A Home Come True, page 9
Adams’s advice about trying another way than applying pressure was still fresh enough that it was easy to remember.
“Name’s here, Principal,” the safety officer said and plopped the file down on the counter. “He’s got permission to pick up.”
She smiled and offered him her hand. “I hope we won’t be meeting like this often, Officer Hollister.”
That was all she had to say?
He motioned with his head to get her to follow him out into the hallway.
Before he could get a word out, she shrugged. “He’s not talking. I don’t know what happened, how often he’s been skipping class or what he planned to do to get home. Believe me, I’ve been asking.”
“Can’t you threaten him with... I don’t know, a real detention?” Luke ran a hand down his nape and turned to stare back at the doors that led to freedom. If this turned into one of those Afterschool Specials where he had to be all understanding and wise, he and Joseph were both in trouble.
“I’m not big on threats. I’m not very good at them and they don’t seem to work consistently.” She patted his shoulder. “He gets a warning for this first offense. That’s to give you the opportunity to straighten this out. If it continues, he’ll get proper detention. Eventually, we’ll go to the next step, which will be on his record. The record that will follow him to high school. I don’t want that.”
Luke wanted to be grateful for her understanding, but more than that, he wanted her to fix the problem.
“Kids who move to new schools often take time to adjust. Did you have any trouble like this in his old school?” the principal asked. If he lied, she’d know. Those were the kind of eyes she had, like she could see the truth way deep down inside.
“A little. We moved here to avoid trouble.” Luke would never be comfortable with school authority figures. As a kid, he’d always been on the wrong side, never the honor roll or special awards. He’d done his share of skipping class.
Until Walter Hollister found out and threatened to take his car keys away. Since they spent nearly every weekend tinkering on the Mustang, Luke had been in deep solid love with that car. That made it easier to turn his back on his wild ways. Then Alex had been shot and nothing but the safety of home made sense for the longest time. Until he’d met the policeman who arrested his brother’s killer and decided to become a detective.
The decision had kept the grief and guilt away for years.
Knowing what he was meant to do had made all the difference to Luke’s future. They had to help Joseph make it there.
“Moving was a big step. It’s clear you’re committed to Joseph, but you’re going to have to do something else. Geography didn’t magically solve your problem. It hardly ever does.”
Luke realized that was true for both Joseph and his mother. He’d thought new scenery would lift her spirits, restore her to her old self. Apparently, he was going to have to do more on both fronts.
Principal McKelvy wrinkled her nose. “From what I understand, you’re going to need to look into some tutors. In English, Joseph is a solid C student, but math... He needs some help.”
Luke rubbed the ache in his temple. “Yeah. Got a list of people my mother should contact?”
She tilted her head to the side. “If you can convince her to take on another student, the high school geometry and algebra teacher, Jennifer Neil, works with younger kids. Or she did. Now that she’s rich, I don’t know if the satisfaction is worth the extra time with surly kids.”
Hearing Jen’s name reminded him of catching her watching him from the safety of her front door, framed like a beautiful, expensive picture by her house. He should have seized his chance that day, asked for her help, but there was something about her that made him hesitate.
Almost as if he knew getting too close to her was dangerous. To what? If he knew the answer, he’d feel so much better. Sometimes a man just understood he’d met the fork in the road that could change everything.
Uneasy again, Luke asked, “Surly. Has he given you a lot of attitude?” His mother would not go for that. She’d worked in schools for so long that disrespect to teachers and staff was a hard line her kids learned not to cross.
The principal shook her head. “Any kid forced to do extra work with anyone is a surly kid, no offense to Joseph. He’s been perfectly well behaved this afternoon. I gave him some filing to do. Other than the rhythmic kicking of one sneaker against his chair, he did it without complaint.”
Luke tried to imagine that, his brother elbows deep in manila folders but the picture wouldn’t come. Instead, he could see Joseph riding his bike in circles before finally putting it away, like he’d been asked to do.
The kid had a good heart. They had to figure out what was going on before that good heart was twisted or injured in a way that he’d never recover from.
“Don’t guess you’d like to tell me about any drug or gang problems you have here.” Luke waited for her to deny in a huff that lovely Holly Heights had such a thing.
Every cop knew better.
And this principal was in no mood to pretend.
She sighed. “Well, they’re both isolated and connected. We don’t see much of either but we have had dealers picked up near the school grounds. Low-level players from Austin.” She smiled grimly. “We rely on our friends on the police force to warn us to be on the lookout.”
Luke nodded. He tried not to think too much about Eric, Mike and the Red guy who was clearly connected to something else. His contact on the Austin Gang Task Force hadn’t hesitated when he’d given him the nickname.
“Please tell me Joseph hasn’t had that kind of trouble.” Principal McKelvy’s voice was soft but firm. If he said yes, the way she looked at Joseph would change.
“No, but there was some activity in his old school and one of his buddies from the neighborhood got picked up on possession of marijuana.” Not a big fish, but each tiny step could add up and take a kid to a cliff he had no choice but to jump off.
