Tender Loving Care

by Susan Mallery

He felt like a snake. “Of course. You have my apology and my word.”

  What had started out as a morning of promise had turned into an afternoon of strained conversations and avoided eyes. If lunch had been stilted, dinner was a disaster. Neither ate, neither spoke. Melissa washed the last trace of food into the sink and flipped on the garbage disposal.

  When was Wendi coming home? she wondered. Things were so bad, she would almost welcome a conversation with Fiona as a relief from the tension. This had been the worst day of her life…and the best.

  Why? she asked for the thousandth time. Why had he started something he had no intention of finishing? Why had she allowed him to go so far? Why had he stopped?

  Twilight was settling on the balmy evening, changing the hot sultriness of day into the relative coolness of night. The overhead light in the kitchen turned the window into a mirror. The answer to the last question was reflected back. He’d stopped because she wasn’t a Fiona or one of the countless stunning women who peppered his life.

  Her eyes drifted shut. She could have sworn he’d said something about her being…beautiful. The concept was almost too embarrassing to even think about, let alone discuss. Apparently the compliment existed only in her mind. An overactive imagination could make almost anything seem real.

  What now? If the rest of the day had been any indication, going on as before wasn’t possible. The playfulness had been lost, drowned in the vortex of passion that had surrounded them.

  She could leave. Run away and hide like the mouse she was. Or she could stay the rest of the summer. Five weeks. How difficult could it be?

  She heard the soft purr of a car engine, followed by the slamming of a door. Wendi!

  Melissa rushed to the front door and pulled it open. “Welcome home, kid. It’s been…oh, my.”

  The girl ran into the foyer and spun in a slow circle. “What do you think? Don’t I look great?”

  The preteen’s long hair was a riot of curls around her shoulders. Subtle makeup highlighted her eyes, making them appear bigger, the lashes longer. Red lipstick gave her a pouty, seductive look. But what shocked Melissa the most was the dress. A black sheath skimmed over her budding breasts, then curved gently at her hips. The front dipped low enough to suggest, the back scooped down to her waist. Dark stockings and spiked heels completed the look. The transformation from girl to ingenue was instantaneous.

  “Mom had some free time before her party so she gave me a makeover. Do you know where the camera is? I want you to take some pictures. Sally will never believe me when I tell her. Where’s my dad?”

  Melissa’s heart stopped at the last question. If Logan saw his daughter, he’d lose it completely.

  “Let’s go in your room,” she said, starting to lead the way. “I’ll find the camera, then you can change.”

  “But I want to show Dad.”

  “Show me what? Is that my Wendi?” Logan stepped out of the hall and stared at his daughter. His smile faded as the muscles in his jaw tightened. “What the hell are you doing dressed like that?”

  Wendi took a step back. “Dad-dy? Don’t you like it? Mom helped me. I thought…”

  “You’re still a little girl. How dare you step outside dressed like that? Get into your room. I don’t want to see you again until you’ve washed your face and changed your clothes. Do you understand?”

  Chapter Ten

  Wendi fled to her room. Melissa stared after her and, when she disappeared around the corner, turned on the girl’s father.

  “How could you yell at her like that? She thought you’d be proud of her.”

  “Proud? That her mother dresses her like a slut?” He shook his head. “As long as she lives in my house, she lives by my rules.”

  “Listen to yourself. You sound like a general in the army. We’re talking about a little girl…your little girl. She needs understanding and affection right now, not rules.”

  “What do you know about raising children?”

  She stepped back. “I know when not to act like a jerk.”

  “Melissa,” he growled.

  “I’m not twelve years old. I don’t scare so easily.” She brushed past him. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go explain your behavior to your daughter.”

  She walked away slowly, hoping he’d call her back, but the foyer remained ominously quiet.

  After collecting sodas and cookies, she went down the hall and tapped lightly on the closed door. “Wendi?”

  “What?”

  “Can I come in?”

  “I don’t care.”

  Melissa stepped inside. The young girl was standing at the sink of her bathroom. She’d already changed into jeans and a shirt. The mass of curls was pulled back with a ribbon.

