Читать книгу Unexpected Attraction - Stella MacLean - Страница 11

CHAPTER TWO

JAKE POLEGATO TOOK a moment to calm the disbelief and anger building in him as he observed the behavior of these two very difficult parents. For two months he’d been working with this family to give their daughter a chance to express her needs. She was a seventeen-year-old private-school student struggling to get her parents to accept who she was and what she wanted out of life. The parents couldn’t address each other without yelling and screaming, behavior that clearly upset their daughter.

She wanted to go to the University of Michigan and study genetics rather than the Ivy League school they were pushing her to attend. She wanted to make a difference in the world, not continue living the pampered lifestyle her family espoused. What had started out as a disagreement had escalated into a standoff between the parents, Jessica and Don Parker, and their only daughter, Elaine. He turned to the father whose sullen expression he found particularly annoying today. “Don, do you hear the excitement in your daughter’s voice when she talks about the class visit to the university’s department of genetics?”

“Yeah, Dad, I would really love you to meet Mr. Duncan, the professor who’s heading up all the research I’m interested in.”

The father swung his gaze to his daughter. “You can take genetics at lots of different universities, don’t you know that?”

“There you go again, Don, trying to belittle what Elaine wants,” Jessica yelled, her face red, tears dampening her high cheekbones.

“Okay, let’s try to remain civil here. Each of you feels the other isn’t listening, but this can’t be resolved until each of you is ready to simply hear what the other says. Now, let’s give Elaine a chance to explain one more time why she loves the field of genetics.”

As he tried to find common ground, Jake was reminded of another case he’d been involved in, one that had haunted him since he’d offered his opinion four years ago. This afternoon he’d received a phone call from the guidance counselor at the local high school, asking him to be part of a meeting involving the young woman from that case. She’d been in some sort of altercation in which she’d been injured. The school psychologist was ill and he’d requested that Jake attend tomorrow’s meeting in his stead.

As Elaine finished her explanation, he turned to Mrs. Parker, took a deep breath and used a gentle, inclusive tone when he addressed her. “Can you speak to what your daughter has just said? How you feel about it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why don’t you rephrase what your daughter just told you in your own words? It would give you and Elaine a chance to understand each other better.”

As he proceeded to engage with the Parkers his mind kept going to the call he’d gotten. The school had identified recent issues with the teenager that, when combined with the incident today, had the administration worried. She was a high achiever both scholastically and in extracurricular activities but was now getting into fights and not doing well in class.

The student’s name was Shannon Taylor—a name he wasn’t likely to forget. His testimony and opinion had nearly resulted in Shannon living with her father and leaving her mother behind. After observing Andrea Taylor—a mother whose obsessive need for control had manifested in explosive bouts of anger that raised Shannon’s anxiety—he’d felt compelled to suggest Shannon live with the father, who seemed much more easygoing and less controlling.

At the time it seemed like the best recommendation, but he knew in his heart that he’d acted out of his own deep-seated fears. The year before he met the Taylors, his wife, Maria, a strong-willed, brilliant psychologist and his business partner, had died giving birth to a daughter who had never drawn a breath. Maria had been addicted to painkillers as a result of a car accident and had refused treatment for her addiction, yet Jake hadn’t taken precautions to prevent a pregnancy. He’d failed his wife and his daughter.

An outburst from Don Parker forced his mind back to the issues at hand. “I think what I’m going to get each of you to do is to write down the reasons for and against Elaine going to the University of Michigan. I want each of you to give two reasons why it’s a good idea and why it’s not.”

“It’s not a good idea,” Don Parker said emphatically.

“Just be willing to remain calm and do as I ask,” Jake said, glancing at each in turn to get their consent to what he considered to be a very simple exercise. He’d run out of ideas with these parents and was quite frankly willing to admit defeat if something didn’t change soon.

Watching Don Parker’s angry approach, he was reminded of another parent’s similar response.

When faced with Andrea Taylor’s behavior and her anger about his role in the child-custody issue, he’d been reminded of his wife and her response when confronted with someone who didn’t agree with her. He couldn’t help but feel that Andrea, like Maria, was intolerant of anyone else’s opinion.

