Catching Fireflies

by Sherryl Woods

  “Find yourself a hot date and I’m there,” Adelia promised with a chuckle. “I yearn to live vicariously.”

  “I haven’t even looked at the price tag,” Laura lamented. “I’m going to cry if this is beyond my budget.”

  “It’s on sale and you have a coupon,” Adelia reminded her. “And who can put a price on looking as smashing as you do?”

  “You’re really good,” Laura complimented her as she changed back into her clothes and then followed her to the register. Though she winced at the total, she handed over her credit card with barely a whimper.

  She consoled herself with the thought that the shopping excursion had been so successful, she no longer needed that hot fudge sundae. Good thing, since to pay for this, she’d be dining on cereal or peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches for dinner for the next month.

  * * *

  After years of coaching and teaching at Serenity High School and a good long while being married to Maddie and dealing with stepchildren and their own two little ones, Cal thought he had some pretty finely tuned instincts when it came to those children lying to him as Katie was doing right now. He’d asked her to hang out with him in the kitchen after the dinner dishes had been put into the dishwasher. She’d reluctantly stayed behind.

  They were sitting at the kitchen table now, and she was doing her best to avoid looking him in the eye as she skirted every question he’d asked so far.

  “You’re being very careful to sidestep what was a direct question,” he told his stepdaughter eventually. “Let me try again. Do you have any idea why Misty is skipping Ms. Reed’s English class?”

  “Shouldn’t Ms. Reed be asking Misty that?”

  “Believe me, she will. I was just hoping you could fill me in before this whole thing blows up and Misty winds up being suspended. Ms. Reed doesn’t want that. She’s trying to help before Betty Donovan gets involved. You know for a fact that Mrs. Donovan has a zero-tolerance policy for skipping. Didn’t you learn that the hard way all too recently?”

  Katie squirmed uncomfortably. “Misty shouldn’t get suspended,” she protested weakly. “Not when there are, what do they call ’em, extenuating circumstances.”

  “Oh, why is that?” he asked, wondering at her logic and even more interested in those extenuating circumstances.

  Katie looked as if she realized she’d already veered onto dangerous turf. “Come on,” she said with a hint of belligerence clearly meant to cover her mistake. “She’s only missing a class or two, not a whole day or anything.”

  Cal regarded her impatiently. “Don’t play dumb, Katie. You know suspension is mandatory for a repeat offense, and apparently Misty has been skipping regularly.”

  “But…” she began, then fell silent.

  “But what? If there’s a good reason for her skipping class, fill me in.”

  Katie’s chin set stubbornly. “I can’t say anything.”

  “Because you don’t know or because you’ve been sworn to secrecy?” he pressed.

  “Because it’s confidential,” Katie said heatedly. “What kind of friend would I be if I blabbed someone else’s secrets?”

  “Maybe the kind who could keep a friend from getting in more trouble than she can handle,” Cal told her. “I admire your loyalty. I really do.”

  “Then stop asking me all these questions,” she pleaded, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

  Cal held firm. “Sorry, I can’t do that. Sometimes there are things that kids need adults to resolve. I suspect this is one of those times.”

  She regarded him thoughtfully. “You mean like when Sarah and Raylene kept quiet about Annie not eating back when I was little,” she said, proving that she wasn’t as naive as she’d been pretending to be. “They should have told.”

  Cal nodded. “Exactly like that.”

  Though Annie had survived her nearly fatal anorexia and was now happily married to Ty, Katie’s older brother, what had happened to her back then had made an impression on all of them. It was a lesson Cal thought bore repeating now.

  “There’s nothing like that going on with Misty, is there?” he asked.

  Katie’s immediate shake of her head was reassuring.

  “I’d never keep quiet about that, Cal. I promise. Every time I turn around either Mom or Annie or Ty is all over me about that kind of stuff. I probably know more warning signs of anorexia than any kid in school.”

