by Thianna D
“Was there anything else?” he asked.
“Do you think you could bring home something for dinner?” Lainie requested. “With this meeting after school, it’s going to be a long day. Not having to cook would help.”
“Of course,” he agreed easily. As commonplace as her request was, for Lainie to ask him for help of any sort, even just bringing home dinner, was a significant concession. There had been a time when she would have been hell bent on doing everything herself, no matter how exhausted she was. Grant wasn’t about to do anything to discourage the progress. “I could pick up pizza, if that’s okay,” he suggested. There was no fast food in Corbin’s Bend, but there was a good pizza place not far outside the entrance. He’d go right by there on his way home and could pick up something easily enough.
“That’s fine,” Lainie responded. “The girls will be thrilled.”
They would. Since moving to Corbin’s Bend, fast food was a rare treat. “Are they going home or staying with you?”
“I’m not sure,” Lainie said. “Since I just found out about this, I haven’t had a chance to talk to them. I’m kind of hoping they will go on home since I don’t know how long I’ll be. They should be fine at the house until you get there.”
“They’ll be fine,” Grant told her. Kathleen was nearly sixteen, and Natalie had turned thirteen last month. They were certainly old enough to stay home alone for a couple of hours. “Just remind Natalie that she can’t have friends over without one of us home.”
“I will,” Lainie replied. They chatted for a moment more before she had to go and get ready for the next class.
“See you later,” Grant said quietly. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” Lainie answered.
Hanging up, Grant slid his phone back into his pocket. He understood about work commitments and did not at all mind picking up dinner, but Lainie’s habit of over committing herself had to stop. He was going to make sure it did, one way or the other.
* * * * *
By the time Lainie made it home, she had put in nearly a ten-hour workday and spent the majority of those hours on her feet. Every bone in her body hurt. She was profoundly grateful Grant was bringing home dinner. She honestly didn’t have the energy to cook. She wasn’t entirely sure she had the energy to eat. She was considering just forgoing dinner and falling into bed, dinner, grading, lesson plans, and her own children’s homework be damned.
As she had expected, Grant had beat her home. He was standing in the kitchen supervising table setting and pizza distribution when she came into the house. “Right on time,” he said, smiling, coming over to kiss her. She raised up on her tip toes and put her lips to his for a quick kiss. She didn’t even have the energy to muster up a real kiss. It wasn’t lack of interest by any means. She was just bone tired.
Grant caught her chin and eyed her worriedly. Lainie met his eyes as best she could and prayed he wouldn’t start in on her now. The last thing in the world she needed was him getting up on his soapbox about her over committing herself. Between exhaustion and the persistent headache she was nursing, she didn’t think she could take either the lecture or the argument it was likely to bring on. Part of her loved that Grant was protective, but just this once, for the love of God, please let him leave her alone.
By some miracle, Grant seemed to get the message. “Sit down,” he said, nudging her in the direction of her usual seat at the table. She was still carrying her schoolbag, but she didn’t bother going to put it away. Instead, she dumped both her bag and her coat on to the floor, mentally promising to pick them up later, and dropped into her chair. Natalie looked surprised but had the good sense not to say anything. Without asking, Grant – bless him – had gone into the kitchen and poured her a glass of wine.
When he set it on the table in front of her, she smiled up at him. “I knew there was a reason I love you.”
“That’s a good thing,” he told her, tipping her chin up and dropping a kiss on her lips, “because I love you too.”
“Gross,” Kathleen squawked good-naturedly, “get a room.”
“Why?” Natalie said, smirking at her sister. “It’s not as if you’ve never seen anyone kiss before. I’ve even seen you kissing –” Kathleen’s hand clamped over her sister’s mouth before she could finish the sentence.
“Shut up, brat,” she hissed.
Unfortunately, her intervention came too late. “Oh,” Grant said, his whole body coming instantly alert, “what’s this?” He pinned her with a pointed look, raising his eyebrows.
“Nothing,” Kathleen said quickly, a little too quickly by Lainie’s estimation. Yep, there was definitely something going on there.
“Really?” Grant pressed. “Your sister doesn’t seem to think it’s nothing.”
“Yes, she does,” Kathleen insisted. “It’s nothing, right Nat?” She turned a gimlet eye on her sister.
Her youngest daughter might’ve been many things, but she was nobody’s fool. “Right,” Natalie agreed hastily. “It’s nothing, really. I was just teasing.” That much was true. It was plain enough that Natalie had only been teasing, but it was just as obvious that there was at least a glimmer of truth within that teasing. From Grant’s expression, he knew that as well as Lainie did, and he didn’t like it.
Lainie put a hand on his arm and rubbed gently, both soothing and restraining. If he would let it go, she could probably find out just who it was Kathleen had a crush on by means of a little subtle investigation. A full frontal assault and going at her with all guns blazing would do nothing but start a fight and make her all the more determined to keep that information quiet. “Let’s eat,” she told them. Thankfully, the mention of food was enough to derail them all from their current argument. They moved with alacrity, settling down at the table and setting on the food like a horde of locusts.
