Wishes at First Light

by Joanne Rock

  When her phone buzzed on the bed beside her knee, she spied Mia’s number on her caller ID.

  “Hi, Mia,” she answered in a rush. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you earlier. Is everything okay?”

  “I’m fine.” The girl spoke softly, but she’d always had a composed way about her for a teenager—even two years ago, the first time they’d talked on the phone. “I had a date tonight and I didn’t have anyone to tell about it, so I called you.”

  Gabriella bit her lip, wishing she had more counseling background to draw on. She’d gotten a psychology degree, but she’d never taken it to the next level. She walked a tight rope with Mia, wishing the young woman wouldn’t keep dating when she had every reason in the world to be skittish around men. But what was the best way to say it without alienating the teen? She wanted her to feel like she had a safe outlet for confiding, but she wanted Mia to have good guidelines, too.

  “How did the date go?” Gabriella moved aside the goody bag treats and set aside her tea.

  “It was a total disaster, as usual, but for completely different reasons.”

  Over the next fifteen minutes Mia regaled her with an outrageous tale that broke her heart despite Mia’s attempt to put a humorous spin on it at every turn. She’d been scared of being molested, prepared herself to fight off her date, reached for the seat belt and got a handful of hard-on, making the guy think she was all in. After kneeing him in the groin—practically killing him, according to her—things got real in a hurry. Turned out the guy had only wanted to kiss her, and Mia figured she’d blown it with the first boy who didn’t see her solely for her breasts.

  Gabriella closed her eyes tightly, hoping for the right words.

  “What do you think about putting dating on hold for a while?” She’d asked the question more than once after a bad interlude. It seemed like Mia was so lonely she didn’t care who she went out with, as long as she had company.

  Over the last two years Gabby had convinced her to see her guidance counselor and to confide in her caseworker, but because she and Mia were both members of a support group, Gabriella tried to create a different dialogue with the girl. She tried to maintain a connection that wasn’t threatening in any way, a line of communication Mia wouldn’t close because an adult pushed her too hard.

  “Are you kidding?” Gabby could hear some kind of pop music in the background. “This was the closest I’ve ever come to a normal date. It’s the universe’s sign that the right guy is out there.”

  Right guy? Mia was sixteen. She’d had such an opposite reaction to her assault compared with Gabriella’s. Gabby had retreated from men completely, crushing on her older brother’s best friend, who was more like a brother to her than anything else and totally safe. She hadn’t taken an interest in other men until she was twenty-two. But Mia dated with a vengeance.

  If only Clayton would intervene. Give the girl a safe out after her father died. But it wasn’t her place to talk about any of that. At least, not with Mia.

  “Can we meet one day after school to talk about it? I’m finally in Tennessee this week for that trial I told you about. Probably not too far from you in Heartache.” She hadn’t shared her real name with Mia, but she had asked her two weeks ago if it would be okay to meet her in person.

  “Oh my God, you were serious about that?” Enthusiasm lit her voice and for the first time in a long time, Mia sounded like a kid. Happy. Excited.

  “Yes. I grew up in Heartache. My brother still lives here.”

  “That’s insane.” She snapped a piece of gum on the other end of the phone. “And yes, let’s meet. I go to Crestwood and I stay late every day to do all my homework at school. You want to just meet there?”

  Gabriella’s stomach tightened to think of how much independence the girl had at sixteen. She didn’t need to ask permission of anyone to meet with a stranger, apparently. And wasn’t it scary to think of her going on date after date with no one looking over her shoulder? No one worrying about what time she’d be home?

  At least Gabriella had Zach and Sam Reyes to watch over her as a teen.

  “How’s tomorrow?” She’d planned to stay in court all day, but she was worried about Mia. Gabriella could leave the courtroom early.

  “Sure. The late bus comes at four. Want to just pick me up at the school instead?”

  “Yes. Look for a white compact car with Kentucky license plates. I’ll tie a pink ribbon to the antenna.” Gabriella pulled the ribbon off the cupcake container and set it on the nightstand so she would remember. She could drive her own car to the trial tomorrow in order to leave early.

  After the way things had ended with Clayton tonight, he would probably be just as glad not to have her on the back of his motorcycle.

  “And I’m the tiny brunette with big knockers. Trust me, you won’t miss me.” There was a bitterness in the words she didn’t bother disguising, but then, Mia had a history of body image issues, blaming her early development for catching the attention of the older boy who’d molested her.

  “We can get something to eat at the Peachtree.” Gabriella had seen the name of the restaurant on the back of one of the cards in the goody bag—Nina Spencer’s card, in fact. The restaurant hadn’t been there when she’d been growing up, but then, plenty had changed around town. “They have great cupcakes.”

  “Sounds awesome. Thank you, Ellie.” Mia disconnected on her end, reminding Gabriella she should share her real name tomorrow. Everyone in Heartache knew her as Gabriella.

  She needed to maintain Mia’s trust. To help her handle whatever came next in a life that had been full of upheaval. If only Clay would arrange to meet his sister. Maybe then he’d understand why Gabriella was worried about the girl. Understand why a family member needed to step in and keep an eye on her after her father died.

