“No, Mum, not really.” She shrugged and quickly changed the subject to get everyone focused on something else. “Amy, are you and Leigh ready to go?”
“Yes. Leigh’s in the other room talking to that boy on the phone again.” Amy’s dramatic rolling of her eyes made everyone laugh.
“Well, go tell her to get off because as soon as we finish our cake we’re out of here.” Jody took a sip of her tea and hoped the conversation about her health was over. “If you don’t mind, Dan, can we cut the evening short and perhaps get a pizza to bring back here instead of eating out?”
“Sure. But we don’t have to go at all if you’re not up to it.” He took a big bite of her mother’s cake. “Oh my God, this is amazing.” He covered his mouth with his hand so he could speak with his mouthful.
Jody’s mum frowned at him. “I see you have as little manners as Jody does.”
Dan turned to her with one eyebrow raised.
“She scolded me earlier for talking with my mouth full too.”
He grinned while he chewed, but he wisely waited until he’d swallowed before speaking again. “Ah, yes, well, it’s a good thing my mother isn’t here or she’d be giving me a slap on the head and taking away my cake.” As if it just occurred to him Jody’s mother could do the same, he picked up his plate and held it close to his chest.
Jody laughed and her mother frowned so heavily her eyebrows joined above her nose, making Jody laugh harder. In the meantime Dan scoffed down the last of his cake.
Dan didn’t like the look of Jody. She was pale and the dark circles under her eyes worried him. He knew she had a lot going on. It was hard to miss her conversations with her lawyer when they shared an office. With a restraint he had no idea he possessed, he’d refrained from asking what was going on, but tonight, while he had her complete attention and the girls were busy bowling, he wanted answers to some questions.
“Are you allowing the girls to appear in front of the judge?”
She sighed. “I don’t have a choice.”
“Really? But they’re just kids.”
“According to the law, they’re old enough to have a say, and Colin is within his rights to insist that they do.” Jody watched Leigh as she took her turn.
“Have you told them?”
“No. I don’t want to colour their opinion or coach them at all.” She turned to face him. “Mackenzie assures me that they’ll be asked questions by the judge in the privacy of his chambers. There will also be a court-appointed counsellor and of course Mackenzie and his partner. I’m trying not to worry, but I can’t help thinking it might be best to just drop the whole thing.”
Dan straightened. “Don’t you dare. Don’t let him force you into something you know isn’t the right thing. Leigh and Amy are strong. Neither of them wants anything to do with their father, and after the other weekend he doesn’t deserve to have any contact with them. It’s for their safety. You know that.”
“I know.” She buried her head in her hands. “It’s just so hard to let them do this without being with them.”
“You trust Mackenzie, right?”
She glanced up at him through her fingers. “Yes.”
“Then you know he’s going to do his best to protect them and make sure they’re heard.” Dan turned to be sure both girls were still occupied. “Do you think maybe you should talk to them about it before it happens?”
“I’ve gone back and forth on that so many times I’m sick to my stomach, but I think I’m just avoiding the inevitable. Do you mind if we head home early? Tonight is probably a good night to talk to them about it.”
“No worries. I’ll go order us a couple of pizzas to take away while the girls finish their game. One supreme and a pepperoni, right?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Dan went to order. He could only imagine what Jody was going through, and he wanted to do anything he could to support her during this ordeal. If she’d let him. So far she had to a point, but he knew if he suggested going to court with her—like he wanted to—she’d shoot him down. Meeting her mother this evening had been a pleasant surprise that he had the feeling Jody would have loved to avoid. And the fact the girls had been talking about him to their grandmother could only be good.
He grabbed a couple of cans of soft drink and made his way back to the lanes where Leigh was bowling the final ball in their game. She was pretty good and knocked down the two remaining pins to get a spare, which of course meant she got another bowl. Amy sat pouting next to her mother, and when he glanced at the scoreboard he saw why. Amy hadn’t managed to get the extra shot at the pins in her last frame. A distraction might help brighten that gloomy face.
“Hey, Amy, wanna come pick out some dessert for after pizza?”
“Yes.” Her face lit up and he wondered how many more years before the simple things like dessert couldn’t cheer her up. Leigh wasn’t as easy to impress, and Dan figured Amy was headed that way with the teenage years spread out in front of her.
“C’mon then.” He held out his hand and she didn’t hesitate to put hers in it. Dan smiled at Jody and led her daughter over to the shop where a selection of take-home ice-cream tubs awaited.
As they made their selections, Dan kept thinking about what lay ahead for all of them. He hoped Jody would let him stay while she talked to the girls, but he’d respect her wishes if she asked him to leave. As hard as it was to accept, he knew he wasn’t a part of this small family unit, and what they were going through really wasn’t his concern. Except he felt part of it, and he was concerned so much that he hadn’t slept more than a few hours at a stretch.
No matter what happened this coming week, he was not walking away from this woman and her two daughters. He’d had lots of time to think, to ponder, to contemplate life with and without these three females, and he’d come to the conclusion that it wasn’t acceptable to live out his days without them. No matter what it took he had to convince Jody they had a future. But first they had to deal with her past.
