by Siera London
At the mention of professional intervention, Autumn saw the immediate change in father and child.
"I can take care of my own child, sheriff."
Autumn's heart ached for this family. She wondered what had happened to make the child behave in such a manner? Children like Simone, troubled or troublesome, were the reason Autumn had chosen a career that merged her two passions, music and counseling. Her junior high school counselor, Mr. Locklayer, had loved jazz. She'd noticed the music piped in through invisible speakers the first time she'd visited his office. After a few months, he began explaining each section of the piece and educating her about the art form and the artists. He played a new piece every time she came for a session. Pretty soon, he was mentoring her, not just in music, but through her difficult home situation.
It was none of her business, but Rui seemed like a good father. He'd have some stiff words for his daughter. She hoped Simone appreciated her father's presence in her life. Autumn had only seen her father once. It had been by accident. She’d come home from school early to hear a man's voice, harsh and demeaning. Tears streamed down her mother’s face as she begged him to stay, to love her. She promised she’d do whatever he wanted, but he'd left moments later. It was the first and last time Autumn saw the stranger who’d given her life. A week later, her mom had dropped Autumn, one suitcase, and twenty dollars at her aunt's one-bedroom apartment in Chula Vista. She'd been nine. Seventeen years later and here she was, that same unwanted little girl, trying to find a place to fit in.
Rui's face was kind, but stern as he regarded his child. Hard to believe this little goddess of mischief had a father as compassionate and kind-hearted as Professor Rui Conners.
The sight of Rui pulling his daughter in for an embrace tugged at her heartstrings. The child instantly rested her head on her father's shoulder, clinging like Scarlett O'Hara to the last turnip on a desolate southern plantation. It was then that Autumn noticed the satisfied gleam in Simone's eyes.
The sheriff stood watching from beyond the glass, a frown on his face, shaking his head.
Realization dawned. This kid had her father wrapped around her finger. All the soft edges that Autumn felt toward this pair dropped like a bowling ball.
Autumn opened her mouth, prepared to strike this dynamic duo right between the eyes. Rui Conners needed a swift kick to the backside if he fell for this theatrical production.
Then he looked at her. "Forgive me for being so rude. I was so worried about my daughter...and you. Are you okay, Autumn?"
He knew her name. Dear angel of secret crushes, the sexiest professor on campus had stared deep into Autumn's eyes and uttered her name. Everything inside her froze.
"It is, Autumn, right? Your name," Rui asked. "Did I get it wrong?"
Nope. Autumn don't do it, she chided herself. Not under any circumstances is it okay to let this adult male off the hook for his child's behavior. Give him a piece of flaming hot junior-college educated mind. His daughter had wrecked her morning routine, and now she was about to be late for class. Regarding the rent, she’d ask the Tate’s for a loan. Hopefully, Ivy would agree if Autumn promised to repay the money.
She met his gaze boldly, and then narrowed her eyes. "Yes, my name is Autumn. And it's about time...,"
To her annoyance he smiled, "It's nice to finally meet you, Autumn,"
A funny thing happened. All that junior-college witty comeback stuff slipped right out of her head.
* * *
Rui would've recognized Autumn, even with the wide-eyed expression on her face. He’d memorized every detail of her features. With her expressive brown eyes, she was the most exquisite creature Rui had seen in years. The first time he'd spotted her sweetheart face had been on campus, maybe eight months ago. Since then the sexy sitter had been making random pop-ups, like those pesky websites fishing for his email address for some newsletter subscription. Ignore her he told himself, but at least twice a week he’d walk through the doors of No Limit hoping to get a glimpse of her. In the last few months she’d been scarce around the bar, but on the rare occasion when their eyes had met, hers shot fire in his direction.
He regarded her.
