The wholehearted way the community had welcomed them warmed him. It wasn’t something he had experienced in years, not since he was a small boy visiting his grandparents. Their small farming community had exhibited a similar type of community feeling, but it wasn’t something he’d experienced in any place he’d lived since. The fact that it existed here simply confirmed his conviction that this was the right place for them. He knew Lainie had reservations, but sooner or later she would come around. Corbin’s Bend was going to be good for them. He just knew it.
He found Lainie in the kitchen. She was slumped in a chair at the table. When she looked up, he could see that she was clearly exhausted. He slipped in behind her, gripping her shoulders lightly and kneading with his thumbs. Lainie let her head drop forward, moaning softly. “Tired?” he asked.
Lainie nodded. “I hate moving. It should be illegal.”
Grant chuckled. “I’ll have to check the statutes on that one.”
Lainie looked up at him with a weary smile. “You do that.” She sighed again. “I’ll get up and do something about dinner in a minute.”
“Don’t,” Grant said. “You’re exhausted. We can go out.”
He saw the relief flash through Lainie’s eyes, but she said, “We don’t have to do that. I can cook.”
“I know you can, but we’re going out,” Grant said placidly. Lainie gave him a slightly disgruntled look, and he fought a very unhelpful urge to smile, knowing if he gave into it Lainie would likely serve him his head on a platter. He pulled back her chair and levered her out of it. “Go shower. I’ll round up the girls and tell them to get ready.”
A little over an hour later, he was herding everyone into the car, headed for Endelè. They had all cleaned up for dinner. Grant had changed into khakis and a dark green Polo that he knew was one of Lainie’s favorites. She’d always told him it brought out the green in his eyes. She seemed to have been following the same train of thought since she had changed into one of her light cotton sundresses that he particularly liked. He always loved it when she wore dresses. They just seemed to make her appear all the more feminine, soft and delicate. It brought out every protective instinct he had. Not to mention that dress also offered far more ease of access if they decided to take things a little further in private. Not that they had done that in a long time, not in the way he meant. Their coupling had become increasingly distant and mechanical in recent years. Back in North Carolina, he had worked all the time, and Lainie had not been much better. They were both constantly exhausted, and what sex they’d had was more often than not coming together out of frustration, duty, and need rather than any real passion. That was yet another thing he was hoping would change as a result of this move.
When they pulled out onto the main street, Kathleen caught sight of the name on the street sign and screeched, “Spanking Loop? Seriously?” Both girls had been asleep the night before when they had gotten in, and this was the first time they had really gotten a look at the community. Grant sighed.
“Yes really,” he said. “We talked about this, remember?” He certainly remembered it, whether she did or not. The idea of the domestic discipline relationship was not a new one to Lainie. They had never practiced it, but they had talked about it, and she had had some basic understanding of how it all worked. Explaining such an idea to their children, however, had been a whole different kettle of fish. Once they had made the decision to apply to become members of this community, Grant had known it had to be done. People here were discrete and extremely respectful of the fact that there were children in the community, but their shared interest wasn’t hidden. His girls would have to know.
Despite the fact that Grant himself had grown up in a family that practiced DD, he’d had no idea how to begin to explain it to them. He never remembered anyone explaining it to him. It was just simply the way things were. He didn’t remember ever questioning it. His dad and his grandpa had run their households. They were the authority, and anyone whether that be him, his mom, his grandma, or even any of the neighborhood kids that hung around fell under their authority, which included being disciplined for any rule breaking and misbehavior. It was as natural as breathing.
That wasn’t the case for Natalie and Kathleen. Natalie, easy-going and accepting as she was, had pretty much taken it in stride. Both Grant and Lainie had gone to great pains to explain to them that this was something they had both agreed to and thought would help their family. Natalie had accepted that at face value, admitting that she did not like the constant arguing and fighting, and if this was going to help it, she was all for it. Kathleen, on the other hand, had been horrified, declaring the whole thing abusive, barbaric, and downright weird. From that moment on, she had fought the move tooth and nail, and judging by her attitude today, she still hadn’t given up the fight.
“Still weird,” Kathleen muttered.
“You’re entitled to your opinion,” Grant replied, “but I expect you to keep it to yourself. Whatever you think of their choices, it’s no excuse to be rude or disrespectful to our neighbors. You and I will be having a discussion about that after dinner.”
“What?!” Kathleen protested. “I didn’t do anything.”
“After dinner,” Grant repeated. There was no way he was getting into that now. He knew Kathleen’s temper far too well to risk having such a discussion in public. She wouldn’t hesitate to make a scene no matter where they were. She slumped against the car door, mumbling furiously under her breath. He ignored her. It wasn’t the place or the time and so help him, he wasn’t going to allow her to goad him into it. No matter how much the constant muttering was getting on his nerves.