“I guess we can count on you to keep an eye out. For the school and for Joseph, then.” Principal McKelvy checked her watch and gasped. “Oh, man, I am so late. I wanted to get everything refiled but... It’ll have to wait. Let’s get this place shut down.” She bustled into the office. “Tomorrow. The ad for a new secretary goes in the paper or else.”
The safety officer was handing Joseph his backpack when Luke stuck his head around the corner. “Let’s go, J.” He didn’t wait to see if the kid followed him. The principal and the safety officer would sweep him out in their wake if he didn’t make tracks fast enough. When they were both settled in the car and buckled in, Luke glanced over at Joseph and shook his head.
“They were worried you were there to kidnap me, right?” Joseph said in a fake, happy voice. “Good to know the security is top-notch at Holly Heights Middle School.”
Luke tightened his grip on the steering wheel before he backed calmly out of the parking space. When they were on the road that would lead them directly home, Luke said, “What happened?” He was trying for patient. That would be his first tactic. If that failed, he’d go for hostile witness.
“I hate math. I’ve said that, remember?” Joseph didn’t look his way but picked at a small hole in his jeans that would no doubt grow.
“That doesn’t mean you can skip it.” Luke was so unprepared for this kind of conversation. He tried to imagine what Walt would have said in the same situation but the voice wouldn’t come. “What’s with the red mark on your cheek?”
If someone had hit the kid, they were going to have to get to the bottom of this fast. Skipping class was one thing. Violence was something that would keep Connie Hollister awake at night. And Luke was determined to get rid of all those things as fast as possible.
“Bumped the stall. I was in a hurry when I heard the door open.” If he’d had a chance to watch Joseph’s face when he talked, Luke might have a better feeling about whether or not that was the truth. The kid’s voice sounded right, but they’d all had a lot of practice making lies sound like truth before they were lucky enough to find the right foster parents.
Luke stared hard at the empty lots at the front of the subdivision as the car rolled slowly down the street. “What are we going to tell Mom? The truth or the handy lie you’ve already passed her?” He wasn’t sure the right way to go.
Joseph shrugged. “Not much difference, is there?”
“Why do you think it’s the same to let her believe you got in trouble instead of... I don’t even know what you were doing.” Luke grimaced. “Were you going to walk home?”
“I could. I walked that far...before. When I lived at home. I could do it here. There I had to watch for traffic and stuff. Here, what’s going to get me? A runaway cow or something?” Joseph snorted at his own joke.
“Bad people drive cars, you little jerk. They can go anywhere. Get on the school bus. Ride to the end of the street. Get off the school bus. It’s that simple. Or am I going to need to set up some door-to-door service to guarantee you make it home.” Luke squeezed his eyes shut. “And why wouldn’t I have to make sure you actually go to school?”
As soon as Joseph straightened in his seat as if a bright idea had hit him, Luke muttered, “Never mind. The school will call us to let us know you didn’t make it to homeroom. Don’t you even think about it.”
Joseph collapsed against the seat and picked up his backpack, half a second from sprinting from the car as soon as it rolled to a stop.
“We’ll stick with your story. You’ve been tardy too many times but you’re going to straighten up your act and if I have to come pick you up again because you missed the school bus, the ride home is going to be very different. You will be walking, me rolling right beside you, all the way through town. Get it?”
Joseph rolled his eyes. “When are you going to let me drive this thing anyway? Someone should be teaching me so that I can get my license, buy a car and get out of this place as soon as I turn sixteen.”
“Right. Because it’s that simple to buy a car, one that starts and goes and stops like it’s supposed to.” Luke parked in the driveway and clamped a hand on Joseph’s backpack to halt his ejection from the car. “I worked for a full year before Dad said this car was safe to go out on the road, and that was with him helping me every Sunday. You think you’re going to write a check for a new model with all the bells and whistles?” Luke watched his face. “Where’s that money going to come from, J?”
If the kid was dealing drugs, money might seem like no big deal. But that was impossible. In a place like this, everyone would know and after everyone else in town knew, the police were sure to catch on.
The fact that Joseph might not be as disconnected from his old friends as his mother hoped was a concern. Should he tell her?
“I’ll get a job,” Joseph said slowly. “Can’t be that hard. Renita’s got about twenty, all at the same time.”
“Yeah, and you’ve seen the fancy car she bought with all that cash. Seems like I put away the two-wheeled model lying on the driveway. You were there.” Luke let go of Joseph’s backpack. “Go do your homework without forcing Mom to raise her voice and I might show you how to change the oil on this car...in case you ever get one of your own.”
Joseph studied his face, to weigh whether or not he thought Luke was making a promise he’d keep.
He shrugged again to show he couldn’t care less, but still nodded as he slid out of the car.
Luke watched him go inside and then turned to stare at the house across the street. The shiny SUV he’d seen the tiny redhead in was parked at the end of the driveway. Jen was home.
He should go in and reassure his mother that Joseph was fine. Instead, he headed across the silent street and down her long driveway. A large porch stretched across the front of the house. It had no furniture, no plants, no nothing to indicate anyone lived there.
