by Amber Lynn
Amber Lynn
Copyright © 2018 Amber Lynn
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 1
Lacey stared at the freckled-faced kid slumping in the chair beside her. His light-brown hair looked like it hadn’t seen a brush in at least a week. Since she’d dropped him off at school that morning with perfectly parted and smooth hair, it raised a few questions.
Sadly, there were more important questions on the table. And they didn’t include why his hair wasn’t the only thing that made him look like he hadn’t taken a shower in a week. His clothes were wrinkled and covered in dirt. The look was something she expected when he was in kindergarten, not seventh grade.
“Who bought the cigarettes?” Lacey asked, her voice tight, trying not to relay just how exasperated she felt.
Apart from taking in her son’s appearance and listening to the principal explain why Lacey was called in, she’d spent the last ten minutes wondering how much trouble she’d get in for locking Kevin in his room until he turned eighteen. Six years was probably a little long to refuse to let him see the light of day, but it was starting to feel like the only way she’d keep her sanity. She didn’t have much of it left to lose, so she needed to come up with a solution soon.
“I asked him that question repeatedly before you got here. He’s not talking.”
Principal Hudson’s voice sounded almost as annoyed as Lacey felt. Her strained face, with her hazel eyes squinted and skinny nose elevated just enough to seem snobbish, went along with the tight bun Lacey always saw on top of the principal’s head. She reminded Lacey of a nun from a movie she’d seen, who liked to smack children’s hands with rulers when they acted up.
The other woman probably dealt with unruly kids all the time as a school principal. It was a new experience for Lacey. Things with Kevin had been increasingly getting worse since his father left.
After thirteen years of marriage going down the drain, Lacey thought she deserved to act out a little. Getting drunk and hooking up with a guy had never been her thing, even if her friends tried to convince her she needed a night to get everything out of her system. Having to be there for Kevin and his sister, Rachel, kept Lacey from doing anything crazy. As it was, Kevin sure had done enough acting out over the two months for all of them. It was her third trip to the principal’s office in those months.
First there was a fight. It came a week after George, Lacey’s husband, walked out the door to move across the country without his family. Lacey didn’t think much of the fight. Kevin had watched his father get in fights on the ice dozens of times over the years, and he was pissed his dad abandoned him. A few punches hadn’t seemed like a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
Lacey brushed the call about him not doing his homework aside too. That didn’t seem isolated to his father leaving. Kevin had been pushing back on whether homework was necessary since he started the sixth grade. Another year later, and he still didn’t like it.
There was a lot of leeway she was willing to give him but smoking in the bathroom wasn’t something she could overlook. The kid was only twelve. If she didn’t figure out a way to stop him from spiraling, he was going to end up hooked on heroin by the time he was fourteen. Maybe that was drastic, but her mind was quick to go to dark places.
After being kicked in the gut so many times, it felt like things were always getting worse. If Rachel decided to take after her brother, Lacey was going to lose her mind completely.
“Look, I know things have been difficult at home lately, but there are only a few weeks left of school before we’re out for the summer. I believe we all prefer it if we didn’t have to keep having these meetings.”
There was no reason to verbally agree to the sentiment, so Lacey waited for Principal Hudson to go on. Kevin had made it clear he had nothing to add to the conversation by continuing to stare at his lap. She couldn’t remember the last time he made honest to goodness eye contact. At least eye contact that didn’t have a dose of hatred included in it. The hatred variety she saw daily.
Lacey knew when George told her he was leaving that Kevin wouldn’t take the news well. She just hadn’t considered how bad things could get. A moody pre-teen was one thing. The kid sitting next to her had taken moody to a whole new level.
“By default, Kevin’s suspended for a day. I can’t do anything about that, and after the smoking today and the outburst in class yesterday, I think a long weekend may be best for everyone anyway. So, let’s make it two days.”
Turning away from the principal, Lacey scowled at her son. She hadn’t heard anything about an outburst. She thought the principal enjoyed their little phone calls when she relayed what a terrible single parent Lacey was, but apparently she held some information back.
“What happened yesterday? And why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”
Kevin’s shoulders rose and fell as he sighed. Lacey could picture the eye roll not visible by his downturned head. It was impossible to have a conversation with the kid without at least a few eye rolls. That motion carried over from before his father left, but the frequency seemed to increase.
“It was career day, and one of the kids said something about your ex-husband’s career when Mrs. Johns asked Kevin if he brought anyone. Your son took offense and started yelling. I sent some paperwork home for you to sign and was not surprised it didn’t return to me this morning.”
