“No, of course not. Like what?”
“I don’t know. He seems to have some hostility toward you I don’t understand. Like he thinks you don’t approve of him or of us being together. I haven’t gotten that impression—all you ever did was remind me to be cautious. When I said it was too good to be true, you said there were exceptions to the rule. Right? You don’t disapprove, do you?”
“Of course not, kiddo. It looks to me like he’s making you happy, and you deserve it. I do think he might be a bit bipolar, but those things are manageable.”
“Frank would be pissed if he knew you said that, but he doesn’t, so…you never had words with him at the grill or anything? Some reason he’d…”
“No, nothing like that. I’ve barely spoken to him when you weren’t around. You know all there is to know. Did he say something about me?”
“Just kind of maybe I shouldn’t listen to you so much? Like…I don’t know.”
“Well, you know, Terror, abusers always try to isolate their victims from their friends and family.”
“He’s not abusive, Alix. He’s been nothing but gentle and loving to me. It’s downright embarrassing how loving he is. He says Sasha needs a father and maybe you need a man. Could it be you’re jealous?” She made it sound like a joke, but they both knew she was serious.
Alix was silent, and then she said, “You’d better think about what you just said, because I don’t think you would have ever said that to me before.” She hung up.
****
Thursday night after Aiden was asleep, Brett called. In the first weeks after the breakup, she had let his calls go to voicemail and deleted them unheard, but enough time had passed and her circumstances had changed enough that she was able to pick up and calmly say, “Hello.”
“I understand congratulations are in order,” he said. “I hear you’re engaged to this guy and flashing a fancy ring all over town.”
“What do you want, Brett?”
“I would have bought you a ring if I knew you wanted one so much, but I had more important things to spend the money on.”
“I didn’t need a ring. I don’t need this one. If you called to berate me, I don’t have to listen. I have things to do.”
“Sorry,” he said. “It’s just…I thought what we had was really special until you moved on so fast.”
“It wasn’t as if I jumped on a dating site. Frank just happened. I wasn’t looking for it. I know the engagement was pretty fast, but…you don’t have a right to judge me.”
“No,” he said curtly. “I guess I have to give up on us now, but I can’t give up on Aiden. I have to accept that you’ll be with this other guy, this big-shot cop, but if you’re over us enough for that, can’t you forgive me enough to let me see him? Maybe take him somewhere for a few hours?”
“I don’t know, Brett. He’s just started to develop a relationship with Frank.”
“I don’t want to hear about Frank. Are you making Aiden hate me?”
“No, not at all. Maybe eventually…”
“If I could have moved as fast as McAllister, if we’d gotten married before all this happened, if I’d adopted him—”
“Or if it hadn’t happened at all,” she said coldly.
“I’d at least have visitation rights, if not joint custody. I love him, Teresa, like he was my own. I miss him. Please.”
Tears made her eyes sting. Gene had never felt as much for Aiden as Brett did. “He misses you too, but…”
“Please.”
“Well, maybe…”
“Please, Teresa. I’ll do whatever you want—when and where, how long, and you can be there or not be there, whatever you want.”
She was definitely weakening. “When?”
He took a quick breath. “Saturday?”
“We’re going to the coast. Sunday we’re going to the Silver Screen in the afternoon—the Disney thing…Maybe we could meet at the park after church. You know how he loves the swings. I could leave him with you while I do the grocery shopping. You can play and talk for a half hour or so.”
“It’s a start,” he said. “Thank you. I promise you won’t regret it.”
She already did. “This all depends on Aiden, of course, if he wants to see you. If he doesn’t, I can’t push it.” Reluctantly she added, “Frank won’t like it.”
“Then don’t tell him,” he said. He sounded as if he was barely controlling himself. “It’s none of his business.”
“It will be after we’re married.”
“There’s nothing I can do about that,” he said grimly. “After church at the park?”
“Yes. I can’t promise anything else.”
“Thank you.”
She was about to say goodbye and hang up—business done—but instead she said, “Brett? I heard why you got fired. Is it true? You falsified the grant application?”