  There was a desperate determination in Mia’s dating. Gabriella feared if someone didn’t convince her to be more careful—or watch over her—Mia would push her risk-taking behavior too far.

  And as one of the only responsible adults in the girl’s life, Gabriella would never forgive herself if anything happened to the teenager.

  CHAPTER SIX

  CLAYTON MADE SURE he was waiting outside Gabriella’s motel cabin early the next morning.

  He’d slept poorly, knowing damn well he would need to move up his time frame to see his father. And meet his half sister Mia. It wasn’t just because Gabriella said he should. Clay remembered what life had been like as a kid living with Pete Yancy.

  Frankly he found it tough to believe time had softened the hard-drinking, unreasonable bastard with a hair-trigger temper. No matter what the department of child protective services believed about Mia being safe in Pete’s care, Clayton had plenty of reason to doubt his old man’s competence as a parent. If he’d known that Pete was applying for custody of one of his kids, Clay would have at least stepped in to share his experience with the guy. What if Mia had unknowingly walked into a worse situation by moving into her father’s home? Clay would speak to her caseworker and find out what was going on. Ensure the paperwork was in order for her to move into a good foster home again once Pete passed on.

  That was the best possible place for a troubled teen. Clay had seen it for himself.

  The sound of Gabriella’s door opening scattered Clay’s thoughts. She stepped outside wearing a long trench coat over a slim, dark skirt that almost reached her ankles and a butter-yellow sweater. With her wheat-colored hair smoothed sleek and just brushing the tops of her shoulders, she looked as polished as any high-power executive.

  Kind of a mismatch next to him in a pair of dark jeans and boots. He’d added a gray jacket with his dress shirt, though, so he wouldn’t look totally out of place in court.

  “Morning.” He held up his peace offering in a cardboard tray, two steaming cups of coffee to go. “I felt ba
d about the way things ended last night, so I thought I’d bribe my way into your forgiveness before we made the trip to the courthouse.”

  She hesitated, her blue eyes darting to the cups.

  “Actually, I was going to let you know that I need to take my own car.” She wrapped the trench coat around her, tying the belt to keep it closed. “I spoke to Mia last night after I went back to my room and we came up with a plan where I’d leave court early to pick her up after school.”

  Clay shouldn’t be surprised she’d forged ahead where the teen was concerned after how upset she’d been the night before. But he’d hoped maybe she was just keyed up about the trial.

  “I had a feeling you wouldn’t keep the motorcycle date after last night.” He balanced the cardboard tray on the porch rail, pulling out the cup he’d designated for her. “Take the coffee, though. The olive branch still stands.”

  Her hand wrapped around the cup, fingers brushing his in a way that made her gaze return to his. He paused for a moment longer, liking the feel of her. Wishing things weren’t so damn tense between them.

  “Thank you.” She took a sip, a trail of steam curling up along her cheek as she lingered on the porch. A half smile rounded her lips as she lowered the cup. “It’s just how I like it.”

  He didn’t bother telling her that was because he’d been paying careful attention to her yesterday, right down to how many creamers she’d used in her coffee. There was something about her that drew him in. Some of it had to do with the unfinished relationship between them—the attraction that had begun long ago and ended before they could really act on it.

  But it was more than that. The warmth and kindness of her character lit her up from within in a way that would have been obvious even if he’d only just met her today. He liked her care and concern for Mia, even if he didn’t agree with how to approach the girl. He admired the way she’d used her experiences to start an online community that helped others.

  He’d met enough self-centered people in his line of work to know just how rare a quality she possessed.

  “Lucky guess.” He figured he might as well push his luck a little further while she still had a smile. “Any chance I could share your ride? I know you need to leave the trial early, but that’s fine with me.”

  “I don’t know—” Her words were lost as a semi-truck rumbled past on the interstate, kicking up the chilly breeze.

  She clutched her coffee cup with both hands while Clay pressed his point.

  “You mentioned you’ll be with Mia,” he reminded her. “So I figure it would make sense for me to seek out my father while she’s out of the house. I hate for my first meeting with my half sister to be more awkward and uncomfortable for her if things don’t go smoothly between Pete and me.” He took a deep breath. “Besides, I know you were right last night about needing to meet Mia sooner rather than later. I have no idea what kind of shape Pete is in medically, and if anything happens to him—”

  “Mia will go right back into the system.” She shot back the words with a grimness that told him how strongly she disagreed with him about what was best for Mia.

  He tensed defensively. While he understood that Gabriella thought foster care was the end of the world, Clayton had nothing but good experiences. Breaking away from his biological family was the best thing that could have happened to him.

  He forced himself to take a sip of his coffee to ensure there wouldn’t be any bite to his words. “I will help her talk to her caseworker so she has a say in the kind of home she enters next time.”

  “She will fight it every step of the way,” Gabriella told him flatly. “Why do you think no one from social services contacted you the first time she went into the system?” She checked her watch and withdrew a car key from her coat pocket.

