over a long evening.”
“What happened to your new sitter? Lisa said she seemed great.”
“Yeah, well, turned out she was pregnant. Her folks pressured her to go back to the jerk for the sake of the baby.” Darcy made a sour face. “Been there, done that. I told her all that got me was the twins. I predict she’ll learn that it takes more than a baby to save a bad marriage. Why is it so difficult to find a reliable sitter? Constant turnover is hard on my boys.”
“Why not ask Lisa to fill in? That could solve my problem temporarily. If you make it clear she’s not to have friends over, maybe it would discourage this boyfriend thing.”
“You think this kid will dump Lisa if she stops mooning over him at his baseball games? Wouldn’t surprise me. Men want all the attention focused on them.”
“Well, Lisa needs college money. And she loves sitting for your boys.”
“I’ll phone her when I get home. Do you think she’ll still be awake? And what about her shifts here?”
“I’m sure Max will work around your schedule. Lisa plans to be an elementary school teacher. She loves doing creative stuff with your boys.”
“So do I. Unfortunately I’m usually too tired. Everything falls on me since Kevin sailed off into the sunset with his most recent bimbo. Honestly, how can I expect the boys to grow up when their dad hasn’t? You haven’t heard the latest. She’s barely out of her teens, but she has boobs out to here.” Darcy cupped her hands away from her chest. She was still built like the runner she’d been when she first married Kevin. “Come let me out. It upsets me to talk about Kevin. He’ll never change.”
Rebecca lingered at the door. “It’s not fair that you have to work two jobs to provide for his boys, and he gets to squander his money on a yacht to impress other women. Have you talked to your lawyer about upping his support?”
“She tells me boats are intangible assets.” Darcy grimaced.
“You mean if I sell my house and buy a boat my kids will qualify for college grants?”
“Raising kids on a boat isn’t practical. And you do everything possible to give your kids a nice, normal life.”
And that, Rebecca decided after Darcy left, was the bottom line—even if Lisa suddenly didn’t agree.
Which she didn’t. When Rebecca wearily dragged herself in on the dot of midnight, Lisa was still angry.
“It’s late and we’re both tired, kiddo. All I’m going to say is that I consider it important that we eat together as a family. You let us down today, not to mention blowing off family time to attend an athletic event I knew nothing about.”
“I didn’t tell you,” Lisa said, slamming her pencil down on the kitchen table, “because I wanted to avoid this argument. It’s not Ryan’s fault you and Daddy had a horrid marriage. You are just so biased against men.”
“I am not. Why would you say that?”
“I wonder.” Lisa pursed her lips. “Do you think Jordan and I don’t hear you and Darcy bashing men? Well, mostly Darcy, but you don’t stop her. By the way, she phoned asking me to babysit. I’m sure you had her say I can’t invite Ryan to her house.”
Rebecca’s casual shrug was the same as an admission. “You turned her down?”
“No, but I have a question. How will her boys or Jordan learn to be good husbands and fathers if all they hear is you and Darcy griping about the men you married?”
“I beg your pardon? When have I ever griped about your father?”
“If he’s not a sleaze, why can’t we see him? I’ll bet he left because you nagged. Or maybe because you cheated on him.”
“I don’t owe you any explanation, young lady. And as for me being unfaithful…that’s not even close. Anyway, this isn’t about me, Lisa. It’s about you. I work two jobs so you can have a stable life. You need to do your part by not letting your grades slip.”
“Everything always comes back to you and your jobs.”
“Yes, it does. I make no secret of the fact that my lack of education was a drawback. That’s why I nag you. A woman, especially, needs college so she can support a family should her marriage fail. You’ve seen how many marriages fall apart.”
“But all my friends at school have boyfriends, and they’re still planning to go to college. Ryan Lane is the nicest boy I’ve ever met. You can’t stop me from seeing him. If I can’t bring him home, Mother, I’ll meet him someplace else.” Grabbing her books, Lisa stalked from the room.
Rebecca sagged. So much for thinking she could reason with her daughter. Come hell or high water, she needed to contact Ryan Lane’s father.
Chapter Two
DURING A BREAK between morning clients at the salon the following week, Rebecca called Lisa’s school counselor. Mrs. Feldman agreed with Rebecca that Lisa’s infatuation with Ryan Lane was probably the main reason behind Lisa’s slipping grades. As they chatted, Rebecca found out a bit more about the Lane family. Grant Lane had recently retired from the air force as a colonel and moved to San Antonio with his two children, Ryan and a young daughter, Brandy.
After the conversation with the counselor, Rebecca got the Lanes’ number from directory assistance. Determined to solve this issue parent-to-parent, Rebecca dialed before she could get cold feet.
GRANT LANE, who’d just transferred a load of his daughter’s clothes from the washer to the dryer, walked into his kitchen to pour his first cup of morning coffee. The phone rang. He grabbed it, worried that something had happened to Ryan or Brandy.
“Hello.”
“Mr. Lane, my name is Rebecca Geroux. I don’t know if you’re aware, but your son, Ryan, and my daughter, Lisa, seem to be dating. Until recently, my daughter was a straight-A student. Now her grades are slipping, and I believe it’s because she’s infatuated with your son.”
“I’m sorry, who is this?”
“I’m Lisa Geroux’s mother, Rebecca. I’m calling from work, so unfortunately I can’t talk long. The thing is, Mr. Lane, Lisa needs to keep her grades up in order to qualify for college scholarships. Frankly, Ryan is a huge distraction. I’m appealing to you, hoping you’ll influence him.”
Grant took a slug of the hot coffee to jump-start his brain and let him piece together the choppy facts the woman threw at him. It was news to him that Ryan had a girlfriend. They weren’t exactly on the greatest terms. Anyhow, Ryan was almost eighteen. Grant would worry if he didn’t have girlfriends. “Well, Mrs. Geroux, I’m happy to hear Ryan has made friends, being new in San Antonio and all.”
“This is getting out of hand. Lisa’s never cared for sports, and now she’s throwing away valuable study time watching your son play baseball. It’s also come to my attention that after the game, when Lisa’s supposed to be babysitting for one of my co-workers, Ryan takes her—well, all of them—to a fast-food restaurant where they waste several hours she could use for studying. Are you saying this