He shouldn’t have let similarities to his wife have any role in his assessment of Andrea Taylor. His personal feelings were not relevant to the case. That his past behavior still sparked guilt, made him all too aware of his fallibilities.

The last time he’d seen Andrea Taylor, she’d been very angry. While he could understand her reasons for feeling that way, he did have to take into account the fact that she had anger issues and hadn’t sought any form of professional help to deal with them. She didn’t have problems with drug use. And as far as he knew, she was now a successful real estate agent who worked hard to provide a good life for Shannon.

But four years ago Shannon had been a child struggling with her parents’ acrimonious divorce, which made her frightened not only of the future but also of her father moving away and her mother’s sudden outbursts. Andrea had been a very driven woman determined to control all aspects of her daughter’s life.

He hoped things had changed since then. Still, he wasn’t looking forward to meeting her again.

He refocused on the parents in session with him now, wanting to yell at them. He wanted to shout how lucky they were to have a daughter, how good their lives could be if they would only stop and listen to what their daughter wanted out of life.

Instead, he calmly reminded them of the listening strategies they had agreed upon last session.

* * *

WHILE SHE WAITED for Shannon to return, Andrea’s loneliness pressed around her like a blanket. She remembered Shannon’s first day at kindergarten—how impossibly empty the house had seemed when Andrea returned from walking Shannon the two blocks to the school...

Her cell rang.

“I got your message, and I’m on my way from Chicago.” At the sound of her mother’s voice, Andrea’s anxiety eased. “I’ll be there in a couple of hours. How is Shannon?”

“She’s been checked over, a few tests run and I’m taking her home soon.”

“How are you doing?” her mother asked softly.

“I’m—I’m worried. Scott called me, and he’s angry.”

“That man! What is the matter with him?”

Andrea rubbed her forehead, her mind racing over the past few hours. “You know Scott. Nothing’s changed.”

“Listen, honey. Forget him. You take care of yourself. I’m sure everything will be fine. Tell Shannon I love her and I’ll see her as soon as I get back in town. In the meantime, if you need anything, my cell phone is on.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Andrea said, pushing her hair off her face. “Call me when you get home.”

“I will.”

Andrea hung up. What was taking so long? Had they found something? Were they consulting with another doctor? She wasn’t very good at waiting for anything, but especially not in this situation. She leaned against the wall just inside the cubicle.

If anything was wrong with Shannon, Andrea would have to get Scott involved, something she dreaded. As usual, she hadn’t gotten anything remotely like kindness from him, but maybe if she’d tried a little harder, she might have been able to calm him.

She clutched her cell phone, checking for messages. None. Scott could have called back if he was so concerned about Shannon. Thinking about her ex made her head pound and her neck tighten. Why did this have to happen now, when her life was going so well and Shannon seemed so happy? Shannon’s sudden interest in talking to her father felt like a betrayal of the relationship they’d built. Andrea tried to move her thoughts away from Scott but couldn’t escape the hurt that one phone call sparked. She feared Scott would use this incident to drive a wedge between her and Shannon.

If Scott saw this as a chance to take Shannon to join him and his new wife and children, knowing Shannon’s desire for a family... Andrea took a deep breath to ease the foreboding feeling inching its way around her heart.

She was so tired of the pressure of being in charge, of being the one responsible. She’d give anything right now to have someone to rely on, to help her get to the bottom of what was going wrong in Shannon’s life. Why hadn’t Shannon talked to her? Was she in shock? Could she have a head injury? Something was desperately wrong because, to Andrea’s knowledge, Shannon had never done anything even remotely like this before. Shannon loved school, and all her school activities. Shannon had always shared everything with her, and even now she couldn’t help but believe that given time Shannon would tell her everything leading up to the fall that landed her in the hospital. But how could she be sure? She hated going behind her daughter’s back to discover what was really going on, but she would if she had to. Exhausted, she tilted her head back to keep the tears from flowing.