Thankfully, it was only a matter of minutes until they reached the restaurant. He parked the car and everyone piled out. Natalie had earbuds tucked into her ears and was humming along with her iPod. Kathleen was clicking away on her cell phone, texting most likely. He reached over and removed the earbuds from Natalie’s ears. “Leave them in the car,” he told them. “New rule. No electronics at the table.” Nearly identical expressions of shock came over both girls’ faces. Natalie looked as if she wanted to protest, but after a moment’s thought, reluctantly opened the car door and tossed her iPod into the back seat.
“That’s not fair!” Kathleen shouted. “You can’t just up and decide something like that without telling anybody or talking about it.”
“I can, and I have,” Grant told her. “You can put your phone back in the car, or I can hold on to it for a while, but if I keep it, you won’t be getting it back after dinner.”
“Mom!” Kathleen demanded, turning expectantly toward Lainie.
Lainie shot him a thoroughly perturbed look, and he realized belatedly that he probably should have at least discussed it with her first. It wasn’t really something he had planned to do though, just a spur of the moment decision. “You heard your dad,” Lainie said. “An hour without it won’t kill you.”
Grant smiled gratefully at her. More often than not, as he had been trying to take more of a hand in matters over the last few months, she tended to side with the girls. It had caused no little tension between them. It was such a small thing, but her backing him gave him hope. He hoped it was the sign of a new start, for all of them. He held out a hand to Kathleen. “Are you putting it away or am I?” Kathleen snatched open the car door and slid inside, plugging her phone into the charger that lived between the front seats.
Getting out of the car and coming back to join them, she gave Grant a pointed look. “It needed to charge anyway,” she informed him. She glided around him and strode to the door.
Behind her back, Grant rolled his eyes. She might obey him, but she had to make it clear it was on her terms. As if he cared. After all, her phone was still in the car.
Inside the restaurant, a lady of about sixty bustled up to them. “You must be the new family. The Taylors, right? I heard you were moving in today. I’m Bernie.”
Grant and Lainie shared a surprised look. Did everyone around
you know them already? It was rather strange to have total strangers speaking to you as if they knew you. “Yes, ma’am,” Grant said finally. “I’m Grant Taylor. This is my wife Lainie and our daughters, Kathleen and Natalie.” He gestured briefly to each one in turn as he introduced them.
“Just listen to you... Ma’am... Aren’t you the cutest?” Bernie beamed. “We aren’t at all formal around here. Everyone is pretty much on a first name basis with everybody else.”
As Bernie led them to a table, Grant couldn’t help but notice more than a few curious stares from the other patrons. The back of his neck burned, and he fought the need to hunch his shoulders protectively around himself. Was this how animals in zoos felt, on display for crowds of strange people? He was profoundly grateful when they slid into their seats. Both Lainie and Natalie looked just as relieved. Kathleen was openly staring back. As they settled down and began looking over menus, Kathleen turned to Grant.
“While you’re getting on my case about being rude,” she said hotly, “someone should tell them it’s rude to stare. Take a freaking picture. It’ll last longer.”
“It is rude,” Grant agreed. “We can’t control other people’s behavior though, only our own. Besides, this is a small community, and we’re new. It’s natural that people will be curious.” From her expression, Kathleen wasn’t at all convinced. Grant picked up his menu. “What looks good?” he asked the table at large. Kathleen shot one more furious look around the restaurant, but seeing that everyone had gone back to their own meals, she settled down and scanned the menu.
After everyone had ordered, Natalie began chattering excitedly about the activities Brent told her about. “He said all the current activities are posted on the community notice board,” she told them, “and he said that he would bring around the list of some of the upcoming classes so I can decide if there are ones I want to do. I hope there’s something fun. Maybe I can meet some of the kids in the neighborhood before school starts. Can I go check out the notice board in the morning, please?” She picked up a chip from the basket the waitress had delivered to the table when she took their orders, dipping into salsa and popping it in her mouth, looking expectantly from Grant to Lainie and back again.
Grant shared a look with Lainie. She shrugged slightly, leaving it up to him. “I don’t see why not,” he told Natalie. “I think getting involved in some activities is a good idea. Of course, before you commit to anything you need to talk to us about it, okay?”
“Sure,” Natalie said easily.
Grant turned to Kathleen. “What about you? Are you interested in finding out more about it and the summer activities?” Kathleen looked at him as though he had suggested she spend the summer working in an underground mine.
“No way,” she said in a tone of absolute finality.
“Why not?” Natalie asked. “Don’t you want to get to know some people before school starts?”
“Why would I want to get to know them?” Kathleen shot back. “They’re probably freaks just like their parents.”
“Kathleen!” Grant and Lainie admonished simultaneously.
“That is enough,” Grant went on, his voice taking on that deep, stern tone that made both Lainie and Natalie unconsciously sit up straight and go very quiet. “I realize you’re not happy about our move, and you’re entitled to your own feelings and opinions. However, in public, I expect you to keep them to yourself. Think what you want, but you are not going to be disrespectful to our neighbors. They’ve been nothing but kind to us.” Kathleen appeared totally unaffected by this pronouncement, but Grant wasn’t fooled. He had seen his share of stubborn teenagers trying to play it tough. They’d usually been in places he would kill Kathleen for going, but he knew the deal. She might pretend she didn’t hear him, but she couldn’t ignore him entirely, however much she might wish she could.