The pizza was wonderful with just the right balance of spicy sauce, crunchy crust, and gooey cheese along with a variety of toppings. The food and the wine went a long way toward taking the edge off her exhaustion. She might just have the energy to get something done tonight after all.
Unfortunately, Grant had other ideas. As soon as they were done eating, he put the girls to work clearing the table and cleaning the kitchen and took her hand. “We need to talk,” he said, pulling her to her feet.
Lainie’s whole body went tense on the word and her heart started to race. She was relieved when he simply led her into the living room and took a seat on the sofa, pulling her down beside him. Oh, good, this time talk only meant talk rather than being a code word for spank. Otherwise, he would’ve taken her straight into the office. She’d been worrying about that in the back of her mind ever since he had told her earlier that they would talk at home. Realizing that he truly only meant to talk led to the weight off of her shoulders that she hadn’t been consciously aware she had been carrying.
“What did you want to talk about?” she asked, curling up and leaning close to Grant’s side. Given their conversation earlier, she had a pretty good idea what was on his mind, but there was no sense of meeting to any more than she had to, at least not too soon.
Grant shifted, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. The warmth and comfort in his embrace drove the exhaustion out just as much of the earlier food had. It made her smile involuntarily. It was probably silly, but sometimes he seemed to make things better just by virtue of being there. Before they moved here last summer, it had been years since he made her feel that way, but lately it was happening more and more often.
“You’re working too hard,” Grant said quietly. “You can’t keep going like this. Something’s got to give.”
“Well, I wish you would tell me what then,” she said shortly. “Everything I’m doing has to be done. It’s not like I can just stop.”
“Maybe not everything,” he agreed, “but you can certainly cut back on some things. All these extracurricular activities at school and in the community, for one.”
“It’s not that simple,”
Lainie countered. “The afterschool things are part of my job too, just like your evening self-defense classes are part of yours. Neither of us work nine to five jobs. You know that. You’ve always known that.”
“I do,” Grant agreed, “but I also know that when we moved here, we agreed that we were going to cut back on things so that we could spend more time at home. That’s why I took the job at the college rather than going back to a city police force. I could’ve made more money on a city force but we both agreed that my being able to be home more was more important. It was supposed to work the same way for you. You said you’d have half as many students so it would be half as much work, and you’d be able to have more free time and focus more on things at home. I’m not seeing that happening. You’re working every bit as hard as you ever did, not to mention you now have other things that you’re doing besides school as well, your book club and scrapbooking.”
“So what? I finally get back to my hobbies for the first time in years, and you think I should quit?” Lainie said hotly. “Does that mean you’re going to give up jogging or playing pool with Matt?” This was an utterly ridiculous conversation. She had a right to do some things for herself. She had given them up for far too long for the sake of the household and the children. She had no intention of ever doing that again, and it was completely unfair of him to expect that of her.
“That wasn’t what I meant at all,” Grant replied, sighing. “I’m glad you’re getting back to your hobbies again. It’s work that seems to be getting out of control.”
“As if I have any control of that,” Lainie snapped. “It’s my job. You of all people should understand that. I barely saw you for fifteen years.”
“So now it’s my turn?” Grant asked quietly. “I’m barely seeing you now. Even when you are home, you’re buried in paperwork. When was the last time you spent a night at home without grading papers?”
“I teach English, Grant,” Lainie said tersely. “Grading papers comes with the territory. I can’t teach students to write effectively without taking the time to grade their papers and give them feedback. It’s part of my job. I’m sorry you don’t like it taking up time at home, but there’s nothing I can do about that. It has to be done.”
“Okay, you’re right,” he conceded. “That probably wasn’t fair of me to bring up. I realize the paperwork comes with the territory, but do you have to serve on every committee and event that goes on?”
Lainie sighed. “I knew that was what this was about. You’re still pissed about me having a committee meeting this afternoon. I told you I forgot that I had agreed to be on that committee.”
“That’s probably a sign you’re doing too much if you can’t remember the ones you’ve agreed to,” Grant said.
Lainie shot him a scathing look. “That’s how it works in a small school. Everything that has to be done in a large school still has to be done. There are just fewer people to do it. That means everybody available has to do multiple things, including me. I’m sorry you don’t like it, but that’s the way it is.”
“I know you, Lainie,” Grant said quietly. “You’re the one thinking that you have to be involved in everything. You like to be a part of everything that goes on and to have a finger in every pie. You don’t have to do everything. It may be a small school, but it survived without you before we moved, and if you run yourself into exhaustion, it will survive without you again. You need to set priorities and cut back.”
“It’s my job,” Lainie insisted. She couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. He was a cop. She had spent years never knowing when or if he would be home. She had long since lost count of the number of missed meals, interrupted family events, and missed holidays his job had caused. Now he had the wherewithal to be questioning her. He had some nerve.
“That may be,” Grant said, “but it’s my job to take care of you. I’m not going to let you run yourself ragged, job or no job. I’ll talk to your boss myself if I have to.”
