The Bottom Line

by Sandy James

  His jaw clenched tight as he narrowed his eyes.

  “Nothin’. Just like always. You’ll do nothin’.” She snatched her wrist away and rubbed it as though he’d hurt her.

  It was a wonder she didn’t take a few pictures to show how she’d been abused. No doubt Theresa would be repeating her version of this story to her friends and probably the lawyer she kept on a string to harass Ben when the mood struck.

  So much for being nonjudgmental…

  Mallory focused on helping the only true innocent in the whole scenario. “Amber, why don’t you come inside? We’ll let your parents have a minute of privacy. There are fresh donuts if you want a snack.” She smiled at the girl, hoping she saw the sincerity in wanting to protect her.

  When Amber nodded and tried to skirt around Theresa, her mother’s arm shot out to block her path. She leveled a hard stare at Mallory. “You’re not going anywhere near the kid. Shit, you and lover boy here were fucking around last night right in front of her.”

  The teacher in her bristled. “I would truly appreciate it if you’d watch your language, especially around Amber.”

  “Fuck you.” Theresa flicked her unlit cigarette at Mallory. It bounced off her chest and landed at her feet.

  Mallory kicked it aside like a dead mouse. “Sets a bad example to smoke in front of your daughter.”

  Theresa’s whole face mottled red. “The kid is none of your business. Sure didn’t care about her when you and Ben were screwing each other last night, did ya?”

  While she was more than ready to blister the woman’s ears over why it would be best to shelter Amber from this scene, Mallory held her tongue. She didn’t know a whole lot about Theresa, but everything she’d seen so far had been bad. Really bad. If she persisted in her profanity and name-calling, Mallory was going to lose her temper. God help them all then.

  Ben put a hand on Mallory’s shoulder. “Amber, why don’t you go inside with Mallory and let me talk to your mom?”

  Amber came up the last step to the porch, but she kept a wary eye on her mother.

  “Fine,” Theresa snapped. “Go on inside with Daddy’s new toy.”

  Once Amber was in the house, Ben stepped out to the porch.

  Mallory quietly closed the door, hoping to spare Amber any more embarrassment. Then she headed to the kitchen. She picked up the coffees, dumped the ancient brew down the sink, and tossed the cups away. After she grabbed a couple of plates, she set them next to the box of donuts.

  “Help yourself,” she said. “I’m gonna make a fresh pot of coffee.”

  While she worked on getting things brewing, she glanced over her shoulder, wishing she could take away the hurt on the girl’s face. Amber was a such sweet kid. She deserved better than a foul-mouthed mother on a histrionic bender.

  “Do you like hot chocolate?” Mallory asked. “I could make you some.”

  Amber just shrugged.

  “Maybe a glass of milk instead? Juice?”

  “Nah.”

  “Why don’t you take your jacket off and make yourself at home?”

  “Theresa’ll want to go soon.”

  Theresa?

  Interesting… But not at all surprising.

  After pressing the button to get things going, Mallory took two cups off the mug tree and set them next to the pot. Ben would surely want some after his little powwow with his ex. “You sure I can’t get you something to drink?”

  “Maybe some… Oh, never mind. I won’t be here long.”

  The pain in Amber’s voice told her more than enough about the girl’s relationship with Theresa. While she tried to help as many students as she could, at least Mallory could leave their problems at school.

  Amber needed her.

  After what she and Ben had shared, there was a possibility Mallory would be spending a lot of time with Amber, which meant dealing with Theresa. So she’d face it like she did everything—head-on. She’d handled parents a lot worse before. Theresa would never know what hit her.

  What had possessed Ben to marry a woman like that?

  Mallory didn’t bother comparing herself to Theresa. They were nothing alike, from their looks to their personalities. Nor did she bother with worrying that Ben would prefer a brash woman like his ex over someone more mild-mannered. Had Theresa’s in-your-face approach to life appealed to him, he’d still be married to her.

  What Mallory focused on was Amber. Perhaps it was the teacher in her, but her heart went out to the girl. If there was anything she could do to make this whole awkward situation easier, she’d be glad to give it a whirl.