“Not the type for clutter, I guess.” Since his house was all clutter, all the time, this was refreshing. Bare bones, a little sterile, but spacious. Luke stood in the spot where a welcome mat should live and pressed the doorbell.
A split second later, there was barking loud enough to cause a burglar to bolt in the dark of night. He could hear her say, “Good, Hopey. Good dog” in such a goofy voice that he wondered if maybe she had a twin. There was the bad twin he’d always met in person and the good twin who sounded sweet enough to welcome a man home every night with a happy smile and a sweet kiss.
When the dog immediately quieted, Luke was impressed.
When the door swung open, he realized there was no twin. The familiar frown was in place, even if her hair was sleek and stylish to match the ruffled skirt and denim jacket. He was no fashion icon, but her Texas chic was sharp, right down to her cowboy boots.
“What do you want?” she snapped. “I’m making Hope’s dinner.”
The dog tilted her head at him and sat on top of one expensive cowboy boot. In her bandanna, the dog was the perfect accessory for Jen’s millionaire cowgirl look.
He had a feeling this wasn’t going to go well, but he’d come this far. “I have a favor to ask. Can I come in?”
Maybe she wore a frown more often than not, but there was no denying Jen’s face was expressive. She must be a horrible poker player. Surprise melted into curiosity before the hard mask of cynical disbelief settled again on her face. Then she held the door open wider and stepped back.
She was never going to win an award for hospitality, but he needed her help. This had to work.
CHAPTER NINE
THE THING ABOUT being caught off guard was that it was hard to regain your balance. She’d never expected to see Luke Hollister standing on her front porch. The element of surprise, added to his complete and total hero vibe in that police uniform, was enough to force Jen to step back.
That was the only reason she’d allowed him inside. Obviously.
“This won’t be a long visit, right?” Jen asked, frozen in front of him. No weakness. He’s not a nice guy. Let him make his case and show him how the door works.
“Probably not, but I’d love to have the full tour.” He met her stare directly, a patient curl of his lips the only clue that he was prepared to wait her out.
His careful study, all directed at her, filled her with a restless energy and sent a pleasant but unfamiliar awareness through her. That was a very good reason to get him out of there quickly.
“The favor. Hit me with it.” She paused next to Hope’s couch. Jen hadn’t quite decided if the thing would have a permanent home here or not, but her dog seemed to like it.
“Nice place. I like what you’ve done with it.” Luke turned in a small circle. “Are you planning on renting it out for weddings and proms? Because I’m not sure we’re zoned correctly for that.”
If she’d been a friend of his, that might have been amusing, the little jab at her complete lack of decoration. But they weren’t friends. They weren’t going to be friends.
And the feeling of being two steps behind all the cool kids swamped her. This was why she’d wanted the best, so she’d never have to feel this creeping inferiority.
What does he know? Nothing. You don’t have to make nice with him.
“Funny. This is temporary, of course. The most popular decorator in Austin was working me into his schedule. We’ve parted ways.” Jen pointed at the couch. “He left this and Hope has claimed it. She might let you sit next to her but you will be shedding for days.” Proceed at your own risk, buddy.
Watching Luke perch on the seat she’d vacated was funny. He wiggled this way and that until Hope jumped up beside him. The fact that her dog had found the couch completely sleepable was no good measurement of its comfort. Hope could sleep standing on her head if she had to.
Luke wrapped one arm around the big dog and then leaned back, easing a bit of the tension in the room. That made it easier to unclench her fists.
“I’m not sure how happy the couch is to be here, but I don’t think you should plan on a long-term relationship.” Luke bounced forward and back in the cushions. “This is the least comfortable couch I’ve ever sat on.”
Hearing her own opinion from his lips made it harder to keep her distance. She eased down next to him and was reminded all over again how it felt to sit on a board. “And it’s scratchy, too. What idiot picked this fabric?”
Luke frowned. “Was it the idiot you were paying to choose these things?”
Yes. But she wasn’t going to admit that.
“Sarah and I are going to team up, make this place fabulous. The next time you see it, you’ll be amazed,” Jen said and then realized she’d suggested he was going to be visiting again.
He was not going to be making a habit of dropping in. No way.
“The favor? Your chances are dwindling and they weren’t that strong to start with.” Jen patted the cushion next to her to try to lure her dog to her side, but Hope was paying zero attention at this point. She’d dropped to rest her head on Luke’s uniformed knee and her lips were already whistling in and out in ladylike snores. So much for her protection.
“My brother. He’s flunking prealgebra. I hear through the grapevine that you used to be a tutor for the middle school kids.” Luke ran a hand down Hope’s back and it was hard to look away. When her dog sighed sweetly, Jen almost knew how she felt.
“I was, but not anymore. I don’t have any trouble paying my bills, so now I have hobbies and...things.” Jen stared hard at her hands. The manicure her mother had talked her into getting still distracted her now and then. The fact that she’d already scraped away the white tip of her pointer finger would have normally enraged her by now, but she was trying to come to terms with the fact that the things that came second nature to some people would always be too much trouble for her. The time it took versus how long it lasted? No, thanks.