Any attempt at remaining calm fled at that moment. “You have got to be kidding me,” she flared, outraged. “You can’t be serious. What would I look like marching up to your CO and demanding that your hours be cut back? If I’d known that was on the table, I would have done it years ago.”
“It’s not something I want to do either,” Grant said wearily. “I would far rather you make the choice yourself to prioritize and take care of yourself, but I will do it if I have to.”
“You will, will you?” Lainie said icily, “Just who do you think you are, dictating to me like that? What gives you the right to have that kind of say so over my job?”
“You did,” Grant said firmly. “When you gave me the responsibility as head of household, you also gave me the responsibility to take care of you, whatever it takes.”
“Not when it comes to my job,” Lainie shot back. “My job is off the table.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Grant told her, quiet but absolutely implacable. “In a relationship like ours, nothing is off the table.”
At that moment, Lainie was very glad there were no small objects within her reach. If there had been, she might’ve given in to the sudden overwhelming urge to bounce something off of Grant’s incredibly hard head. She couldn’t just stop doing this stuff. It was her job whether he liked it or not. “That’s not fair!” she protested. “It’s not like I’m in control of all the things I’m expected to do.”
“Maybe not,” Grant replied, “but you can certainly control whether or not you volunteer for all of these extracurricular things. I know you have to do some of them, but you don’t have to do everything you’re doing. I’m telling you I want you to prioritize and cut back.”
At this point, Lainie realized there with absolutely no hope of getting Grant to truly understand. This was a pointless argument. The best thing she could do was agree and move on. It’s not like they were going to change anything tonight anyway and maybe if she started making an effort to be home more she could appease him enough to drop this ridiculous argument. “Okay, fine,” she conceded. “I’ll try to cut back after the stuff for the Valentine’s dance is over. I can’t just back out on the things I’ve already agreed to, but I’ll try to cut back on what I can in the future.”
“Thank you,” Grant said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “That’s all I can ask. It’s not that I mind you being involved in anything for the school or the community, but you have to take care of yourself, too. Not to mention I miss you. I want us to have time to spend together like we were able to during the summer when we first moved.”
“I want us to have time together, too,” Lainie agreed, “but you know school takes over my life from September to June. That’s how it is. Surely you of all people can understand that.”
“I do,” Grant assured her. “All I’m asking is that you carve out a little time for me and the girls. Don’t let work take over your life quite so much.”
“I’ll try,” Lainie said. She would. She just didn’t see how she could possibly do anything much different than what she was doing now. It wasn’t like her responsibilities were going to magically disappear just because Grant wanted her to do less.
“Good,” Grant said, smiling. “At least the dance is only a few days away. The planning will be over soon, and with the girls at the dance, we’ll be able to spend some time together on Valentine’s Day.”
Lainie winced inwardly. “Actually,” she said slowly, “I won’t be home on Valentine’s Day either. I have to chaperone the dance.” Beside her, she felt Grant go tense and stiff.
“No,” he said firmly. “If you are helping with the planning, someone else can chaperone. This is exactly what I meant. You don’t have to do everything.”
Lainie rubbed a hand over her face. After the conversation they had just had, she had known that wasn’t going to go over well, but what exactly did he think she was supposed to do about it?
“I’ve already committed to it,” she told him. “I’m sorry, but we have to ha
ve chaperones, and no one wants to work on Valentine’s Day. Everyone wants to be able to spend time with their significant other, but someone actually has to chaperone. I thought you would understand. After all, we have missed plenty of holidays when you were on the police force. You know work has to come first sometimes.”
“That’s the very reason I want us to be able to have Valentine’s together,” Grant countered. “We haven’t gotten to celebrate properly in years. It’s our turn.”
Lainie shrugged. “I’m sorry. I understand how you feel, but there’s not much I can do about it.”
“So chaperoning the dance is mandatory?” Grant asked.
“Well, no,” Lainie admitted hesitantly, “but I’ve already volunteered.”
“You’re going to un-volunteer,” Grant informed her. “You’ve done enough. Someone else can chaperone.”
“I can’t just back out like that,” Lainie protested. “That would leave them in the lurch for someone to cover for me. That irresponsible and unprofessional.”
“It’s not unprofessional if you give them several days warning,” Grant said. “I’m sure there are plenty of people here who would be willing to help. They should ask some of the older people. There are any number of widowed people here who probably don’t have plans for Valentine’s. Frankly, keeping busy might make it easier for them to get through without a partner.”
“Grant, are you seriously suggesting that we ask elderly people in the community to chaperone a party for teenagers?” Lainie said incredulously. “You can barely tolerate their music, much less someone a generation or two older than you.”
“That may be true for some of them,” Grant agreed, “but some of them would enjoy it. You know Venia would.”
He did have a point. “Okay, I’ll suggest it,” Lainie agreed, “but I still don’t feel comfortable just backing out on them altogether.”
“You’re not backing out,” Grant insisted. “You are helping. You’re just not chaperoning, and you’re suggesting someone to take your place. That’s not leaving anyone in the lurch.”