  “Is this potentially as serious?” he asked, now that he had her full attention. “Is there some kind of situation that’s getting out of hand?”

  Again, Katie squirmed uncomfortably. “It’s not like that,” she said carefully. “If it were, I’d tell you, no matter what promise I made. I swear it.”

  “Okay, then,” he said, relenting. “Just promise you’ll come to me or your mom, if you think Misty’s in any kind of danger, okay?”

  Katie regarded him earnestly. “I already asked her to come talk to you herself, but she wouldn’t,” she said with unmistakable frustration. “It’s not like I don’t know there should be an adult involved.”

  Cal frowned at her tone. Clearly she was upset about whatever was going on. “Okay, what am I missing?” he asked more gently. “Isn’t there something you’d feel comfortable sharing with me?”

  “It’s complicated,” she told him, again looking near tears.

  “But you believe with everything in you that Misty will ask for help if she needs it and you promise me if she doesn’t, you’ll come to me or your mom before this gets any worse?” Cal pressed.

  She nodded. “Promise,” she said, then all but ran from the room before he could try one last time for more information.

  Sighing, Cal went into the living room to join Maddie on the sofa. She immediately snuggled in close.

  “What was that about?” she asked. “Why did you want to speak to Katie? I figured it had something to do with school, so I left the two of you alone.”

  “Katie’s friend Misty is in some kind of trouble. I’m trying to help one of her teachers put the pieces together. I thought maybe I could convince Katie to open up about whatever she knows. Those two kids spend a lot of time together. I’m sure Katie knows something.”

  “But she’s not talking,” Maddie concluded. “Want me to give it a try?”

  He shook his head. “Maybe later. Hopefully I planted enough seeds that Katie will start to worry about whether keeping silent is doing Misty any favors.”

  “Do you have ideas about what might be going on?”

  “I don’t think she’s anorexic or bulimic, which were my first concerns. From what Katie just said, she doesn’t think so, either. I think she would say something about that after Annie wound up hospitalized. That made a real impression on her, even if she was so young when it happened. And she saw it happening again with Carrie Rollins just a few months ago, before Carter and Raylene got married.”

  “I agree. Katie would never let something like that slide. Annie’s near miss scared all of us,” Maddie said. “Which leaves what?”

  “An unexpected bad grade, problems at home, boy troubles. It’s hard to say. At that age, everything turns into high drama, doesn’t it?” He sighed. “Remember when the toughest thing in a kid’s life was catching fireflies on a summer night?”

  “Those were the sweetly innocent days,” Maddie confirmed, then added, “There are problems at home, by the way. I know because Misty’s mom dropped her spa membership the other day. She said she couldn’t afford any unnecessary expenses right now. Word around town is that her husband wants a divorce and she’s fighting it. I don’t know if that means money’s at the root of their problems, or whether she’s trying to sock away money in case of an eventual divorce or she needs it to pay an attorney.”

  “I suppose that could explain it,” Cal said. He shook his head. “Somehow it doesn’t feel right, though. Most of the time when things like that are happening at home, school becomes a refuge. It’s the opposite with Misty.”

  Maddie nodded. �
�That makes sense.”

  “Besides,” Cal said, sorting through his thoughts, trying to get a handle on what might be happening, “a lot of people go through divorces. Would Katie feel a need to keep quiet about that, especially if the news is all over town already anyway?”

  “Good point,” Maddie said. “That’s one of the reasons I love you. You’re so sensitive.” She kissed his cheek. “And smart.” The next kiss landed on his forehead. “And insightful.” The final, lingering kiss was on his lips.

  Cal grinned, then gave her a slow once-over that brought a blush to her cheeks. “Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to seduce me, Mrs. Maddox?”

  She gave him an innocent look. “And I thought I was being so subtle.” Her expression turned hopeful. “The little ones are down for the night. Katie’s locked in her room, either on the phone or hopefully doing homework and listening to her iPod. The timing seems excellent for a little alone time for you and me.”