  Opening the box of donuts, she smiled at the empty spots, remembering the goofy way Ben looked when he stood there with a donut between his lips. The only thing that might have improved the view was if he’d been naked at the time. The half-eaten cruller was sitting on the kitchen table, along with the chocolate-frosted donut with one big bite gone.

  Mallory tossed those in the trash before picking up one with maple frosting. “I love icing.” She smiled at Amber, hoping to relieve the tension. “I’m a bit of an icing junkie. I’ll admit to eating cake icing right out of the container sometimes.”

  “I’m sorry about Theresa.”

  Evidently the daughter was as blunt as the father. So much for ignoring this elephant.

  “You’re not her keeper, Amber.”

  “Yeah, but…” She heaved a sigh. “I shouldn’t have told her Dad was with you.”

  At least that explained how Theresa found out not only that she was dating Ben but where she lived. The only question remaining was why the woman was looking for him to begin with. Since Amber appeared near tears, she let that question go. “I’m sure you didn’t expect her to do something like this.”

  Amber’s dark eyes—so much like her father’s—found Mallory’s. “I should’ve. Theresa does stuff like this all the time.” Her lower lip quivered. “I’m really sorry.”

  “I don’t blame you, honey. Look, why don’t you take off your jacket? Grab a donut and have a seat. Let your dad take care of this.” She pulled a chair out and sat down. “I’d guess he’s pretty good at handling your mom.”

  The girl snorted, but she picked up a blueberry donut, dropped it on the plate, and brought it over to the table. She peeled off her jacket, sat down, and munched on the donut. Her mouth was still partly full when she said, “Dad does his best, but…” She finished the thought with a frown.

  There were so many things Mallory wanted to say to Amber to try to ease her mind, but she wasn’t sure it was her place. Sure, things between her and Ben had taken a leap into “serious,” but that didn’t give her permission to interfere with his child. Her experience told her Amber needed reassurance because she was worried that Mallory was judging her based on her mother’s actions. Far from it. If anything, she was impressed at how well Amber and Ben kept cool in the face of Theresa’s anger.

  She finally decided to speak her mind. “You’re handling this situation well.”

  “You mean Theresa making an ass of herself and calling you dirty names?”

  Yep. Amber was truly Ben’s daughter.

  Mallory nodded.

  “I guess I’m just… used to her. If I hadn’t told her the car was yours, she wouldn’t know about you and Dad.” The floodgates seemed to open. “She’s jealous. Dad’s had dates before, but nothing like… like… you.” A smile curved her lips. “Theresa can’t stand it.”

  “Amber, you don’t have to talk about—”

  She gave her head a shake. “I know, but I want to. I’m not used to having someone to talk to.”

  Ben had never spoken of Amber’s friends, so Mallory bit her tongue instead of asking about her social life. Just because she had the Ladies Who Lunch didn’t mean Amber had that kind of support system.

  “Once I told Theresa about you taking Dad and me to the gymnastics exhibition, all she wanted to do was ask about you. She hates that Dad likes you so much.”

  Exactly how much had Am
ber told the woman? “Did you, um… talk about my… Oh, never mind.” No. She wasn’t going to put the girl in that kind of awkward position.

  “I didn’t tell her about your cancer.”

  Some kids grew up awfully fast. “Probably a good thing.”

  Amber nodded.

  The front door opened, and Ben came down the hall into the kitchen. He looked to Mallory first, the apology clear in his eyes. Then he shifted his gaze to Amber. “Hey, ladybug. Your mom wants to take you out for lunch.”

  “With what? She told me she was broke again.” After she blurted out the words, she quickly glanced to Mallory as though mortified she hadn’t guarded her response.

  “She’s not broke now,” Ben replied. “Do you want to go? If you don’t, I can talk to her and—”

  Amber popped to her feet and picked up her jacket. “I’ll go.”

  “She said she’d have you back in time to do your homework.” He tossed her a conspiratorial wink.

