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Through her anger she could see that he was sincere, but she didn’t care. She still suspected Scott had arranged for Jake to get involved, but she didn’t give voice to those suspicions. It didn’t matter how he’d come to be here; it only mattered that he not be involved in their lives again. “I don’t want you here. Have I made myself clear?”
Melody touched Andrea’s arm. “We need to talk about Shannon. If you’d rather that Jake isn’t part of the conversation, I’ll respect that. But your daughter is in serious trouble. The school feels we need to support Shannon in whatever way possible. I’m not qualified to give her the help she needs. I want to do what is right for her and for you. That’s why I asked that there be a psychologist at this meeting.”
CHAPTER FOUR (#u8dd8fd6b-42a9-5b36-8e20-667e6610c083)
JAKE SAW THE anger in Andrea’s eyes and realized that not much had changed with this woman in the four years since he’d last seen her. She was still angry, still determined to have her way and still fighting for control. The things he’d found so unlikable about her four years ago were the same traits that would make helping her daughter a challenge no matter who tried to work with her.
Could she not see it was critical to put Shannon’s interests ahead of her own? If they were to help Shannon, they had to focus on her. He kept his expression neutral as he met Andrea’s hostile gaze. When the school had explained the dramatic change exhibited by Shannon Taylor, Jake felt compelled to do what he could to help. Faced with Andrea’s aggressive behavior, he realized that he could not allow this woman to set the agenda. “Your daughter needs your help and support—”
“She has it!” Andrea said, her fists forming balls against her thighs.
Jake held up his hand to prevent her from going further. “Let me finish. Once I do, I won’t say another word. Understood?”
She nodded.
“I’m here for only one reason. I want to help Shannon. You do, too. As does Melody. We’re all here to support your daughter. Agreed?”
Andrea nodded again, although her expression left him with no doubt about her feelings toward him. Seeing the tense set of her shoulders and the fidgeting movement of her hands, he continued carefully.
“It’s in your daughter’s best interest to get to the bottom of what’s going on, wouldn’t you agree?”
Andrea made a small sign of assent, anguish visible on her face, and he felt empathy. Every parent deserved support in dealing with issues around their children. Andrea was no exception. “Let’s try to work this out together.”
“Have a seat, please,” Melody said.
“As long as you do not try to tell me what I should do,” Andrea said to him. “And if I ask you to leave, you will.”
Why was she being so aggressive when her daughter was in serious trouble? But maybe Andrea didn’t know the full extent of the issues around Shannon’s behavior. “Agreed.”
Jake chose a chair next to the wall, making himself as unobtrusive as possible so he could observe the meeting.
“As near as we can determine, Shannon’s problems started about a month ago, around the third week of September,” Melody said after taking a seat. “She didn’t show up for volleyball practice one week and didn’t offer any explanation. After that she often arrived late or seemed distracted on the court. The coach is concerned about her performance on the team.”
Andrea straightened. “Shannon loves to play volleyball. I’m sorry, but I didn’t know about this. I’ll speak to Shannon.”
Jake saw the genuine surprise in Andrea’s expression. If she hadn’t known about this, there was a communication breakdown between her and Shannon.
“I understand your alarm, but there’s more. She and Stuart Jameson were yelling at each other outside the classroom after a math test a week ago. A teacher had to intervene. Shannon has also left the junior prom committee, something she wanted to be involved with when school started in September. She’s been late to class on a couple of occasions, which has never happened with her.”
“I don’t understand,” Andrea said, her voice sounding shaky. “Shannon has never, ever behaved this way. She loved working on the junior prom committee, and I can’t see her yelling at Stuart Jameson unless she had a reason... All I know about Stuart is that Shannon doesn’t like him very much. But if she yelled at him, he had to have said or done something.” She seemed to struggle to maintain her composure. “I drop Shannon off at school most days unless Kyle drives her. How could she be late for school?”
“She didn’t say. We asked her to make up the time. She stayed late to do extra math, the class she missed those days, and it was after one of her makeup sessions yesterday afternoon that the incident occurred.”
“There has to be an explanation.” Andrea rubbed her temples as she mumbled, “This is so not like Shannon.”