  Cal grinned. “Well, why didn’t you say so the minute you walked in here? We’ve already wasted a good fifteen minutes.”

  “Talking to you is never a waste of time,” she replied. “It counts as foreplay.”

  Cal laughed. “And that is why I love you.”

  Marrying this woman, despite all the controversy it had stirred up all over town, was the smartest thing he’d ever done.

  * * *

  Misty had just finished her homework—all of it, even English and math—when Katie called.

  “I just got the third degree from Cal,” Katie announced. “I think he was only minutes away from using torture to get the truth out of me.”

  Misty’s breath caught in her throat. “The truth about what?”

  “You skipping class,” Katie said impatiently. “What else? I told you it wasn’t going to stay a secret for long.”

  “Who’d he hear it from?”

  “Ms. Reed, of course. Like you said, Mr. Jamison is clueless. At least Cal never mentioned him.”

  Panic immediately set in. “What am I going to do now?”

  “Go to class, for starters,” Katie said as if it would be a breeze to walk in and face down Annabelle after all the nasty innuendoes she’d posted online and the sly little threats she’d muttered whenever she and Misty crossed paths. “I’ll be there, too. If Annabelle so much as looks at you cross-eyed, we can punch her lights out.”

  Despite her dismay, Misty managed a faint chuckle. “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.”

  “I’m telling you, we could do it,” Katie said. “Ty’s taught me a couple of self-defense moves. He said I might need ’em if some guy gets out of line when I’m on a date. Taking Annabelle down would be a piece of cake. I’ve seen her in gym class. She’s a wuss.”

  “I’m not sure getting kicked out of school for fighting would be much better than getting kicked out for skipping class,” Misty told her. “And you can’t afford to get suspended again at all.”

  “If we told the truth about why we did it, I’ll bet it would be okay,” Katie said.

  “But then even more people would find out what Annabelle is saying about me,” Misty protested.

  “The kids at school already know,” Katie reminded her. “It’s online, Misty, remember? Everyone who knows you knows not a word of it is true.”

  Misty heaved a sigh. “I know, but there are plenty of kids who believe her filthy lies. I hear them whispering behind my back when they see me. Why do you think I stay out of the cafeteria? Walking in there just gives them a chance to spout all that stuff right to my face. At least in my classes there’s a teacher around. That usually shuts them up, except for Annabelle, anyway. She doesn’t care who’s around. I wish just once Ms. Reed or Mr. Jamison had heard what she said to me.”

  “I’ve heard her,” Katie said. “So have some other kids. We’d all back you up if you told someone.”

  Misty thought about it. Heck, she’d thought about little else since the school year had started and Greg had asked her out that first time. That’s when the online posts had started, as well. It hadn’t been a coincidence. Katie was right about that.

  But even though she knew she needed help, she couldn’t bring herself to ask for it. It would be humiliating if her teachers, especially the ones she really admired, like Ms. Reed, found out what Annabelle was saying about her. They’d think she was some degenerate sex maniac or something. If she’d done even a tenth of the things Annabelle had posted online about her, she’d have probably been knocked up by now. It was disgusting.

  And then there was no question her mom and dad would find out. Things were bad enough between them as it was. She didn’t want them fighting over her and maybe even believing those awful lies. She could hear her dad blaming her mother for allowing her to become some trashy kid with no morals. God, it was a nightmare. Her whole life was a nightmare.

  “I gotta go,” she told Katie. “I think my mom’s calling me.”

  “No, she’s not,” Katie said knowingly. “You just don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  “No, I don’t,” Misty said candidly.

  “Then we’ll talk about something else,” Katie said at once. “Want to see a movie this weekend?”

  “I don’t think so.” The last time she’d gone to the movies, she’d run into Greg and Annabelle. Greg had looked at her with that knowing sneer that made her blood run cold and Annabelle had looked smug. She’d wanted to leave even before the opening credits rolled.