“Said something?” Kevin’s face lifted as he bit out the words. “That jackass Winston said Dad is a washed-up has-been who can’t skate, so the team traded him. You expect me to not say anything about that? He scores easily twenty goals a year. That’s not a has-been.”
“Watch your mouth.” Lacey’s reprimand should have come the second she heard the curse, but she was curious what new slight had set Kevin off.
If she was honest, it was nice to see some fire directed at someone other than her. It had felt like all his hatred was being thrown her way. He’d made it clear she was to blame for his dad leaving. Lacey didn’t have the heart to tell him his idol was a womanizing asshole, who decided to take his pregnant girlfriend with him when he was traded instead of his family.
“Dad calls people that all the time.”
“Your dad isn’t twelve-years-old, and he’s not around to make any rules. That means if I say you don’t cuss, you don’t.”
Principal Hudson cleared her throat, drawing Lacey’s
eyes away from Kevin. The short glare of defiance she got to see disappeared as he slumped back into the chair.
“I don’t know what kind of male support you have right now, but I know of at least a couple of programs that could maybe help out in that realm of things.”
The principal turned and grabbed some pamphlets that were conveniently one of the few things on her desk. Lacey hadn’t noticed until that moment that the desk’s golden-colored top was oddly clear. For some reason on top of everything else, it threw her off.
How in the world did someone with hundreds of kids running around screaming just a few feet outside the office doors have everything so organized? It seemed wrong.
Lacey was having trouble keeping anything together, and she only had two kids to deal with. She hated giving George credit for anything, but when he was around, things were easier.
“Both of these organizations match kids up with sort of like big brothers that they spend a few hours a week with. I’ve seen vast improvement from everyone I’ve suggested look into it over the years.”
The woman looked sincere, but Lacey questioned how helpful bringing some new guy in the picture could be. Kevin had plenty of male role models in the forms of George’s old teammates. Although, the role model aspect could be questioned with some of the guys. After learning about George’s penchant for sleeping around, all the guys on the team were guilty by association in Lacey’s mind.
She’d tried to cut all ties with the team, but she couldn’t shake the family bond that firmly established when George joined the team. Over the years, the players came and went. The bond between them didn’t change, though.
“I have ten guys who insist I call them uncle. Do you seriously think I don’t have enough testosterone in my life?”
Scoffing, Lacey shook her head at her son’s words. She was still trying to figure out what to say to the suggestion. She hadn’t considered bringing up the overkill of testosterone already in their lives and was surprised Kevin worded it that way.
“We have a large extended family, I guess you could call it.”
There were days Lacey wished that wasn’t true. As grateful as she was for the help with her life spiraling out of control, for the most part, the men Kevin mentioned all had the perfect life Lacey used to. It was hard not to tell her friends that it was all a mirage that would someday vanish when a cute college student with big boobs started showing their husbands interest.
That was unfair. Lacey knew it, but it was hard not to think all guys were womanizing a-holes. George was just like all those other guys. It was only a matter of time before true male-nature reared its ugly head.
Then, Lacey would have to be the one to offer the compassionate ear and casseroles. She still couldn’t believe how many casseroles showed up at her door in the weeks following the divorce announcement.
A throat clearing brought her out of those thoughts. It was so easy to get lost in the past, and each time it was embarrassing to think she’d let herself go down that track. And she wasn’t even thinking about her life with George this time. She was thinking about stupid casseroles.
Blinking her eyes and shaking her head, Lacey focused back on the principal, who seemed to be waiting for her to say something. How long had she let her mind wander?
“Sorry. What did you say?”
A snort from beside her made Lacey dart narrowed eyes towards her son. He wasn’t looking, so the look was in vain.
“I asked whether you wanted to make the arrangements with one of the programs or if I should. I think Kevin’s response makes it clear that whatever male influence he has in his life now isn’t what he needs.”
The condescension in her tone cut straight to the bone. Lacey’s opinion of men wasn’t great, but she took exception at the idea of all of them being a bad influence. Contradiction was quickly becoming Lacey’s best friend. Thinking the worst of men and then defending them was par for the course.
“Some of those male influences have charities that have helped thousands of people. He’s not going to find better influences in your little buddy programs.”
It was easy to fall back into defensive mode. Evidently, it was where she was at in her coping process. There was still the anger, obvious by the fact she considered all males scum in the making.
Lacey’s words did nothing to change the disdain on Principal Hudson’s face. It was hard to tell if it was because she didn’t believe her or if her face was just stuck like that. Lacey didn’t bring any specific proof to her words, but she could easily use her phone to find some.