  “I’m guessing Mia’s mother didn’t fill in the father’s name on her birth certificate or something. There had to be a good reason the state didn’t look for more relatives. Because trust me, if I’d known about her, I would have contacted her then to tell her about my experience with Pete—the experiences of all Pete’s kids.” He shoved the empty cardboard tray in a recycle bin in front of her cabin, walking with her toward the parking area where his motorcycle sat beside her rental.

  Across the street, the Owl’s Roost was already doing a brisk business, the scent of bacon thick in the air. A whole caravan of road maintenance workers pulled into the parking lot, leaping down from high running boards on dump trucks and cherry pickers.

  Gabriella paused outside her plain white rental car, turning the key over in her palm.

  “You can ride with me if you really don’t mind leaving the trial proceedings early this afternoon,” she said finally, pressing the unlock button on the fob, making the car chirp in response. “I like the idea of you settling things with your father so you can meet Mia under more peaceful circumstances.”

  “You could introduce us, you know.” He stalked around to the passenger side, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders that he hadn’t messed things up with Gabriella completely.

  He might not agree with her about how much to get involved in his sister’s life and problems, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t interested in spending more time with Gabriella.

  Far from it.

  He could tell he’d need to take things slowly. But he had every intention of picking up where they’d left off ten years ago. Sharing a ride today was just the beginning.

  * * *

  ALREADY NERVOUS ABOUT sitting in the courtroom today and seeing her attacker for the first time in a decade, Gabriella couldn’t deny she welcomed the idea of attending the trial with Clayton in spite of their disagreement. And for more than just the protective angle.

  Having her long-ago crush in the car with her put her a bit more at ease, an about-face from yesterday morning when just sitting across from him had churned up all kinds of mixed emotions from her nightmares. Maybe admitting the truth to him about the role he unknowingly played in her attack had been a good way to relieve some of that tension. She’d slept soundly the night before with no nightmares to disrupt her sleep. Relaxing into the driver’s seat—as much as could be expected on this day—she steered the rental car onto the main road that led to the interstate entrance just up the street.

  The scent of coffee filled the car, but she caught a hint of masculine aftershave when she leaned toward the center console to retrieve her own drink. She worked to focus on his words and his request about help meeting his sister.

  “Clay, you need to be prepared for the possibility it might be awkward for me to introduce you to Mia.” She responded to his earlier question now that they were on the road. They had twenty minutes to pass on the drive to the Franklin courthouse. “It could compromise her trust if she feels like I’ve been keeping secrets from her. But I’m hoping that will be outweighed by the fact that I’ve known you for a long time and can vouch for your character.”

  “It can’t be any more awkward than being approached by a random guy claiming to be a relative.” Clayton pointed to an exit on the interstate as they headed west. “See that sign for Natchez Trace? That’s where our class went for our senior camping trip. Mrs. Grant—you remember the math teacher?—she asked me about you that day. Wondered if I’d heard from you or knew where you went.” He reached under his seat and found the lever to give himself more legroom. “I spent the rest of that weekend thinking about you. It bugged me that you weren’t graduating with the rest of us. You were always so damned smart.”

  “It’s funny you say that since I’ve always felt like a slacker next to Zach and his genius IQ.” She’d had a lot of reasons to battle low self-esteem in the years after her father went to jail, and that was definitely one of them. “No matter how well I did in school or college, Zach did better and he did it without studying. But I got my diploma through virtual school about the same time our c
lass would have been graduating.”

  “Virtual school?” Clayton’s dark gaze roamed over her in a way that left her skin prickling with awareness. “You didn’t go back into a real classroom after you left Heartache?”

  “No.” She shivered slightly, remembering those days when the panic attacks had been frequent. “I felt safest at home. I was so relieved when Zach told me I wouldn’t have to go to regular classes at the public school. I worked on my laptop at home while he took college classes and Sam went to the police academy.”

  Looking back, she really admired her brother for finding paths for all of them—three runaways hiding in plain sight on the West Coast.

  “You must have been lonely.” There was a regretful note in his voice.

  “Yes and no.” She didn’t usually talk about those times with anyone outside her support group. And when she gave speeches about her battle with a stalker, she tended to focus on the trauma of the attack, not the isolation of being away from friends and a traditional support system. “I missed friendships, but I was also grateful for the support I had in my brother. If I hadn’t been able to leave Heartache, I don’t know what I would have done.”

  “I would have been there for you.” The vehemence behind the words surprised her. He shifted in his seat, the vinyl creaking as he moved. “I hope you know that. I considered you the best friend I had in town besides Sam Reyes.”

  The news warmed her insides.

  “I didn’t know.” Her voice betrayed a hint of her emotions, the words raspy and heartfelt. She wished she had known. It could have made a difference. Maybe. Second-guessing life was tricky, though, especially given how shaky she’d been. “I overdosed in an effort to kill myself after the attack in the woods, Clay. I really did need to get away.”

  He swore under his breath. More than once.

  “I didn’t know. Hell, Gabby, I’m so sorry.” His hand found her knee. Squeezed gently. “And I’m glad you left town, too, if that’s what you needed. Thank God you’re okay.”