There was a rustling sound as the nurse approached her. “Mrs. Taylor, Shannon’s tests were normal and she is ready to go home. I’ll run through the discharge instructions with you.”

Andrea followed the nurse to where Shannon sat slumped in a wheelchair, her hands in her lap, her head down.

“Shannon has several cuts on her knee, which we’ve dressed. Those dressings can come off in a couple of days, unless there’s further bleeding. Check in with your family doctor if you have any concerns.”

“Thank you,” she said as her gaze moved to her daughter, seeking signs of how Shannon was feeling. Shannon had always been such a stoic child, but tonight might have changed that.

“We’ll get you home and tucked into bed. We’ll talk about all this tomorrow when you’re feeling up to it,” she said, pushing the wheelchair ahead of her.

Shannon tossed her long blond hair off her face, stared up at her mother from the wheelchair and squared her shoulders. “What happened was no big deal. I fell and Kyle was there to help me,” she said as if annoyed by her mother’s presence.

Andrea saw the shift in her daughter’s gaze and had this awful feeling that she was lying. But she didn’t know what to say, how to approach her over this. “You could have been seriously injured, Shannon,” Andrea said, surprised at her daughter’s dismissive tone.

Shannon grabbed the wheels of the chair, stopping it, and jumped up. “I want to walk,” she said, her voice matter-of-fact. There was a pronounced limp as she hurried away.

“Shannon, wait for me,” Andrea called as she followed her toward the entrance.

She caught up just as the automatic doors leading to the parking lot whirred open. “Wait here. I’ll bring the car around.”

Shannon scanned the parking lot. “No, I see it,” she muttered, wincing as she stepped off the curb.

Andrea’s concern mixed with irritation. Pushing aside her feelings, they headed toward the SUV, Andrea clicked the remote door opener and climbed into the vehicle. Shannon got in the passenger side and snapped on her seat belt as she groaned in pain.

“Are you okay?”

“It’s the seat belt. I hit my shoulder when I fell.”

Andrea’s breath stalled in her throat at the image of her little girl being hurt. She reached across the seat and hugged her daughter. “Oh, sweetie, I’ve never been so afraid in my life as when the call came saying you were here.”

“Mom, I’m sorry for worrying you. I didn’t mean to,” she whispered before kissing her mother’s cheek.

They held each other for a few moments, their closeness an instant reassurance. If Shannon was hiding something, not telling her the truth, it would work itself out once they were home. If necessary, she and Shannon would stay up all night to talk this out. They’d done it before during the divorce proceedings.

She hugged Shannon again before settling in and buckling her seat belt. “Let’s go home. I’ll make a pitcher of peach smoothies—” Shannon’s favorite “—and we’ll watch a movie together. What do you say?” Andrea turned into the flow of traffic while she watched Shannon out of the corner of her eye.

“I’d rather just go to bed.” Shannon pulled her cell phone out of her knapsack.

“Who are you calling?” Andrea asked as she changed lanes before stopping at a red light.

“Kyle. I want to tell him I’m okay, that I’ll see him at school tomorrow.”

She was still waiting for her daughter to explain what happened, and all Shannon could think about was her friend? “Kyle?”

“Yes, Kyle.” Shannon hit Call and put the phone to her ear.

Indignation rose like a balloon to fill the space around Andrea’s heart, zapping her already-frayed nerves. “Shannon, put that phone away. Now!”

“Mom! I’m calling Kyle.”

“No. You’re not. Besides, you can’t go to school tomorrow. You need to rest.”

Shannon rolled her eyes and clicked the end button. “Mom, stop being so melodramatic. I fell. End of story.” She gave a disgusted sigh. “Why are you making such a big deal about it?”

“A big deal?” Andrea glanced at her daughter. “I get a call to come to the emergency room because my daughter has been injured, and it’s no big deal?”

Shannon smoothed her hair around her cheeks, hiding her face.

“What is going on with you?” Andrea asked, unable to keep the anger out of her voice. “And if you’re so anxious to talk to Kyle, why won’t you talk to me?”