  “I know there’s no point in asking you to go to tomorrow night’s football game,” Katie said with regret.

  “Not a chance,” Misty said with feeling.

  “How about this? We could go to Wharton’s for a burger while the game’s going on. There won’t be any chance Annabelle will be there as long as Greg is playing. In fact, half the town will be at the game.”

  “But you shouldn’t have to miss out on the game because of me,” Misty protested, though she was touched by Katie’s offer.

  “Believe me, I’ll hear every detail over breakfast,” Katie assured her. “Kyle’s coming home for the weekend. My big brother and Cal will do the entire play-by-play. It’ll be like being there, but not as boring.”

  Misty chuckled. “With a baseball jock like Ty for a big brother and Coach Maddox as a stepdad, how did you wind up with such an aversion to sports? Even Kyle, who never played anything, at least goes nuts over the games.”

  Katie laughed. “Just lucky, I guess. But at least I know enough sports trivia to fake it with a date. No guy will ever believe I am totally clueless. So, are we on for tomorrow night?”

  “If you’re sure you don’t care about going to the game, going to Wharton’s would be great.”

  “Then it’s a plan. And keep thinking about talking to Ms. Reed, okay?”

  “Sure,” Misty said, her mood sinking again. With Dr. Fullerton’s ultimatum hanging over her head, too, she might not have much choice.

  3

  Most days J.C. had someone in the office pick up lunch for him while they were out, but his concern for Misty made him restless today. He decided a walk to Wharton’s would relieve his stress and give him a much-needed change of scenery.

  He’d just settled into a booth when he looked up and saw his nurse standing there with a statuesque, red-haired stranger beside her. She was attractive in a way that would have once appealed to him, but today he felt not a single spark. He congratulated himself on finally building up sufficient immunity to all women. It was something he’d worked hard to do ever since the disastrous and sadly predictable end of his marriage. He should have known before ever walking down the aisle that he, too, would fall victim to what he thought of as the Fullerton curse, an inability to choose women who wouldn’t betray them.

  “Isn’t this a wonderful coincidence?” Debra said, beaming at him. “May we join you?”

  Even though he saw this for exactly what it was—yet another of her very sneaky attempts to set him up—J.C. couldn’t think of a single graci
ous way to say no. “Of course,” he said grudgingly, standing. “Have a seat.”

  As soon as they’d slid into the booth opposite him, Debra said, “J.C., this is my friend Linda’s daughter, Janice Walker. She’s visiting from California. Remember? I told you all about her yesterday. It’s her first time in Serenity.”

  J.C. managed a smile. “And how are you liking it so far?”

  “It’s a lovely town,” she said at once. “Call me Jan, please.”

  She gave him a commiserating look that suggested she understood his discomfort and shared it. That, at least, helped him relax.

  “How long will you be here?”

  “Only a few days,” she said.

  “Unless I can persuade her to stay longer,” Debra chimed in. “Did I mention that Jan is a pediatric nurse practitioner? I’ve been talking to Bill for ages about adding to the staff. With the town growing so fast and all these young families, the two of you can barely keep up anymore, isn’t that right?”

  Though she had a point, J.C. was not about to encourage her scheme. “Bill makes the staffing decisions. It’s up to him.”

  “But he’d listen to you,” Debra pressed.

  Jan chuckled. “You’ve made your point, Debra. Leave the poor man alone. I did not come here looking for a job.”

  “Maybe not, but you’d be the perfect addition to our team. I, for one, do not intend to let you get away.”

  Fortunately Grace Wharton bustled over just then to take their orders. “Sorry, Doc Fullerton. We’ve been swamped. Apparently nobody in town decided to brown bag it today. They’re all in here, and not a one of them can make a decision.”

  “Well, I don’t have that problem,” he assured her. “I’ll take the chef’s salad, Italian dressing on the side.”

  Grace rolled her eyes as she always did. “Big surprise. One of these days I’m going to convince you to eat a burger like a normal customer.”