her daughter. As they’d arranged, Gina had taken Shannon to her hair appointment then dropped her off at the house, unaware that Shannon had planned to go out again. All Andrea could figure out was that Shannon had returned to the school, probably with Kyle.
“There’s not much point in staying home when Shannon won’t talk to me.” Andrea rolled up the sleeves of the old white shirt she’d tucked into her faded jeans. She couldn’t be bothered dressing up this morning. She was too tired, and she didn’t have any clients coming in. Last night she’d called the doctor and his wife, explaining that she couldn’t show them the house today, apologized again and rescheduled the showing for tomorrow. She was simply too distracted to do a good job of presenting the property to a prospective buyer.
To ease her mind away from her problems, she had decided to come in to work and make a list of cold calls. She needed more sales if she was to meet her goal for this year. Her plan to take Shannon on a vacation was even more urgent, given the current situation. As she’d tossed and turned last night, she’d decided that a vacation as soon as possible was the best answer. Although it was only the middle of October, maybe she should plan a long weekend for them, or go away during Thanksgiving in November. A vacation away from here would offer the best chance for her and Shannon to put their relationship back on track.
“I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough time. But if it’s any consolation, you and Shannon will work things out together. That’s how you’ve always done it, and this won’t be any different.”
“I hope you’re right.” Gina had two boys who had given their mother a fair amount of grief during their teenage years, and Andrea appreciated all the advice Gina had offered last evening on how to deal with Shannon’s sudden change in behavior. But none of it had mattered in the dark spaces of her bedroom late in the night. She’d gone over everything from the moment she’d gotten the call to their disastrous conversation at home.
She’d finally given up on sleep, gotten up, washed two loads of laundry, made banana muffins then headed in to the office. Andrea had left the house without speaking to Shannon, mostly because her daughter hadn’t yet emerged from her room. While making the muffins, she’d noticed that most of the milk she’d bought yesterday was gone and the peanut butter was still sitting on the counter. Shannon had been up sometime in the night and had eaten her favorite comfort food.
“Shannon wasn’t anywhere in sight when I left, and I didn’t have the courage to go into her room. Quite frankly, I don’t know what to say.” Andrea tucked her purse under the corner of her desk and turned on her computer.
Gina pulled up a chair next to Andrea’s desk. “You’ve got to stop worrying. It’s too hard on you, and God knows you’ve done enough worrying over the past four years to last you a lifetime. Like I said last night, I’ve had huge fights with my boys, taken their phones and grounded them on several occasions. They got over it. Shannon will, too.”
Andrea wasn’t so sure, given the way Shannon had looked at her before she went into her bedroom. And if Scott believed he had a chance at moving Shannon to Phoenix with his new family, he would tell Shannon anything he thought she wanted to hear. Scott hated to lose no matter what the situation was, and custody of Shannon was in his mind a loss. And although it was four years ago Andrea knew that Scott wouldn’t give up trying to prove that he could win in the end.
“Shannon’s never hidden the truth from me...at least not that I know of. As for Kyle, I thought he was trustworthy. He’s been at my house dozens of times. Yet he disappeared before I got to the hospital. Why wouldn’t he stay with Shannon? He’s been so attentive to her lately, I thought they were dating. And Shannon says they want to go to Phoenix on March break next spring. Doesn’t that sound like more than friends to you?”
“It does. Did you know about their plans for Phoenix?” Gina asked.
“Not until last night.”
“Are you okay with her going?”
“No. Especially when she won’t tell me the truth. And God knows what sort of game Scott will play with her. He’s already siding with her about this whole falling-on-the-sidewalk story.”
“Do you suppose he’s angling to get her to stay with him? Maybe he’s discovering how difficult it is to find babysitters for those young kids of his.”
“I can’t even think about that. I mean, I wouldn’t put it past him to try, but I need to sort out the mess in front of me before dealing with him and his schemes.” Andrea sighed in defeat as she thought about Shannon traveling to Phoenix with Kyle. “If part of this is about Shannon dating Kyle, she knows I’d be okay with it. So why wouldn’t she confide in me?”
Gina patted her shoulder. “Now, there’s a familiar feeling. Teenagers! One day they’re our lovely children, and the next they’re like strangers speaking a language we’re only vaguely able to comprehend.” Gina paused. “But Kyle’s an okay kid. I know his mother from church, and she’s always talking about what a good son he is. Maybe Shannon’s need to call Kyle last night was as much of a betrayal to you as her call to her father. Very often when I’d be angry with my boys it was mostly because of their inconsiderate behavior toward me. If you want my opinion, Shannon could have waited to call Kyle today, if she really needed to.” Gina’s look was thoughtful. “And this probably isn’t helpful, but I need to get it off my chest. If I ever see Scott again, I’ll have a few choice words for him. If he’s so concerned about Shannon, why didn’t he call last night?”
“Oh, darn. I meant to call him back.”
“For heaven’s sake, why?”
“To tell him Shannon’s okay.”
“For all you know, he and Shannon have already talked. Why put yourself in the middle of it? Let Shannon see her father for what he is, not what she wants him to be.”
Her first instinct was to protect her daughter from the man she knew Scott to be. But since Shannon had called her father before talking to her, it was up to Shannon to take responsibility for the choices she made. “You’re right. Besides, I’d only get another nasty response from him.”
“That’s better. Stop being his verbal punching bag. Let the two of them work the kinks out of their relationship. It’s not your job to referee.”
Gina’s words made Andrea feel a little less alone. And Gina was right about her relationship with Scott. Andrea was always trying to do the right thing, even when it didn’t make any sense. “She’s probably calling him as we speak.”
Gina gave her a quick hug. “Oh, Andrea, I’ve been where you are. Remember when Simon had his car accident, and how panicked I was?”
“Yeah, I do.” Andrea hugged her back. “Thanks for being here. I’m very glad I have you as a friend.”
“And a business partner, don’t forget.”
“Right,” Andrea said.
Gina tapped a few keys on her computer before turning to Andrea. “Just remember the same qualities that I admired in you when I hired you, and then when you became a partner, are the same qualities that will get you through this.” Gina wagged her finger at Andrea. “You’re smart, caring and determined, and you will get through to Shannon. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I hope so,” Andrea said.
“Listen, why don’t you take the day off? Go shopping