Shorter than his six feet by a several inches, Autumn was all toned curves, bright smiles, and sandy brown natural curls. His heart started to pitter-patter. A thin dry-weave tank clung to her small chest, outlining her twin mounds. The fluorescent green fabric hung damp over her flat abdomen, sticking in places. Rui wished she wore a garbage bag dress and a mop bucket hat, it would be less distracting than seeing the sleek outline of her body. Toned thighs and calves filled out her stretchy dark blue and fluorescent green leggings. Matching running shoes with a familiar swoosh logo adorned her feet. How could he have missed her standing so close, breathing in the same air entering his lungs? The tight line formed by her full fall berry-colored lips indicated he'd upset her. Honestly, he looked forward to whatever she wanted to throw at him, but...duty called. So, Rui did something he rarely did when dealing with women, he finished her thought.
"It's time for us to go."
Her pregnant pause morphed into hands bare of nail color planted on her round curves. "Well, that's just great. Simone tries to steal my car and I am the one stuck without a ride."
Well, that he could fix.
"Come with us," he offered.
She did the cutest little double blink before wrinkling her slightly upturned nose. Had he surprised her?
"You'll have to take me to my car."
The request was delivered with caution as if he would refuse. Rui had no doubt Simone had instigated whatever happened involving the car. Considering his daughter’s antics had served as the catalyst, of course, he would take Autumn back to her - wait... Rui looked over her head to the plain-faced clock over the entrance door. Five minutes to class time.
"We have to get Simone to school, and then on to the university."
"But,"
"Why do we have to give her a ride?" Simone protested. "She was running when I met her."
Rui gritted his teeth, embarrassed by his daughter's blatant disregard for her role in Autumn's predicament.
He cut her off before she could say more.
"Perhaps, you'd like to join her since you entered her car without permission."
Now both females shot fiery darts at his head.
To Autumn he said. "I promise I'll take care of whatever you need after Simone is in class."
She'd probably walk away now. Seemed everything he did drove women running in the opposite direction. Even during his marriage, Kirsten invented ways to stay away.
"My class starts at nine-forty, too. You won't make it in time."
Rui waved a hand at Keith and then escorted his precious cargo outside. Autumn sat next to him, a soft smile on her face. He could hardly believe his luck. He’d dreamt of ways to strike up a conversation since her arrival in town. Now she occupied the normally vacant spot next to him.
"All buckled in?" he asked, just wanting to hear her voice.
With a slight tilt of her head, Autumn gave a nod. "Yes, sure am," she said, giving the seat beat little tug.
Simone wore her headphones in the backseat, so she didn't respond. His daughter loved her music. Just like..., he stopped himself from expounding on the thought. Instead, he focused on Autumn. This beautiful woman had maintained her cool while he handled things at the sheriff’s office. It made him admire her more. Rui wanted to know everything about her: the foods she liked, the type of places she visited, what brought her to Endurance. There were a lot of men in town, many of them single fathers like him. Maybe, she was looking for a husband. He had a gut feeling that Autumn Raine would be a good wife, one who would honor her commitments.
"Then we're off," he replied.
Rui would raise his daughter to honor her commitments, education, family, and marriage. Growing up the son of a statesman, Rui had spent a significant portion of his childhood abroad. His father, a Virginia farm boy with a master�
�s degree in International Policy, had met his mother, a Hong Kongese administrative assistant, during a two-year assignment as consulate general. After marrying, Zhen Conners had become a full-time wife and mother, dedicated to caring for her child and building a solid marriage. Thirty-four years together and his parents were still very much in love.
Foolhardy, when Rui met Kirsten he’d believed most women wanted the life his mother had. Simone would not be like her mother. She wasn't. Yet, when he looked at her, Kirsten had stamped her DNA on every part of their child. He blew out a breath. Simone's antics had disrupted their lives and others more in the past twelve months than all her eight years. He'd asked his daughter if anything was wrong, but she denied anyone bullying her at school. He knew that the kids teased her about not having a mother. He tried to be available as much as possible, but he had a full-time schedule at the university. There was no way he could cut back on his hours. He had a mortgage, a car payment, a college fund, music lessons, and gymnastics would start next month. Again, he needed three hands. A nanny would help, but Rui admitted that his daughter could tempt a holy man to abandon his religion.
"I'm sorry about Simone. She's having an elementary-school crisis."
Autumn smiled at that. "Sounds worse than mid-life."