Jake wanted to ask if anything had changed at home, if there was anything different in Andrea’s relationship with her daughter. But he had promised not to say anything, aware that she might take his questions as an attack on her parenting, as she had four years ago. They needed to gain her cooperation in addressing these issues before he could take any active role.
Melody shifted uneasily. “Based on your reaction, I’m assuming you didn’t get the phone call I made to your home, and your cell, after the yelling incident with Stuart. I left a message for you to call me.”
Andrea’s expression was one of misery. “No. I didn’t...but sometimes when I get home late I forget to check messages. And it’s been really busy at work and Shannon’s never had trouble in school...” Her voice trailed off.
Melody continued, “She’s had a verbal altercation with Stuart and was injured yesterday in an incident involving at least one of her classmates. We are still trying to determine exactly what happened and who else was involved. We believe that Shannon has problems she hasn’t shared with anyone other than, possibly, Kyle Donahue. Is there any reason you can think of that would have caused these changes in your daughter?” She glanced toward Jake. “Has anything happened at home?”
Andrea shot Jake a look before turning her attention to Melody. “I don’t know what’s going on. Shannon is a wonderful daughter. We have a good relationship. We’re going away on vacation next summer. She’s been fine.” She picked up her purse then stood. “Thank you for telling me about this. I’ll talk to Shannon. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation.”
The school had a responsibility to protect Shannon from harm. They needed to investigate these sudden changes in her behavior to get to the source. Jake had to speak up, to try to get Andrea to see how grave this situation was. “Shannon needs help. I can’t emphasize that enough. These sorts of changes in behavior can be caused by anything from drugs to bullying. Those are serious issues that have an impact on more people than Shannon. We have a responsibility to act in her best interest, and that includes uncovering the facts.”
Andrea’s gaze swept over him, her disdain evident. “She’s my daughter. I’ll look after her. I always have.”
Jake wanted to scream. Could she not see Melody’s genuine concern? Did she not understand the possible ramifications of whatever Shannon was hiding from everyone?
A fleeting expression in Andrea’s eyes told him she knew something...something she wasn’t willing to share.
Deliberately he stepped forward to block her route to the door. He held out his business card and concentrated on making his expression nonthreatening. “You are not alone. A lot of teenagers have issues that can be resolved with a little help. You’ve been given an opportunity here to help Shannon before this situation escalates. And you’ve been offered the support of her school. Why not take it?”
“Does that include your support?” she asked. The defiant tone was in direct contrast to the desperation in her eyes.
“Call me if you need me before the school psychologist gets back.”
She turned the card over in her hand slowly as if considering. He mentally crossed his fingers. As much as he didn’t like Andrea, he felt empathy for her, for her dilemma as a single parent. He saw a lot of parents struggling to do the right thing by their children. He had to believe that when it came down to it, Andrea would do the right thing by her daughter.
She carefully placed Jake’s card in her pocket then stepped around him. Without looking back, she headed down the corridor.
“What was that all about? She clearly doesn’t like you,” Melody asked after he closed the door.
“I was the psychologist who did the professional assessment of Shannon four years ago when the Taylors divorced.”
“I wish someone had told me. It would have been much better if I’d met with her first or waited for the school psychologist.”
Why had he agreed to attend the meeting? Had he really believed he could help, given the history between them?
Admittedly, a part of him had wanted to confront Andrea. It shamed him that the way she reminded him of his wife—a woman who always had to be in control to the point of endangering those she loved—had partially motivated him. If his wife hadn’t been addicted to painkillers, maybe she and his baby daughter might have lived. He had no business mixing his personal life with Andrea’s problems with her daughter.
It had been a mistake coming here, being part of this meeting. He could not be involved in a case in which his personal bias played such an obvious role. He’d been foolish to even think he could be impartial.
The sooner he removed himself from this situation, the better. “I’ve got to get back to the office. If you need me, you have my number.”
“I’ll follow up with Andrea to see if she’s made any progress with Shannon. In the meantime, I’ll be sure to speak to the school psychologist about the case.”
“I hope you can reach out to Shannon and help her.”
Melody shrugged. “I’ll keep trying. I like Shannon, but I’m very worried.”
Jake left feeling like a failure, feeling guilty that he’d not been able to change anything about Andrea’s approach to her daughter. At the same time, he had to face the fact that his feelings about Andrea were compounded by his past.