  As Wendi washed away the makeup, Melissa opened the soft drink cans and settled on the bed. She stretched out on one side, her back to the portrait.

  “Are you going to yell at me, too?” Wendi asked as she picked the black dress up off the floor.

  “Did your mom give you that?” She pointed at the designer garment.

  “Yeah. She said it’s not her style anymore and that I’d grow into it.” Bunching it up in her hands, she glared at the offending fabric. “I hate it. It’s ugly. I wish I’d never seen the stupid dress.” With that, it was tossed into her closet and landed in a heap on top of her shoes.

  Melissa patted the bed and held out the plate of cookies. “You don’t mean that.”

  “I do.”

  “Wendi, your dad is afraid you’ll grow up to be a stranger. He’s concerned that you’re not turning out the way he’d imagined.” She held up her hand to stop the interruption. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re sweet and honest and you try really hard to please your parents…both of them. When you came in, you looked like a woman and not a little girl. That made him feel uneasy. Instead of telling you what was wrong, he got angry.”

  Wendi sat cross-legged on the floor and stared at the carpet. “Do I have to choose? Can’t I love them both?”

  “Of course you can love your mom and your dad. Sometimes adults forget that’s the way kids are.”

  “How do you know this stuff?”

  “I’ve spent six years living in other people’s houses, watching the way they handle their children. Some of it rubbed off. Now, tell me about your day.”

  Wendi smiled and began an hour-by-hour description of her time with Fiona. The sadness and hurt left her eyes, and gradually the humor returned.

  The next few years were going to be difficult for Logan and his daughter. He wanted to keep her little and she wanted to grow up. And Wendi had time and Mother Nature on her side.

  It wasn’t hard to imagine what he must have thought when Wendi walked into the house. All his worst nightmares had come instantly to life.

  “…a party in Beverly Hills,” Wendi continued.

  “Sounds exciting.”

  “I wish I could have gone with her, but she has a hot date with a movie star.”

  Melissa feigned being suitably impressed. As far as she was concerned, not even the number-one box-office draw could hold a candle to the man at the other end of the house.

  “Yeah. She’s not seeing anyone special right now.”

  Melissa pulled herself into a sitting position. “What?”

  Wendi tugged on a pair of hot-pink-and-lime-green socks. “She said she’s between men. You know, playing the field.”

  “How nice.” As long as she didn’t plan to play in this backyard. “I’m glad you had a good time today.” She stretched out her hand and touched the chestnut tendrils brushing against the girl’s neck. “Your hair looks pretty. Is it a perm?”

  “No. Mom said I could get one if I want, but we did this with those skinny hot rollers.”

  “I like it.”

  “Really? Do you think…” Wendi nibbled on her bottom lip. “I mean if there’s a party or something, could you help me with my hair?”

  “Of course, kitten.”

  “
Dad calls me ‘kitten,’ too.”

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  Wendi shook her head. “I like it. It’s just…” A myriad of emotions flashed across her young face: confusion, fear, jealousy, acceptance.

  Melissa knew what the girl was thinking…what she was afraid of. “Your dad and I are friends,” she said, trying to block out the memory of what had occurred in the pool. “I’d never come between you.”

  “I know.” Wendi scrambled to her feet and walked over to the stereo in the corner. “Do you think…I mean, are you staying until school starts?”

  “Yes. Mrs. Dupuis returns the seventeenth of September. I’ll be here until then.”

  “That’s only five weeks more.” She leaned forward and carefully studied her pile of CDs. “I was wondering if we’ll still be friends when you’re gone.”

  It was as if a giant fist had reached inside Melissa’s chest and squeezed her heart. The day had been a roller coaster of emotions, culminating with the touching question from Logan’s daughter.

  “I’d like that,” she said softly.

  “Really?” Wendi faced her, her eyes filled with tears. “I thought you might be glad to get rid of me. I know I can be a pain.”

  “Not you!” She held out her arms and the girl flung herself into the embrace. “I’ll always be there for you, Wendi. Even when I’m gone, you can call me and we’ll talk or go shopping.”