  Amber shoved her arms into the jacket sleeves, dragged up the zipper, and left without another word. Ben followed her to the front door.

  Mallory scarfed down another donut while waiting for Ben to return. Part of her wanted to let this whole stupid episode go by without any kind of discussion. Part of her wished they could hash it out now so the problem wouldn’t fester. Perhaps his approach of acknowledging the elephant really was for the best.

  “Sorry,” he said again. He sat in the chair Amber had vacated and picked up a donut.

  “Not your fault.”

  “I didn’t want you to have to deal with Theresa. Ever.”

  “After what happened between us, I don’t think that was likely.” The words were out before she thought. Just because Ben had slept with her, that didn’t mean—

  Bullshit. It did mean. She wasn’t the kind of woman to fall into bed with a guy and not expect that to be part of a committed relationship. Ben knew that.

  “You’re right,” he replied. “Doesn’t mean I didn’t hope to avoid it for a while.” He ate the donut, chewing slowly, probably turning things around in his mind.

  “Like I told Amber, you’re not Theresa’s keeper.”

  A snort slipped out. “That’s exactly what she needs: a keeper—a zookeeper. I got tired of the job pretty quick.”

  “Then why did you marry her?” Mallory almost groaned at her own stupidity. “Wait! Don’t answer that.”

  “No, it’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s none of my business.”

  Ben took her hand in his and tugged at her until she finally understood and got up. Then pulled her onto his lap. “It’s very much your business.” He kissed her chin. “At least I want it to be. We’ve got something exclusive going here, right?”

  Mallory cupped his cheeks and kissed him. “I sure as heck hope so.”

  “Good.” He gave her a decisive nod. “Good.”

  “So why did you marry her?”

  “Because I knocked her up,” he admitted. “I’m not proud of it. We met at a bar. I let her pick me up. Would you believe she can be sweet when she tries? I never saw the side of her you just saw until after the wedding.”

  “Lots of people are like that,” Mallory said. “They wear some kind of mask or something until they’ve snared you. Then they show their true colors.”

  “Your ex like that?”

  She shook her head. “But Juliana’s sure was. Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

  “Theresa can be a real bitch, but I wouldn’t change a single minute of the aggravation because of Amber. She was worth it.”

  “She’s a great kid, Ben.”

  “She is, isn’t she?” He gave her a quick kiss. “Unfortunately, the baggage that comes with her is her impossible mother.”

  Since he seemed to be in the mood for sharing, Mallory let her curiosity loose. “Why’d she hunt us down?”

  “Honestly?”

  “Isn’t that the only way we do things?”

  “Absolutely,” he replied. “She’s not happy that I’ve moved on.”

  That made no sense. “You’re divorced. You already moved on.”

  “We might be divorced, but she knew there wasn’t anyone else in my life. Now that I have you, she thinks she finally lost me.”

  Looping her arms around his neck, Mallory smiled. “You do have me, you know.”

  “Yeah, baby. I know.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Juliana plopped into the chair and sprawled out as though she were at home sitting on a sofa. “One more final exam to give and I can get the hell outta this place. Not even grading ’em. Leaving that for Teacher Work Day in January.”

  “No way. I’m getting all my tests graded before I head home.” Mallory grabbed her lunch from the refrigerator and set it on the table. Her thoughts were on her upcoming surgery, but she needed to find some focus and do her job for another few hours. She sat down and spread out the containers of food. “I’ve got enough to deal with over break. I’m not about to come back here in January with final exams to finish.”

  “I’m staying, too.” Bethany started pulling her food from her bag. “I have lots of better things to do the first day of a new semester. Seating charts. Lesson plans. Talking to a few teachers about the problems I’m inheriting from their classes.”

  Danielle all but slammed the door to the break room. “I think my brain just exploded in an avalanche of words—all badly spelled and poorly used. I need to read some Jane Austen to cleanse my mental palate.”

  “Pride and Prejudice?” Jules asked with a grin.

  “What else?”

  “That’s what you get for giving essay finals, Dani,” Beth quipped. “I’ll take my bubble sheets any day. Run them through a scanner and… voilà!”