Another reality check. At thirty-one, Rui wondered if love had completely bypassed him. He believed Kirsten would come back home, but...would he settle for a woman who couldn’t commit to her own child? Early on in her tour, he and a then infant Simone had made the fourteen-hour flight to Dublin. Kirsten’s life was so much faster: more lights, more cameras, more action, more men. They loved her; the audience, her crew, her manager. She'd assured him their marriage was rock-solid, but so were the divorce papers he’d received twelve months later.
"You should call your teacher's assistant,” Autumn suggested. “He or she."
"He," he offered, not wanting her to think there was another woman in his inner circle. She dipped her head in acknowledgement.
"He," she parroted, "could start the class until you arrived."
Why hadn't he thought of that? His head was in the clouds. Better than being up his-
"I like you already, Autumn Raine." He loved the smile that spread across her face at the miniscule compliment. He would have to give a few more words of affirmation before she left him.
"I don't," Simone mumbled from the black seat.
Looking over his shoulder, he shot his daughter a stern look. To which, she promptly rolled her eyes. God in heaven, he needed to pray for more patience. Simone's behavior went way beyond troubling this morning. What had changed to trigger this open defiance? He needed to spend some time with Simone and get to the bottom of what was troubling her.
Turning to Autumn, he said, "I apologize."
He sounded like a thirty-three-inch record single stuck on stupid.
Autumn waved him off with an understanding heart. "It's not your fault."
Of course it was. Simone's behavior was a direct reflection on him as a parent. He appreciated Autumn’s attempt to spare his feelings. It made Rui like her even more. He made the call to his assistant.
"Glenn," he spoke through the Bluetooth link after it connected. "Please, start the class. You'll find the exam in the electronic file." He listened, offering the expected yes and hum. Ten minutes passed before he could get Glenn off the phone. Done with that, he whizzed through town and took a sharp right turn onto Saratoga Springs Road. Endurance Elementary sat across from Tommy's Park on Kings Bay Drive. The park ran along the back side of Owen Tate's No Limit Bar & Grille. On occasion he would stop by the bar for one of Ivy Summer's home cooked meals to-go. It was easy to do since he had to pick Simone up from school by four o'clock.
"So, how long have you been in Endurance?"
Autumn turned from the window to face him.
"About eight months. Do you mind turning on some music?"
So, he'd been right. She was relatively new in town.
Rui gestured to the center console. "I have Sirius radio. Pick your poison. So, you like it here?"
She laughed. "Of course, Professor. I picked the place."
He chuckled, realizing how crazy the question must seem to her. "Sorry. Usually I'm a better listener."
After tuning-in to Sirius Love songs, she placed a hand over his where it rested on the gear shift. Rui prayed the voice that haunted his sleep didn't start up.
"No worries," she said, a furrow pulling her brows low. "It's been a rough start for me, too."
Now, why did he get the distinct impression that she referred to more than the run-in with Simone? He wanted to bring a smile to her face.
"Well," he said stroking his thumb over her knuckles. "I'll do what I can to make your day better."
"Can you explain to my teacher why I missed class."
Easy peasy. "Yes."
Knowing that she wasn't angry about missing class eased his mind. For some reason, he didn't want her to see him as a failure. It was obvious he had some struggles with Simone, but all kids had their challenges at some point. Simone was an early bloomer in the trouble department.
Rui parked in front of the school, careful not to block the red zoned fire lane. Before he could round the car, Simone hopped out.
"Sweetie," he called after her.
"Mr. Conners."
Rui clenched at the sound of the principal's voice. The woman's tone was something between nails on a chalkboard and a rusted bike chain. In a word, painful.
"Yes, ma'am," he said looking up.
Without preamble, the matronly woman cupped Simone on the shoulder and held on.
"This is the third time this month that Simone has been absent, and I use the term loosely," she said, lifting her pug-like nose. "Here at Endurance Elementary, we take truancy as a serious parenting issue."
"Who you calling a truant?" Simone shot back.
Rui bristled at the thinly-veiled insult. Cutting his eyes at his daughter, he lifted a finger. "That's enough, Simone."