  “Good idea,” the twelve-year-old said. “You could use some new clothes.”

  “What’s wrong with my clothes? Everything is very useful.”

  Wendi pulled back and grinned. “Yeah, for cleaning house. You need something, you know, in.”

  Her grin was so much like Logan’s, Melissa felt a knot form in her stomach. “I’ve been ‘in’ before.”

  Wendi rolled her eyes. “Please.”

  “Please, what?”

  The low male voice sent shivers up Melissa’s spine. She didn’t know how long Logan had been standing, listening to them talk. The urge to run from him was overwhelming, but to do so would require her to walk past him. She remained on the bed.

  Wendi looked up at her father. Pride made her stand her ground, fear made her tremble.

  “I was wrong,” Logan said quietly. “I didn’t like the way you were dressed, but I had no right to yell like that. I know…” He drew in a deep breath. “I know you’re growing up. I don’t have to like it, but I do have to accept it. I’ll do better next time, kitten.”

  Wendi smiled. “I know, Daddy. And I’ll always be your little girl, no matter what.”

  “But it’s red.”

  “So?”

  Melissa glanced at Wendi. It had taken the girl two weeks to talk her into the shopping trip and she already regretted giving in. “I’m not really a red person. I prefer navy, gray, or beige.”

  “Bor-ing. Lighten up. Red’s a great color. Very hip.”

  Anyone who chose a twelve-year-old as a fashion consultant had to be prepared for the unconventional, Melissa reminded herself as she stared at the armful of clothes Wendi had picked out.

  “But it’s a jumpsuit. I’m too short to wear a jumpsuit.”

  Wendi began hanging the garments on the hook in the dressing room. “We are in the petite department. They make things for short people. That’s why they’re called petites. And you’re supposed to be the adult.”

  “But…”

  “Jumpsuits make short people look taller. Trust me…I know.” Wendi sat on the stool in the corner and folded her arms across her chest.

  Melissa bit back her grin. “Yes, Mom.” She pulled off her skirt and blouse, then stepped into the jumpsuit. The silk caressed her skin like an early-morning breeze. Unlike others she’d tried on years ago, this one fit. The crotch didn’t hang around her knees and the pant legs were only a couple of inches too long.

  “With heels, the tapered hem will bunch around your ankles.”

  Her eyes met Wendi’s in the mirror. “How do you know that? You’re only in junior high.”

  “I can read. If you don’t keep up with fashion, how will you know what’s cool? I mean, what if I showed up in neon jams and they were out of style?” She shook her head. “I’d be a laughingstock. Daddy would have to put me in boarding school or something.”

  Melissa finished doing the buttons on the bodice. “What a lot of responsibility. I had no idea. Well…” She turned around for inspection. “What do you think?”

  “I like it.” Wendi sprang up and adjusted the collar until it was straight. “You need bigger earrings. Jeez, how do you expect anyone to see those? They’re smaller than a pinhead. What is that? A bug?”

  “It’s a shell, thank you very much. And a nurse can’t wear gaudy jewelry.”

  “You said you weren’t going to be a nurse anymore.”

  Being backed into a corner by a precocious child was embarrassing, she thought as she faced the mirror. “Should they be red, too?”

  “No. That’s overdoing it. Something gold. Or diamond studs are nice.”

  “I’m fresh out this week. Gold it is. Fake gold.”

  Wendi cringed. “It’s better to have one or two pieces of good jewelry than a box full of trash.”

  “Snoblet.”

  Wendi stuck out her tongue.

  Melissa stepped out of the jumpsuit and tossed it to her. “Hang this up, please.” She pointed to the next item. “Who picked that out, if I even had to ask?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t get all innocent on me. It’s a leather miniskirt. Wendi…I’m almost thirty.”

  “Really? That is old.”

  “Very funny. Do you think I could…” She held the supple skirt against her middle. “What would I do for a top?”

  “Anything. A sweater. A shirt. A nice silk blouse.”