Chapter Sixteen
On Monday, Jody woke to a rolling stomach and the urge to vomit. Bounding out of bed, she made it to the bathroom just in time to empty everything in her belly. Hot from head to toe, she broke out in sweat as she continued to dry heave. She leaned her forehead against the cool toilet seat and waited out the spasms. When she was convinced it was safe to leave the bathroom, she washed her face then wobbled on shaky legs to the kitchen where she braved a glass of water.
When that stayed down, Jody breathed a sigh of relief. She had too much to do today to be sick. Tomorrow was the big court appearance so she had to do two days’ worth of work in one to have the time off. Of course, Cassie insisted she not worry, but the last thing Jody wanted was to feel guilty about not pulling her weight, especially when it would fall to Dan to pick up the slack.
He’d been more than generous to her over the last few weeks. Since the weekend they’d gone away, he’d found a way to help her out at every turn and while she more than appreciated it, she didn’t want to get used to it. At some point he’d no longer be interested in her and find something else to do with his time. If she let herself—or the girls—become dependent on him, they’d be in all sorts of strife when he finally walked away.
The sound of shuffling feet had her turning to see Amy, hair sticking up every which way, dragging herself into the kitchen. “Morning, sweetie. You’re up early.”
“Bad dream,” she murmured as she came over and wrapped her arms around Jody.
“Want to talk about it?” They hadn’t had to discuss nightmares for years, and she hoped this wasn’t due to their conversation on Saturday night. That hope was soon squashed.
“The court man said we had to go live with Daddy,” she sobbed into Jody’s side.
She wrapped her arms around Amy tightly and rubbed her back. “Sweetheart, the judge isn’t going to do that. He can’t make that decision. All he’s going to do is say whether or not your father can contact you. It has nothing to do w
ith who you live with.”
How did she explain that their father had already given her full custody in the divorce without making him sound unloving? As much as Jody wanted to tell both her daughters what an arse their father was, she wouldn’t. Easing onto one of the breakfast stools, she pulled Amy between her legs and cuddled her close.
Leigh came wandering in and stopped short when she saw the two of them. “What’s wrong?”
“Amy had a nightmare.” Jody held out her hand to Leigh, who walked over and took it. “You know this court thing tomorrow is just for you to talk to the judge about your dad, right? It has nothing to do with who you’re going to live with. That decision was made already. The court awarded me full custody and your dad visitation. Tomorrow is not about that.”
“Yeah, I know. The judge is going to ask questions about us and Dad,” Leigh said. “Why does Amy think it’s about going to live with Dad?”
“No, she knows it’s not, but she had a bad dream about it anyway. I just wanted to make it perfectly clear that where you live isn’t in question.”
Leigh wrapped her arms around both of them and Jody enjoyed the quiet moments with both her babies close. Now that the girls were older, cuddles were few and far between. Regardless of the circumstances, she’d take these minutes and soak them up.
She thought Amy might have fallen back to sleep, but when she angled her head for a look, Jody discovered her staring off into space and chewing on her thumbnail. “Hey, none of that.” She pulled Amy’s thumb away.
“Sorry. I forget I don’t do that anymore.” She pulled out of Jody’s arms. “Can we have pancakes for breakfast?”
Jody glanced at the time and calculated they could manage pancakes. “Yeah, why not. Grab the packet out of the pantry while I get the frypan ready.”
They worked together and soon had the first one cooking. Of course, it was easy when you had a jug of pancake mix on hand. Amy poured, Jody flipped and Leigh ferried them to the table when they were done. A stack of twelve pancakes later, they were sitting down to breakfast. Unfortunately Jody’s stomach rebelled at the idea of food and she just picked at hers until the girls were finished and heading to their rooms to get ready for school. She packed up the leftovers and cleared away the dirty dishes before making her way to her room to get ready for work.
Dan jumped when Jody doubled over and threw up into her waste bin. There was no warning. Only a little stifled, “Oh God,” and then she was head down, stomach contents up. He rushed over and held her ponytail out of the way. After a few more heaves, she was done and Dan helped her sit back in her chair.
“Wait right there. I’ll go get a damp cloth and some water.”
Jody laughed, well, as much as she could manage under the circumstances. “Yeah, like I’m going anywhere right now.”
He raced to the bathroom and grabbed a wad of paper towel. He turned on the tap and held the bundle under the water until it was wet through. Next, he detoured past the small staffroom and the water cooler Cassie kept there. With cup in one hand and wet towel in the other, he headed back to Jody. She hadn’t moved and his step stuttered until he saw her chest rising with a shallow breath.
“Here. Try a sip of this.” Dan handed her the cup of cold water.
“Thanks.” She sipped cautiously, and while she did he had a good long look at her.
She was paler than Saturday, and those circles were so deep her eyes looked like they were going to pop out. “I think you need to see a doctor.”
Her gaze snapped to his. “Why?”
“You’re paler than you were the other day and you don’t look like you’ve slept a wink in months. Your cheeks are sunken too. Are you eating properly? I know you’re worried about tomorrow, but making yourself sick over it isn’t going to help.”