He hesitated. “No…not exactly.”
“You can tell me,” she said. “You cheated on me, and I’m still going to let you see Aiden. This won’t make any difference.”
“I know I screwed things up between us,” he said, “but I never stopped loving you.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Okay… It wasn’t only me. I was the scapegoat.” He didn’t sound bitter, just wearily matter-of-fact. “Come on, you know how those things work; the school board has to protect itself. Fire me and it all goes away. I wasn’t the only one who worked on the proposal. Several of us did, and it was based on a set of criteria, and it turned out one of them didn’t apply. We thought it did; it was an honest mistake at first, but when we found out, we didn’t correct it. All of us, not just me. We worked together and reviewed each other’s stuff, so we had plenty of chances to speak up, and nobody did. If we had gone ahead without realizing it didn’t apply, it would have been nobody’s fault, an honest mistake, but we did know. All of us. And somebody blew the whistle. Whoever it was, he or she could have raised objections before we sent in the application, instead of waiting until the money was spent.”
“Why did you get blamed?”
“Because I was the one with the best motive. You know, because Aiden benefitted. So the school board decided to cut their losses and can me. It doesn’t matter why. Stuff like that happens all the time. Politics.”
“But you were a good teacher!” she protested. “Have you had any luck finding another school?”
“No, you know how it is: the economy, budget cuts. A lot of people have gotten pink slips this year. I might be able to get a sub gig in the city now and then.”
“I’m sorry. It sounds terribly unfair.” She supposed this explanation was self serving and incomplete, but it could be the truth.
“Yeah, well, I did know the proposal was flawed. It’s like when you’re speeding and you’re the only one who gets a ticket—you’re still wrong. Anyway, um…it was nice to talk to you. I’ll see you Sunday in the park. I’ll be waiting.”
When she hung up, she decided Brett was right—she didn’t have to tell Frank she was letting him see Aiden. She wouldn’t lie, but if it came up, she would imply Brett was only babysitting while she did her shopping.
Chapter 16
It was raining when they set out for Genoa on Saturday morning. Aiden and Sasha were at first vastly entertained by the drops racing across the SUV’s windows. They liked the comfortable seats, too, and all the novelty of a big, new car, and when the sameness of the passing landscape palled, they sat texting each other and giggling. Frank didn’t seem to be bothered by the giggles or Sasha’s chattering or the occasional kicks against the seat backs. Aiden was an old soul who had been trained by Teresa to appreciate beauty, so he kept pointing out sights—oddly shaped trees, rain-swollen streams, even the sheen of an oil-streaked highway—to Sasha, who was usually unimpressed.
Despite the gray clouds looming overhead, the view of the ocean at Genoa was spectacular. “Wow!” cried Sasha, who had never seen the ocean before. “Beach water everythere! Golly s
hakes!”
“Everywhere,” Frank corrected automatically and in an aside to Teresa, “Maybe she has a hearing problem.”
Sasha put a hand on her hip and gave him a saucy look. “I know where, Mr. Frank,” she said. “It’s everythere!”
Teresa laughed at this logic and said, “She’s just a little girl. I think it’s cute.”
“Yeah, she’s cute,” he said grudgingly. He had taken Teresa’s hand as soon as they got out of the car. She didn’t know what was wrong. He hadn’t wanted Sasha along, but didn’t seem to mind anything specific.
“It’s so good for Aiden to have a friend,” she said almost apologetically.
The Oceanfront Aquarium was a hit, as expected. An exhausting amount of juvenile energy was expended while the adults ambled more sedately through the exhibit halls, enjoying the children’s enthusiasm as much as they did the sea creatures. It gradually dawned on Teresa that Sasha wasn’t the problem; she was. She had done something to displease him, which had seemed almost impossible until now. It didn’t make him aloof, though; he kept tight hold of her hand.
While the children giggled in front of the hermit crabs, she asked, “Are you mad at me?”
He was surprised. “No, of course not. For what?”
“I don’t know—inviting Sasha?”