  “Oh.” Sure. She had what thirty, forty silk blouses just waiting to be teamed up with a red leather miniskirt. “Pass. What’s next.”

  “A dress.”

  She continued trying on clothes until they were both exhausted. In the end, she purchased the jumpsuit and a cotton skirt and blouse, all in red.

  Tossing her shopping bag into the booth of the mall restaurant, Melissa slid in and smiled up at the hovering waiter.

  “Coffee, please.”

  “Soda for me. And a hot-fudge sundae.”

  The waiter glanced back at her. “For you, ma’am?”

  “Nothing else. Except…okay, bring another spoon. I’ll mooch my share.”

  Wendi flipped her hair over her shoulders and leaned her elbows on the table. “There’s an eighth-grade dance the week school starts. We don’t really have dates, but some guys have their parents pick up and drive the girls they like. Sally says that Mark likes me, but I’m not sure. Do I wait for him to invite me, or do I accept the first boy who asks?”

  “Tough question. Has anyone asked yet?”

  “No. I just want to be prepared.”

  Had her junior high life been this complicated? Probably not. She didn’t remember being taken to any dance but the prom, and that invitation had come a mere week before the event.

  “Why don’t you wait and see who invites you? If you like the boy, say yes. If you don’t, turn him down. Whatever happens with Mark, you’ll still be doing the best for you.”

  “Maybe.”

  Their drinks arrived. Melissa sipped gratefully on her coffee. Her feet hurt, her back ached and there was a six-inch scratch on her leg from a pin in one of the dresses. Who said shopping was fun?

  “Barbara’s older sister slept with a boy last week.”

  Melissa choked. “Excuse me?” Her first thought was to wonder what else Barbara’s older sister would have slept with. The second was a realization that she needed to ask Logan for a raise. She plain wasn’t getting paid enough to handle Wendi.

  “How old is…”

  “Elsie? She’s fourteen. Almost fifteen.”

  Fourteen years old? It boggled her mind. Now what? She wasn’t a mot
her. How did one discuss sex with an impressionable girl without encouraging her to jump into bed or scaring her for life?

  “What do you think about Elsie and this boy?”

  The hot-fudge sundae arrived. Wendi licked a scoop of whipped cream off her spoon. “I’m not sure why she did it. I don’t think I want to kiss a boy, let alone do…that.”

  A questioning look fluttered in and out of Wendi’s eyes. The expression was so fleeting that Melissa wasn’t sure if she was imagining it or not, but she couldn’t take the chance.

  “Do you know what happens when a man and a woman go to bed together?”

  “Of course. They taught us in health last year. It’s pretty disgusting if you ask me.”

  Health class? Unless it had changed considerably since her day, most of the information was technical rather than practical. “Making love with a boy is a difficult decision, Wendi. It’s important to make sure it’s what you want to do and not just what your friends are doing.”

  Wendi stared intently at her dessert. “Can we change the subject?”

  “I’m almost done. When you decide it’s right, you need to practice safe sex.”

  “Melissa!”

  “I’m not kidding. A condom will keep you from getting diseases as well as getting pregnant. What if Elsie and her friend didn’t use one? Do you think she’s ready to have a baby?”

  Wendi smiled smugly. “Elsie can’t get pregnant.”

  “Why?”

  “It was her first time. Everybody knows you can’t get pregnant your first time.”

  Melissa felt her jaw drop. Wherever had Wendi heard that idea? It was so wrong it was frightening. Should she say something now or talk to Logan first or…

  “Do you think Dad would let me have a slumber party for my birthday?” Wendi asked.

  The transformation from teen to little girl was as fast as it was confusing. “I—I don’t see why not.”

  “Good. Okay, let’s get going. We haven’t touched the second level of the mall.”

  Later, Melissa thought as she stood up. She’d speak to Wendi later. Better yet, let her father deal with her.

  “Logan, I need to talk to you.”

  He looked up from the computer report and motioned for Melissa to take the seat next to his desk. The smile she offered was tentative, and he wondered how much longer they were going to tiptoe around each other.