s smile.”
“You’ve told me like a million times.” Kayleigh giggled a bit before the smile faded and she took on a serious look. “The thing is, Dad, I know you miss Mom but you need to start dating again. Or at least start thinking about it.”
Ed’s mouth dropped open, unable to form any coherent words. Kayleigh’s blue eyes held him paralyzed in their serious gaze as she continued speaking. “Mom’s been gone three years, and I know she wouldn’t want you to be alone for the rest of your life. You’re still young, I mean, for an old guy. You should start look
ing for someone new, someone who makes you laugh like you used to, you know, before Mom got sick.”
“I don’t... what do you…” Ed cleared his throat and started over, his heart beating faster at the implications of her words. “It sounds like you’ve put some thought into this.”
“When I was in New York with Uncle Dylan and Aunt Bella, they seemed so happy together. They’re always, like, hugging and kissing. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had someone special to do that mushy romance stuff with?”
“You don’t think it might be weird for you?” He tried to keep his voice calm and even, tried to keep any hint of eagerness from betraying his feelings.
“No way. I mean, as long as you didn’t start dating someone totally gross. Which is why I was thinking you might want to start soon, you know, before you get old and it’s too late. I heard Great Auntie Maureen talking about Uncle John at Quinn’s wedding, about how he’s practically over the hill and will never find someone to settle down and marry him.”
Ed frowned at the thought of his aunt putting pressure on her oldest son, just because his siblings had both found their perfect women within the last year. “I wouldn’t worry about Uncle John, sweetie. He’ll get married when he’s ready.”
“Well, you won’t find anyone to marry if you don’t go out on any dates, Dad. I’m not a kid anymore. I know how this stuff works.”
Ed laughed out loud at her frank assessment, and hoped like hell she didn’t know as much about relationships and sex and she was currently pretending. Either way it made the conversation a helluva lot easier than it could’ve been. “So you’d be okay, if maybe I met someone last week while you were away?”
Ed's Blind Date Dilemma Page 10