“I think they’re nice,” Natalie piped up. “Brent seems really cool.”
“Of course you do,” Kathleen muttered. “You’re a freak as much as they are.” Natalie went white as bone then a second later, she went painfully red and her eyes flared.
“Kathleen Elaina Taylor!” Grant snapped before Natalie could reply. “Apologize to your sister, right now!” His voice was low in deference to the other customers around them, but no less fierce for its lack of volume. He’d had instructors at the Academy who knew the trick of freezing blood without raising their voice, and he had long since learned to do the same.
Kathleen glared back at him. For all she looked like her mother, Grant knew she had gotten no little of her stubbornness and temper from him. Even so, he was not prepared to put up with it, not anymore. Holding her gaze, he laid his hands flat on the table and leaned across till he was inches from her face. “Now!”
Furious color rose on her face. For the briefest second, she hesitated, but then she turned in Natalie’s direction and murmured, “Sorry.”
As apologies went, it wasn’t much of one. It was flat and completely insincere. Still, she had done it. For now, that was enough. He nodded in acknowledgement and approval, but added, “We will talk about this later.”
They lapsed into a subdued but uneasy silence. No one seemed to know quite how to recover their earlier conversation. Luckily, the waitress arrived bearing plates of steaming enchiladas, burritos, and tacos. By the time the plates were distributed, the awkwardness had dissipated, replaced by a more comfortable silence as everyone tucked into their food. The food was very good. Several people stopped by to introduce themselves and welcome their family to the community. It wasn’t long before Natalie was pestering people who came by with questions. Before the end of the meal, they had learned not only the movie schedule but also the pool hours, and where to get groceries. People there were amazingly friendly, and Grant felt himself feeling more at home than he had in a long time.
The moment they made it home Kathleen shot out of the car like a rocket. Lainie, following her, felt her stomach knot up with nervousness. It was all fine and good for Grant to come down on Kathleen about her attitude, but she was the one who would be dealing with Kathleen in full-blown tantrum mode for days on end. Grant was right. Kathleen had been inexcusably rude both to their neighbors and to Natalie. She didn’t disagree with that, but Grant did not understand what dealing with Kathleen was like. Kathleen would make it her business to make everyone’s life hell for days, and Lainie would be stuck dealing with her. Grant had a job. While he did not go on regular rotation until next week, he would at least be out of the house doing paperwork, going through orientation, picking up uniforms and the like. She would be the one stuck in the house unpacking and dealing with a moody teenager. It was going to be a long week.
Kathleen slammed the door, heedless of Lainie coming in right behind her. Grant reached over Lainie’s shoulder and caught the door just before it slammed in Lainie’s face. He moved around her and held the door open, ushering both her and Natalie inside. He closed the door softly behind Natalie and then followed Kathleen up the stairs. Lainie said a silent prayer that he would not upset Kathleen further and went into the living room, collapsing on the couch. With a wary look at where her father had gone, Natalie followed her mother, sitting down beside her and picking up the TV remote. Lainie was vaguely aware of Natalie turning on the television and flipping channels, but before she could even register what was on, Grant came down the stairs, carrying Kathleen’s cell phone and MP3 player. Kathleen was hot on his heels, screeching in indignation.
“Mom! Dad’s trying to take my phone and my music. What am I supposed to do without them? I don’t know anyone here. I’ll be bored out of my mind. He can’t do that! It’s not fair! Tell him!”
Lainie sighed heavily, looking around for Grant. He was headed into their shared office, taking absolutely no notice of Kathleen or her screeching. She pushed up off the couch and followed him. He could hardly have chosen anything worse. Kathleen was right; she would be bored out of her mind and consequently would be insufferable to live with.
Grant was locking Kathleen’s electronics in the safe where his service weapon was kept. Lainie leaned against the doorway, watching him. Aside from the safe, the room contained only an old couch, a battered desk where their computer stood, and several stacks of boxes containing Grant’s law enforcement manuals and Lainie’s teaching materials, the room was mostly bare. They hadn’t had an office in their house back home and hadn’t yet had time to buy much furniture for this one. “She has a point, you know,” she said. “We don’t know anyone here yet. She uses the phone to keep up with her friends back home. What is she supposed to do if you take that away? You’re essentially forcing her into isolation.”
Grant locked the safe and stood up, turning to face Lainie. “That’s too bad. She’s not supposed to like the consequences. That’s the point. Maybe a week of being bored will remind her to hold her tongue and not be so mean and disrespectful. Surely you are not trying to suggest that the way she behaved is in any way acceptable.”
“No, it’s not that,” Lainie replied. “I know she was rude, but I understand her point. It’s a hard transition. It’s understandable that she would be angry. We’ve taken her away from everything and everyone she knows. You can’t expect her to just accept that. She needs time and understanding, not being forced into even more misery because you took her life line away for being angry.”
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