  “I used those for the literature questions, but…” Danielle sat down and shrugged. “Sometimes teaching English sucks.”

  “But think of all the good you’re doing,” Mallory insisted. “Without English teachers, these kids would write in text-speak all the time.”

  Juliana settled a concerned gaze on Mallory. “Are you ready for your surgery? Are you sure you don’t want any help from us?”

  “No, I really don’t,” Mallory replied. “But thanks. Ben’s going to stay for a couple of days. You all go and enjoy your breaks. You’ve earned them.”

  “What about Amber?” Beth asked.

  “You know, she offered to help,” Mallory replied. “I really like her.”

  “She’s staying at your place?” Danielle took a bite of her baby carrot.

  “No. Theresa’s taking Amber to visit her parents for Christmas. They’re flying to Dallas Sunday afternoon. Won’t be back until after the new year. Ben’s going to take care of me and do some work on the house. His regular job’s on hold until after the holidays.”

  Theresa had mellowed some since the confrontation the day after their Chicago trip. Perhaps the shock of Ben seriously dating another woman finally settled in as the weeks passed. She and Theresa had little contact, and from the time Mallory spent with Amber, she’d learned that Theresa seldom mentioned her or Ben. When she did, her main gripe was that Amber spent more time with Mallory than her. Since that was Amber’s choice not to be with Theresa often, as well as what the court ordered, there wasn’t much to be done to change things.

  “I can’t believe how long he’s been working on your place,” Danielle said. “Shouldn’t it be done by now?

  “Not so long, really,” Mallory insisted. “He can only do projects here and there since he started full-time with the builder. He’s at my place today, trying to get the gas logs in so the great room is done before I go to the hospital.”

  “Key Club’s decorating the tree at the Community Center this weekend and singing carols,” Danielle said. “Any of you coming?”

  “Sorry. I can’t,” Mallory replied.

  Jules snorted. “That’s why I don’t sponsor clubs anymore. Look at the stuff you get roped into, Danielle.”
/>   “I like being with Key Club,” Danielle insisted. “They’re great kids.” She shifted her gaze to Mallory. “Sure you can’t come?”

  Mallory shook her head. “I’m going to try to get the house straightened up, finish the laundry, and shop for enough groceries to last until I’m up and about again.”

  Danielle smiled at Beth. “How about you?”

  “Sorry, hon. I’m out.” Beth fished some change out of her purse. “Heading straight to my parents’ place after school.” She popped up and bought a can of soda from the machine.

  “That’s right,” Jules said. “I forgot you’re all going to Vegas.”

  “Yep. Mom, Dad, and me in Vegas. What was I thinking?”

  “You were thinking they offered to pay for the trip,” Jules replied with a smirk.

  “That and I saved up a nice little bankroll to blow on slots. Maybe I’ll strike it rich.”

  Mallory held up her Diet Cherry Coke in salute. “Merry Christmas, Bethany. May you win enough to retire!”

  * * *

  “Ben?” Mallory dropped her purse and her tote—now empty because she’d graded every last stupid test—next to the coat closet.

  She was almost afraid to go into the great room. Ben would be upset if he didn’t get everything finished. He’d kicked up a fuss about getting several things done before her surgery on Monday.

  No sounds of work greeted her. In fact, she heard… Christmas music?

  After shrugging out of her coat, she tossed it on the coat tree and hurried down the hall. When she saw the great room, she gasped in surprise.

  A fire burned in the fireplace. The gas logs looked so real, she had to wonder for a moment if he’d changed his mind about using them and just gone ahead and built a wood fire. He’d finished painting the walls, and all the furniture was back in place. Her flat-screen had been hooked back up to the stereo, and a soft instrumental version of “White Christmas” floated from the speakers.

  Ben had put up her Christmas tree in the corner. It was fully decorated with all the ornaments she’d collected from the time she’d been a teenager. The multicolored lights twinkled from the branches of her artificial spruce. Gold tinsel hung from the restored oak mantel.