“It’s fine,” he said. “Aiden is happy. That’s all that matters.”
“Is this what a Frank McAllister bad mood looks like, then?”
“Sorry,” he said. “Maybe it’s the weather.”
“I like this weather,” she said. “Rain is beautiful too.”
“Right,” he said. “Beauty abounds.” He smiled and kissed her. “You are so good for me.”
Aiden would have been willing to stay all day. If the weather had been better, they would have taken the kids down to the beach, but the rain kept them indoors. The aquarium had its own café, so no restaurant decision was necessary at lunchtime.
A crisis arose when they consulted the menu posted at the entrance. Sasha wanted ravioli. Teresa chose a veggie burger, and Aiden copied Frank’s choice of pizza. Ravioli wasn’t on the menu. Sasha didn’t want a cheeseburger. She didn’t want pizza. She didn’t want a chicken sandwich. She didn’t want fish and chips. She wanted ravioli. Frank started to say something and then gestured for Teresa to take over. She was the experienced parent here.
“You’ve been around the Cougar Bar & Grill too long,” she told Sasha. “Come on; choose something they have, because if we drive around all day looking for a restaurant that serves ravioli, we may not find one. Fish is the specialty in this part of the world.”
“I don’t like fish. I want ravioli.” She didn’t cry. She didn’t yell. She didn’t stomp her feet. She simply stood in the doorway, wanting ravioli.
“Okay,” Frank said. “I’ll make you some ravioli. Come on.” He directed them to a table for four and went to the counter to put in their order.
“Are you a magician?” Teresa asked when he came back with a numbered marker to set on the table. He just smiled. He handed out drink cups and pointed out the machine that dispensed a variety of beverages. Aiden and Sasha ran over and filled their cups. They could barely reach the levers and created quite a bit of spillage, but very little ended up on the floor. “What are you up to?” Teresa asked.
He was watching the children. “This is what it will be like to have a daughter,” he said.
“No, you know what it’s really like? I’ll get fat and cranky, and we won’t be able to have sex for weeks, and the baby will keep us awake at night…”
“I’m up for all of it,” he said, “if it’s with you.”
“If you did have a daughter, you’d probably spoil her.”
“I don’t believe in spoiling children.”
“You spoil me.” He half rose to lean across the table and kiss her, not caring who saw. Aiden and Sasha came back with their drinks, a mixture of their own devising, with fruit punch predominating and plenty of carbonation. Teresa had seen little cartons of milk behind the counter, but didn’t push.
Frank got up and took their cups. “What would you like?” he asked her.
“Anything. Sprite or Seven-Up, if they have it.”
He came back with Sprite for her and Coke for himself, just as the server delivered the tray with their order. It held Teresa’s veggie burger and three plates of hot, cheesy pizza.
“That’s not ravioli,” Sasha said mutinously.
“I know,” Frank said calmly. “I haven’t made it yet.” He put two pieces of pizza on one plate for himself and the empty plate in front of the little girl. Aiden took his, and Frank asked him, “What’s the sign for pizza?” He demonstrated, and Frank copied him. It took more than one try, and he took his time, while Sasha waited, not very patiently. When he was satisfied, he turned his attention back to her. “Close your eyes,” he said. She closed her eyes. “Okay. What’s in ravioli again?”
“Ravioli,” Sasha said.
“Pasta, right? Tomato sauce? Cheese—do you like cheese ravioli?”
“Yes.”
“Good, because cheese ravioli is my specialty.” He took a small piece of the soft point of a triangle of crust and folded it over the cheese and tomato sauce. “Open your mouth, but keep your eyes closed, or the magic might not work.” Sasha opened her mouth, and he popped the bite of pizza in. “What’s that?” he asked.
“Ravioli,” she said.
“Right.” He put the rest of the piece of pizza on her plate. “You can open your eyes now.”
She opened her eyes, still chewing the morsel. Teresa and Aiden laughed at the expression on her face. “Pizza,” she said accusingly, realizing she’d been hoodwinked.
“Ravioli,” Frank said, pointing. Teresa finger-spelled the word for Aiden.