Yet he would still do his best to support Andrea. A part of him wanted to make up for the emotional pain he’d caused in her life. Given her hostility toward him, it was unlikely he’d ever have that chance.
* * *
TEARS STREAMED DOWN her cheeks as Andrea searched the parking lot for her SUV. She couldn’t remember where she’d parked it. She couldn’t remember anything but the words of the guidance counselor. Shannon was in trouble, and Andrea had known nothing about it. She should have known before anyone else.
Why hadn’t Shannon confided in her? And what was she doing yelling at Stuart? Andrea had heard rumors about Stuart being involved in drugs from one of the other real estate agents she worked with. Why didn’t Shannon trust her enough to tell her what was going on? Andrea spotted her vehicle along the rear fence. She had to get home to Shannon. They needed each other, now more than ever. Her little girl...her only child... In her anxiety she nearly walked into the path of an oncoming vehicle that swerved to miss her.
Pay attention. Get out of here.
She climbed into the SUV and shut the door. The heat was suffocating. Rolling down the window, she took a deep breath and tried to process the meeting.
It had been one of the most frightening experiences of her life. And, once again, Jake Polegato had witnessed her fear and humiliation.
Deep inside she realized that he hadn’t been there to hurt her, but it hurt all the same to know that he would feel justified in his assessment of her.
Would Shannon have been better off with her father?
No. Andrea would never believe that.
Still, she’d been so rude to Jake. She couldn’t seem to stop herself. Yet she had the feeling that he was genuine in his offer of help, and she felt guilty for not being more cooperative. She couldn’t be cooperative right now, though. She needed to get her daughter to tell her the truth. Once Shannon did that, then Andrea would know what she was facing and how they could resolve it.
There was no way she could drive in this condition. She had to calm down, figure out how she would manage the coming days while she and Shannon sorted all this out. She wished she could talk to her mother, but she couldn’t. Not before she had a chance to get the truth from Shannon. She blew her nose and wiped her cheeks.
She’d felt so alone and under siege in the meeting. It had taken every ounce of self-control to sit and listen to examples of Shannon’s behavior—behavior she’d had no knowledge of. And the way the counselor talked about the incident yesterday as if it were a progression, somehow expected...
She saw again Shannon’s bruises and the anxiety on her face. Her little girl had been injured and abandoned while Kyle—Shannon’s supposed friend—had sought the safety of his home and family.
Kyle had left Shannon alone in the hospital without knowing when Andrea would get there. How could he do such a thoughtless thing? What kind of friend was he? She gripped the wheel, seeking to ease the sense of betrayal she felt. Maybe she should call her mother, get her to come over to the house this evening. Shannon loved her grandmother, and Andrea needed someone in her corner right now.
She was about to start the car when she saw Jake headed her way. Should she duck down out of sight? He saw her, hesitated, then came toward her vehicle.
Go away.
No such luck. She worked to put a smile on her face and failed. Why should it matter? Jake’s opinion of her was based on their past experience. Nothing she could say or do would change that.
She adjusted her seat belt, ready to leave the moment he said what he came to say. She rolled down the window. “Did I forget something? I have to get home to Shannon. She’s pretty sore, as you can imagine.”
He stood close to the car door, his piercing gaze locked on her face. She crushed the urge to squirm. She refused to give him any reason to think less of her than he already did.
“You didn’t forget anything. I was just concerned for you.”
“Thank you for caring, even if we both know it isn’t true.”
“Can we call a truce? Shannon’s been through a rough patch, and it would seem there are still issues to be resolved.”
“Are you in touch with Scott these days?” she said, fixing him with a don’t-mess-with-me smile.
He didn’t flinch. “I met Scott only once, and you remember when that was.”
She couldn’t let herself believe him. In her experience that level of coincidence didn’t exist. She looked straight at him, into his chocolate-brown eyes framed with the thickest lashes she’d ever seen. Her breath caught in her throat at the concern and caring she saw. There was no hostility in his eyes, no judgment in his expression. How could that be?
“I promise I will do anything I can to help Shannon. You don’t have to believe me, but I’m guessing that right about now you would like someone to step up and help you. I know you won’t believe me, but I’m not in league with your ex-husband.” He placed his hand on the window’s edge—a strong capable hand, she noted. “I have no agenda, only to help Shannon if you’ll let me. As I said before, if you need me, I’ll be there. You can count on that.”