He didn't like to take that tone with his child. In front of the principal and within hearing shot of Autumn, he thought they might consider him a bully. It was important to Rui that Autumn knew the type of man he was: protective, a provider, a competent man at work and at home. Simone's recent defiance challenged more than his authority; it compounded his doubts about himself as a father.
"I apologize that she's tardy."
The principal held up a palm. "Save it, Mr. Conners. I heard from a reliable source that Simone was involved in a police matter."
Rui bit his tongue. One of the disadvantages of a small town; everyone talked too much. "If she's late or has an unexcused absence again this semester, I will have no other choice but to expel Simone for the remainder of the school year."
His temper ignited. "The year," he gritted out. "Now, wait a minute."
A hand threading though his elbow and then holding on tight stopped him. He looked to his left to find Autumn at his side. That smile of hers was lit up like a Sacramento night club.
She took over since he was rendered speechless. "We understand," Autumn interjected. "Simone will be on time from here on out."
The woman studied Autumn, taking in her features and manor of dress. Rui could tell neither of them passed the principal's muster.
"Are you the child's mother?"
At the question, Rui looked to his daughter. A flash of pain sparked behind his little one's eyes, before he saw the defiance pull her spine straighter, a blank mask slipping into place. This was one of the reasons why he had objected to Keith's suggestion of mental health services. Never would he want Simone to bare the stigma associated with seeking psychiatric services because his ex-wife was self-serving and irresponsible. His daughter would not suffer for his mistake. Rui had picked the wrong woman. Damn Kirsten for hurting their child this way.
A few of Rui's fondest childhood memories materialized and a wall of sadness nearly crushed him. Where he had memories of being held
in his mother's arms, splashing around at the beach, running in the park-Simone only had photographs. Kirsten had relegated him to stud status in her life. He'd trained himself to ignore that injustice, but he still struggled to accept that she had walked away from her own flesh and blood.
"I'm here," Autumn said, her tone communicating that she would not be answering anymore questions. "And, she won't be late again."
She walked over and hugged Simone. "Have a great day at school, sweetie."
His little girl stood as rigid as he did. Who was this kick-ass woman?
"Humph," the principal said, before taking a still shocked Simone by the arm and leading her behind the locked gate.
Rui swallowed, and then asked. "So, you're going to take on getting Simone to…."
Her reply came like lightning. "No. Your daughter almost had me arrested like an hour ago, dude." She laughed.
"Yeah," Rui said, rubbing his big hands over his goatee "there is that," he smiled. "Then why charge in like a crusader with Mrs. Glatt?"
Curiosity had him anxious for her reply.
"I remember having teachers like that woman. No kid deserves to be made to feel like they’re lacking something. Adults can be cruel."
Though she tried to keep the pain out of her voice, Rui heard all the cuts and bruises behind the admission.
"So, can children," he said, studying her. At one time had she reacted like Simone, back straight with an impenetrable mask, feeling like a spotlight shone on her for everyone to gawk? After he dropped Autumn off, he and Mrs. Glatt needed to set some boundaries. He would not tolerate anyone targeting Simone. She needed guidance more than censure.
Rui reached across the console and grabbed Autumn's hand. He wondered who'd hurt this courageous and beautiful woman? Whatever she lacked, he wanted to provide. Now, where had that thought come from?
Chapter 3
After listening to that judgmental principal denigrate Rui and Simone, Autumn's gut twisted into a knot. She remembered it happening to her more times than she could count. Her aunt, often times agreed with the teachers, so Autumn stood alone in her condemnation. A little girl with no mother, no father, isolated and powerless against her attackers. Even now, the pain of her childhood stung like a fresh cut. As a child, she'd gone out of her way to be quiet, respectful and friendly, to help out, and to share the little she had. Her sacrifices seemed to keep some of the criticism at bay. Well, mostly. The kids still teased her, the bullies still pushed her, knowing she had no savior to come to her defense. No sleepovers, no party invites, no prom date. Autumn Raine was doomed to spend her life alone. For now, at least.