“Nunh-uh!”
“Looks like ravioli to me. Pasta, cheese, tomato sauce. Voilà, ravioli.”
“Nunh-uh,” she said again, but with less heat. “Crust isn’t pasta. It’s pizza.”
“Ravioli,” he said persuasively. He smiled at her as if they shared an inside joke. Teresa almost held her breath, but he was completely calm and patient.
Sasha hesitated. She picked up the piece of pizza and took a bite. “Ravioli,” she repeated, only slightly wistful. Teresa clapped, and Aiden followed her lead.
“Good girl,” Frank said. The charmer had another conquest. He took a bite of pizza and then pulled out his phone and texted something to Aiden that made him laugh. Teresa didn’t want him to use his phone as a substitute for personal interaction, but so far he was keeping a pretty good balance.
After lunch, Frank took Aiden to the restroom, and Teresa and Sasha went to the ladies’ room. While they washed their hands, Sasha splashing a bit, Teresa asked her if she wanted to go to the movie with them the next day. She didn’t think Frank would mind, because the kids could entertain each other. She had taken her before and knew she could behave well enough. “I already saw it,” Sasha said. “It was stoopid.”
“Don’t tell Aiden that.”
“Oh, he’ll like it,” she said confidently. “He’s a boy.”
Teresa couldn’t help laughing. “Strange creatures, aren’t they?”
When the kids had—finally!—had their fill of the aquarium, they visited the gift shop, where Frank bought Aiden a toy shark like the one he had wanted to buy at Oxhead, and Sasha picked out a starfish necklace. The rain had stopped, but it was still too cold to stay out long, so they took a quick walk on the beach, found a candy store, and headed for home.
****
When Sasha had been delivered to Alix, they took a tired and happy Aiden home. Frank stayed for dinner. It was her first opportunity to cook for him, and she had a little taste of first-date nerves but was pretty confident now, both about their relationship and about her own abilities. Because they had eaten junk food at lunch and saltwater taffy on the way home, she concentrated on good nutrition. She poured milk even for Frank, because it would
set a good example for Aiden. She gave him a look to warn him not to protest, but he didn’t seem to need it. Aiden was teaching him signs—milk, chicken, carrot, beans, tomato, bread.
“Your mom’s a good cook too,” he said after he tasted the chicken. “And here I thought she was only pretty to look at.”
Aiden shrugged. “She don’t make pizza.”
“Doesn’t,” Teresa said.
“How about ravioli?” Frank asked, and Aiden giggled at the good joke they had played on Sasha.
“Not from scratch,” she said, “but I’m very good with a can opener.” She reflected that if she gave up her job, he would expect her to cook like this every night. She would have to expand her recipe file. Did she want to quit her job? Did she want to be a stay-at-home mom? He was right; it would be better for Aiden, especially if they had a lengthy ordeal with the cochlear implant. But what about her independence—was she ready to give it up for financial support and good sex? The latter might not even last. He didn’t believe the honeymoon phase would end, but it always did.
He didn’t seem to want to leave. They played Crazy Eights and watched the Disney Channel, and then Teresa sent Aiden in to take his bath—he had recently graduated to doing it all on his own—and finally tucked him in with a goodnight kiss. “Did you have fun today?”
“Yes. Can I have hermit crab?”
“We’ll see,” she said. “We would need an aquarium.” She sketched the size she meant in the air, not to suggest something like the Oceanfront. He would be seven soon, old enough to begin having the responsibility of a pet. She wouldn’t have considered incurring the expense before Frank came into her life. I cannot be bought, she reminded herself.
When she came back to the living room, he had the remote and was flipping through channels, but he turned the TV off and opened his arms for her to come and sit close to him. She was glad enough to get off her feet and snuggle up to him. “Are you trying to stay all night?” she asked.
“Uh-huh.” He kissed her.
“It’s not a good idea.”
“Yes, it is.” They kissed for a long time. “How long does it take for Aiden to fall asleep?”
The Rebound Effect Page 13