She was caught between his concern and her fear that she would be naive to believe him. “Why are you so concerned? You know I don’t like you. And I know you think I shouldn’t have custody of my daughter.”
* * *
JAKE WANTED TO walk away from this irritable woman. He wanted to tell her that her behavior was churlish and immature. Neither action would accomplish anything. He was beginning to see why Shannon might not have been willing to confide in her mother, a woman who clung to her opinions despite information to the contrary.
Unless something altered the situation, Shannon and Andrea would resolve little over the next few weeks. But he’d just sworn off any involvement with this situation, so why didn’t he walk away?
Because you’re attracted to determined, strong-willed women. You believe you can sway their opinions, change their attitudes.
He almost squirmed at the uncomfortable knowledge he was attracted to Andrea. Wrong time, wrong place, wrong woman.
Pushing the thought aside, he noticed she stared at him with a nervous expression. Should he push her to accept his help? Or maybe he could persuade her to listen to her daughter, to encourage Shannon to share her feelings. It would make it easier for Shannon to be more open.
No. He couldn’t be involved. His decision in the counselor’s office was the right one. “Okay. Fine. Have a nice day.”
She looked surprised. “I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude,” she said, a tiny furrow forming between her blue eyes.
The way she looked at him, the open vulnerability in her eyes startled him. He’d never imagined Andrea would apologize to him. “You have so much to contend with at the moment, and I understand how difficult this is for you.”
“Do you?” she asked.
“Well, not personally, but as a child psychologist I am accustomed to dealing with teenagers,” he said, “and listening to their parents.” He wondered if she’d accept his invitation to talk.
Andrea hesitated, her hands clinging to the steering wheel.
In that unguarded moment, he saw a woman embedded in a crisis she was struggling to deal with. He wanted to once again offer his support, but she was an adult and she had his business card. All she had to do was reach out to him. Somehow he knew she wouldn’t do that. Andrea’s pride wouldn’t allow her. “Drive safe,” he said before turning and walking away.
* * *
ANDREA WATCHED JAKE leave and wished she could have kept him talking to her. How strange was that? She didn’t like him. She didn’t trust him—Well, maybe she trusted him a little, but that hardly counted. As she focused on his broad shoulders, his long stride, she faced the truth. She wanted to talk to a man who understood what it was like to deal with a teenager in trouble.
She needed to unburden her heart, to seek relief from all the turmoil wreaking havoc inside her. But she was also afraid that he’d uncover a flaw in her, in her parenting that would prove she hadn’t been the kind of mother she fervently wanted to be. To expose her feelings, her concerns to a man she didn’t trust was senseless.
With a sigh she drove out of the parking lot. She followed the tree-lined streets to the parkway leading toward her subdivision. She loved this street, the only route that led directly to her home. She loved the trees, the shady areas like tiny alcoves along the curbs, the brightly colored town houses and condos. It all seemed so upbeat and inviting, a balm to her worry.
Andrea parked in the garage and shut off the engine. She had stopped at the local bakery and bought Shannon’s favorite bagels, a peace offering of sorts. She had rehearsed how she’d start this conversation. If all went as she planned, Shannon would do the talking.
Sitting alone in the vehicle, her eyes aching from lack of sleep, she wished with all her heart that she didn’t have to face her daughter. Not this way with so much at stake. If she were perfectly honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she was ready for the truth from Shannon. Knowing her daughter, there had to have been something pretty serious going on in her life for Shannon to behave the way Melody Chapman described.
Yet she couldn’t put this off any longer. She grabbed the bag of bagels then headed inside.
In the kitchen she saw the peanut butter out on the counter, along with a loaf of bread, its remaining slices spilling from the plastic bag. A spike of irritation at Shannon’s thoughtlessness hit. She couldn’t clean up after herself? Especially now?
Andrea checked the bathroom, the den, but found no sign of Shannon. Had she left the house without telling her? “So much for grounding her,” she muttered. She dug her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Chloe’s number. Maybe Shannon had gone there. Chloe answered on the fourth ring.
“Is Shannon with you, Chloe?”
“No,” Chloe said her voice trembling.