Reporters ate up all the good work guys like Curtis, the team captain, did. He wasn’t the only one, but he set a good impression for the rest of the guys. It was too bad George hadn’t followed that impression.
“You’ll excuse me if I find that hard to believe. Whether it’s true or not, here we are, and if you don’t want your son to be expelled, you will set him up with a buddy from one of these organizations.”
The finality in her voice made it clear the conversation was over. The pamphlets were shoved across the desk and the other woman stood quickly and held her arm out towards the door.
Staring at the desk, Lacey tried to take in the last fifteen minutes. Before George left, no one lectured her on how to raise her children, other than her husband from time to time. Since he was involved in the raising, she hadn’t seen a problem with that.
Now, everyone thought they knew what was best for her family. She wanted to scream, and maybe punch a few things. Punching her ex-husband was something she thought about often, but the heavy bag at the gym had to fill in since he was nowhere to be seen, and sadly Lacey hadn’t been in any shape to spend much time with it. After Kevin’s latest escapade, she was going to have to make a point of hitting the gym.
“Clearly, you’ve made up your mind on the matter. How much commitment is this going to take?”
The school year was almost over. A week or two of hanging out with a good role model wouldn’t be the end of the world. She couldn’t let Kevin get expelled because his father decided he was having an early midlife crisis.
Principal Hudson offered a sympathetic, yet almost sadistic, smile. It was a weird combination of comforting while sticking a knife in someone’s back.
Lacey knew she wasn’t going to like the words that accompanied it. Kicking a dog when it’s down is just plain rude, and Lacey was as far down as she could get.
“If you want him to be able to enroll next fall, I think this needs to be a whole summer kind of thing. Just tell me which organization you choose, and I’ll follow up to make sure there’s improvement.”
The smile Lacey pasted on her face was about as sincere as George’s wedding vows. She hated ultimatums, but she also couldn’t let her son get expelled. With everything else going on in their lives, having to find a new school and deal with whatever new troubles that would bring into her world wasn’t happening.
“I’ll make sure they send you regular reports.” Lacey tried to keep the snark she could muster out of her voice.
Scooping up the pamphlets with one hand, Lacey stood and nudged Kevin to get him moving. After the testosterone remark, he was eerily silent as his fate was decided. That probably meant she was going to get an earful without an audience around.
That thought was well worth the eye roll that accompanied it. Kevin had no right to be upset about his predicament. It was his own fault, even though Lacey already knew blame would fall on her in his eyes.
She couldn’t win with the kid. Maybe having a new adult presence in his life for a couple of hours a week would be a good thing. Looking over at her son, who was kind enough to have his head up, she saw the glare that told her it was going to be a hard sale. Sighing, she shook her head and led him out of the room.
Chapter 2
“Mr. Oxentenko, this is the third time in as many months that you have appeared before a judge. Sadly, the other judges let you off easy. Not even a day of community service for your drunk and
disorderly conduct makes me a little ashamed to call my colleagues officers of the court.”
The woman presiding over Vasily’s case made it clear with her words and the anger in her tone that she wasn’t on his side. His lawyer had cursed when he found out who would oversee the case. Vasily didn’t think there’d be a problem. He spent tens of thousands of dollars on his legal team to make sure there weren’t any issues.
Along with the best defense team he could get, his natural charm generally made it impossible to not give him what he wanted. Between his icy blue eyes, sometimes referred to as his best feature, and his accent, even though his original Russian accent had diminished over the last few years, people had trouble telling him no. At least the women in his life claimed as much. The men he dealt with usually took one look at his six-five, two-hundred-and-ten-pound frame and went the other way.
Vasily rarely ran across someone as tightly wound as Judge Katherine McMillen. She reminded him of one of those toys you squeeze and the eyes pop out. Her pudgy face was an angry shade of red as she puffed her cheeks out while reading something in front of her. He couldn’t see what it was, but it clearly didn’t help his case.
“Your honor,” the man standing next to Vasily began.
A glare from the woman behind the giant wooden bench in front of them caused the lawyer’s breath to hitch. Vasily looked over to the man he’d had at least an ounce of respect for before seeing the sweat dampening his forehead. His skin took on an ashen tone, which made Vasily picture a pollock flopping around in the boat his father had taken him out on when he was a kid. The angle wasn’t good to see his eyes but imagining them wide and dead looking wasn’t a stretch.
Nudging the lawyer, Vasily urged him to continue. The response simply came as a short shake of the head.
The reaction made Vasily turn back to the judge to try to figure out why the woman scared the usually level-headed man. No woman had ever drawn any kind of fear-based sweats out of Vasily. On the other hand, he sweated plenty for other interactions with the fairer sex.
