Читать книгу Unexpected Attraction - Stella MacLean - Страница 13
ОглавлениеGINA HAD VOLUNTEERED to stay at the house in case Shannon returned. The other three took Jake’s car to the airport.
“Let me out here,” Andrea said when they approached the departures area, impatient to get inside.
“I’ll come with you,” Kyle said from the backseat.
“I’ll park the car and be right in,” Jake said.
A rush of cool air enveloped Andrea as they strode through the doors of the Kalamazoo airport and toward the gate area. “Only four airlines are showing on the board, none going to Phoenix,” Kyle said.
Andrea searched the terminal for any sign of Shannon. “I don’t see her.”
“Let’s start with the first airline listed,” Kyle said, heading toward the check-in desk. As they moved closer, Andrea spotted Shannon standing in line.
Letting out a strangled cry, she strode toward her. “What are you doing here?”
Shannon glanced up, a forced smile appearing. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“Don’t be smart, Shannon. Answer the question.”
“As I said in my note, I’m going to Dad’s house.”
“You are not. You’re coming home with me. You and I have a lot of talking to do, and I’m tired of waiting around for your explanation. So get your bag and let’s go.”
“No. And for your information, I don’t have a bag. Dad said he’d buy me new clothes when I get to Phoenix. He’s even taking me shopping for anything I want.”
Fury at Shannon and Scott blindsided Andrea. Yet before she could give vent to the toxic emotion, she sensed Jake’s presence behind her. She turned toward him, saw the compassion in his eyes, and the intensity decreased until she could breathe again.
Shannon followed her gaze. “I remember you, Mr. Polegato. You told me about playing volleyball when you were in high school. You were really kind to me. But why are you here?”
“I was invited,” he said.
“I guess I should thank you for bringing Mom out here so she could be angry with me.”
Jake didn’t respond, but Andrea was stunned at Shannon’s words and tone. After all they had been through together, after all their closeness, how could Shannon want to be with Scott? She’d shown so little interest in visiting him, so why the sudden change? How could she treat Andrea this way? Was this some sort of punishment for all the hours she put in at the office and showing houses? While she acknowledged those absences could make Shannon question her place on Andrea’s priority list, at the same time the job provided Shannon with the lifestyle she enjoyed. So if that was Shannon’s motivation, this immature little stunt needed to end now.
“Let’s go, Shannon. We’re going home,” Andrea said, her patience with her daughter tenuous. When they were in the privacy of the house, they would have this out. She was tired of the hiding and lying.
“Mom, I’m about to check in. We’ll have to have this conversation another time.” Shannon glanced from Andrea to Kyle. “Hi,” she said, a welcoming smile on her lips.
“Hi,” Kyle said, going to stand beside her. “Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?”
“I tried to call you.”
“I know. But there’s been a lot going on. I don’t want you to go.”
“I don’t have a choice. Besides, Dad needs me.”
“To do what?” Andrea interjected, seething at the easy way she’d been dismissed. She had no idea she could be this angry with anyone, let alone her only child.
“Mom, please stay out of this.”
“You need to come home.” She grabbed Shannon’s arm.
“Stop.” Shannon pulled her arm away.
“Let me talk to her for a minute,” Kyle said, barely above a whisper.
“Why?” Andrea demanded.
“Because I need to tell her something.”
What was going on with these two? Andrea glanced between the two teenagers. They were totally focused on each other. “Okay, you’ve got five minutes, and then Shannon’s coming with me, whether she likes it or not.”
* * *
SHANNON TOOK KYLE’S hand then followed him to a quiet corner with two empty seats.
“Hey, what’s all this about?” Kyle asked. “You’re leaving without talking to me? I thought we had a deal, that we’d stick together and figure out what to do. Did your dad really call?”
“No. I had a fight with Chloe. I can’t believe she’s defending Stuart when she saw what he did yesterday. She won’t tell people what he did to me, how he bullied you and me. And after what he did last night—” Reliving those awful minutes made Shannon shake. She rested her hand on her knee and winced at the sudden pain. She’d been awake most of the night with pain, had heard her mom talking to Gina and she was so sorry for all the worry her mother was going through because of her. “I’m afraid of what will happen. I can’t tell Mom because she’ll be so upset. I don’t know what else to do. Going to Dad’s will give me a chance to think things through.”
“Why did you bother calling Chloe?” Kyle asked.
“She’s my best friend. I needed to—” She pressed her fists into her forehead. “I am so angry with her. I just needed to get away. I have that ticket Dad sent me, so...” She shrugged.
“Your mom didn’t know about that ticket.”
“No, she didn’t. You told her?”
“Mr. Polegato said I needed to help with anything I knew. Your mom really cares,” Kyle offered, taking her hand again.
“So that’s how she ended up here. You told her,” she said, hurt that Kyle did it.
“I had to. I don’t want you to go. You need to face these bullies. You can’t run away and ruin your school year, miss out on volleyball and all your friends.”
Shannon wanted to believe him. But if her mother found out that she was gay, that her perfect daughter wanted to come out, to speak up at school...who knew what she’d do? She loved her mother, but she couldn’t face her anger. Not until she figured out how she could deal with everything that was going wrong in her life. Her dad’s place would give her a little time and space to consider her options. She hadn’t told him anything, but she was sure he’d understand when she did. “I know... I’m sorry. I called my dad. He’ll be waiting for me. I can’t let him down.”
“What about your mother?”
Shannon knew only too well that her mother would be really upset with her over going to her dad’s. But she was so tired of her parents not getting along. Did they know that she needed both of them? If only they’d try a little harder to be friendly with each other, things would be better.
“Mom? She grounded me like I’m some little kid. Besides, she made it clear she doesn’t trust me, or you, for that matter. I could tell by the look on her face last night that she didn’t believe our story about me falling.”
“What can I say to convince you to stay?” Kyle asked. “How can I help you when you’re half a continent away?”
Shannon sighed and closed her eyes. “You’ve already helped me so much. I’m so thankful you were with me when Stuart pushed me. If you hadn’t been there I would have been seriously hurt.” She hugged him close, wanting to remember this moment. What she couldn’t tell him or anyone else was that if things worked out with her dad, she planned to move to Phoenix, start over and find her place in the world. Being gay wasn’t a crime; it was simply the way things were. She couldn’t go on denying it.