“I think it’s a little worry and something I ate yesterday. I’ll be fine.” She pushed him away and stood on shaky legs. Picking up the waste basket, she said, “I’m going to the bathroom to wash my face and get rid of this.”
Dan watched her go. Her explanation sounded plausible, but something nagged at him and yet he couldn’t put his finger on what. He’d give her ten minutes and then he was following to make sure she was okay.
He didn’t even make it to five. She was back, and if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes he would not believe she’d just been sick. The dark smudges under her eyes were still there but her colour had returned and her eyes no longer had that spaced-out, glassy look to them.
“Better?”
“Yes, much, thanks.” She sat behind her desk and began to work.
“Aren’t you going to head home?”
“No.” Jody looked up with one eyebrow raised. “Why would I?”
“Because you’re not well and tomorrow is a big day. Go home and get some rest.” He checked his watch. “If you leave now you can be home before the girls and spend some time with them before you all have to deal with tomorrow.”
“Thanks for the suggestion, but I still have things to sort out before I take the day off.” She returned her gaze to the file in front of her.
He could not believe she thought work was more important than time with the girls, especially with everything that was going on. Snatching the file out from under her, he leaned in until their noses almost touched. “Go home.”
“Dan—”
“No. I don’t want to hear it. Go home. Everything is under control. There’s absolutely nothing that can’t wait until you get back if I can’t sort it out.” Dan grabbed her arm and helped her out of the chair. “Please, for me, go home and spend time relaxing with the girls. Rent a movie or take them to a movie, whatever, just go be with them.”
“Okay, fine. But don’t get shitty when something comes up that I should have dealt with.” She bent over and grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk. “If things go quickly in the morning, I’ll come in afterwards. Mum and Dad are going to be there so they can take the girls out or something so I can come in.”
“Don’t even think it. If you’re out of there early you can all go spend time with your parents.”
“But—”
“No buts. Take the time, Jody.” Dan was on the verge of begging her to take it when he felt her soften next to him. It was like every muscle she had took a breath and relaxed.
“Okay, but I owe you for this.”
“Sure. Dinner.”
“What?” She went a little pale.
“Have dinner with me.”
The colour drained right out of her face and she slammed a hand over her mouth before dashing to the bathroom. Dan didn’t care what she said, it was more than worrying about tomorrow, and if something she ate yesterday messed her up this bad then it was food poisoning and that could be deadly.
He walked down the corridor and knocked on Cassie’s door.
“Come in,” she called out.
“Hey, mind if I shoot through for a few hours?”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, Jody’s sick and I want to be sure she gets home all right.”
“Sure. No worries, but isn’t tomorrow the court thing?”
“Yeah, which is why I want to be sure she’s okay.” He paused to check no one was in the hallway. “I think I’ll take tomorrow too. There’s nothing that either of us needs to do, and this week is a quiet one, thank God. So if you’re cool with it I think I’ll take the day and help Jody out.”
“Definitely. You’ve got Luc’s number, right? He’ll be there tomorrow anyway, but if you need him at all today, ring him.”
“Thanks, Cassie, but I’m pretty sure having me hovering around is going to piss her off, we don’t need to aggravate the situation by adding Luc.” He grinned.
Cassie laughed. “You’re right. He can be a little over the top when he worries.”
“I’ll text you later.” Dan heard the bathroom door open. “Gotta go. See you on Wednesday.”
“Catch you then.”
Dan quickly caught
up to Jody. “Here give me that.”
“What the hell are you doing?” She pulled away from him.
“Trying to carry your bag for you.” He was worried she might still be a little shaky, and the last thing he wanted was for her to topple down the stairs.
“I can carry my handbag. I’m not an invalid.”
Whoa. He hadn’t heard that tone from her in weeks. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend.”
“No. I’m sorry. I was snapping at you for no reason.”
“You’ve got a lot going on. Add in feeling sick and I imagine just breathing is making you snappy.” He grinned to soften his words. Heaven forbid she take offense and snap at him again.
“Probably.” They were almost to the bottom of the stairs when it twigged he was walking out with her. “What are you doing?”
“Going out with you.”
“What?”
“Coming with you.” Dan cupped her elbow and kept her moving when she stopped. “I’m going to make sure you take it easy. I’ll organise dinner and occupy the girls if you want to rest or think of something we can all do to pass the time.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because…well…because…argh! I have no idea why not exactly, but you can’t.”
Dan laughed. As arguments went it was a complete wash, but he’d give her credit for trying. He ushered her through the door and out into the sunlight before he turned her to face him. “Here’s the thing. I either follow you home and come in and do all I just suggested. Or I follow you home and sit outside your house in my car. Your choice.”
“That’s not a choice.” She was right. There was no way she’d let him sit outside and he was counting on it. “Fine. But when the girls get home you can explain why we’re not at work. Oh, and you get to help with homework.”
Homework was the least he’d do to spend the afternoon with Jody and the girls. He smiled. “Deal. Unless it’s English. I suck at English.”
Jody laughed. “Too bad. You already made the deal. No changing the rules now.”
Catch 'n' Kiss (Are You Game?) Page 16