Shannon turned her head so quickly her hair swung out around her face. “Mom! Stop it! See? This is why I called Dad. You’re so unreasonable,” Shannon said, indignation adding emphasis to her words.

For a few moments, Andrea couldn’t speak. Hurt led the surge, followed quickly by disbelief that her daughter would confide in Scott and not her. “You called your father without talking to me first.” She forced the words past her taut lips.

“Because I knew you wouldn’t call him, and I wanted Dad to know.”

“Shannon, I would have called your father after I could assure him you were okay.”

“Why can’t I call my dad?” she demanded. “I’m going to call him when I get home.”

“Do you expect him to come? To leave behind his precious life with his new family and come to look after you?” The second the words were out, Andrea wished she could take them back. “Shannon, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say—”

“For your information, I didn’t expect Dad to come here. Not with you hovering around me!” she yelled.

“Shannon, I didn’t mean to upset you, but you should have called me and told me where you were and what was going on.”

“The nurse told me she’d called you and you were on your way. As for Dad, I just needed to talk to him. Can’t you understand that?”

Wanting to wipe the anxious expression off her daughter’s face, she softened her tone. “Of course I can. Look, let’s forget all this and go home. You’re safe and that’s what matters.”

“Mom, there’s something else I need to tell you, and I don’t want you to be mad at me for doing it.”

“What’s that?” Andrea asked, her nails digging into the steering wheel.

“Kyle and I are talking about going away on March break. I might go to Dad’s—”

“No!” Andrea said without thinking.

“Mom. I have a right to see my father.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” She struggled to remain calm. “Shannon, we can talk about this later.”

Shannon slumped in her seat, pressing her palms to her forehead. “I’ve made you angry, haven’t I?”

“Not angry so much as concerned.” Had Shannon and Kyle started dating? “Is Kyle going with you to your father’s house?”

“Of course not. He has family in Phoenix, and he thought it would be fun to visit them,” Shannon said.

Did Shannon’s sudden interest in visiting her father have something to do with Kyle? “If you and Kyle are involved, it’s okay. I really like him.”

Shannon gave a long sigh and closed her eyes. “No, Mom. Kyle and I are friends. He’s my math tutor, or don’t you remember? I wish you’d stop trying to find a boyfriend for me. Really. If I wanted a boyfriend, I’d have one. Now, can you stop interrogating me?”

“I didn’t mean to make it sound like an interrogation. But this hasn’t been easy for either of us.”

Shannon didn’t respond.

The only sound was the hum of the car as Andrea drove carefully down their street and into the driveway. Normally, Shannon would have hit the garage door opener on the visor and made some teasing comment about her mother nearly clipping the cedar hedge along the driveway. Not tonight.

As Andrea pulled into the garage, she was certain of one thing. She no longer believed that Shannon’s injuries were the result of a simple fall on the sidewalk. She didn’t believe that Kyle was an innocent bystander. She didn’t believe anything her daughter had told her. It was suddenly very clear that there was something going on in Shannon’s life. Something her daughter was hiding.

Shutting off the engine, she turned to Shannon. “Sweetie, you have to understand that I’m concerned about what is going on with you. The injuries the nurse described couldn’t have been from a simple fall on the sidewalk. You’re too good of an athlete to fall like that. Besides, you have no injuries or scrapes on your hands to prove you put your hands out.”

“I’m telling you the truth. Why don’t you believe me?”

“Shannon, you’re telling me that you hit the sidewalk hard enough to hurt your ribs, your forehead, to scrape your leg and hurt your shoulder. I don’t buy it, not for a minute. I need to know what happened.”

Shannon glared at her, tears flooding her eyes. “Why don’t you trust me? I fell. That’s all.”

There was no way she could let this continue. Knowing what had happened to Shannon left her with no choice but to show her daughter how serious this lack of truthfulness was and that it wouldn’t be tolerated.

Andrea held the wheel with a viselike grip as she stared straight ahead. “Shannon. You leave me no choice but to ground you until you’re willing to be totally honest with me.”

Shannon’s indignant gasp filled the vehicle.