Second Chance Mom

by EMILIE ROSE

  But his guess made sense. That left the question of the bracelet. Why would her sister suddenly start wearing jewelry? “Thank you for your time, Officer Reed.”

  “Again, my condolences. I hope you find your answers. Hope was liked and respected in our community. This one’s going to bug me for a while.”

  Rachel returned to her rental and opened the door. Hope’s scent wafted out. She staggered back and looked around. But Hope wasn’t here. The box containing her belongings on the passenger seat must be emitting her scent. She cleared her throat. The sun was bright. It made her eyes burn and water. She slid behind the wheel and donned her sunglasses. It didn’t alleviate the sting.

  She looked at the box. Then popped the trunk, climbed from the car and transferred Hope’s things to the back. Then she put down the convertible top to clear the air and headed for Hope’s house.

  Her cell phone rang before she could get there. She fumbled in her pocket for it. She didn’t recognize the number, but it was a local area code. “Hello.”

  “Rachel. It’s Matt.” Her stomach did its usual flip. “I need you to come and get Chastity.”

  Panic grabbed her. “Is she sick? Hurt?”

  “No. She’s been in a fight.”

  “What! Why?”

  “She won’t say. She’s in my office. In the gym. You remember where the gym is?”

  “Yes. I’m on my way.” She swung the car around and headed for the school.

  “I’ve told the office you’re coming. You don’t need to sign in. Come through the double doors. Go left. You’ll see me.”

  Rachel made it to school, parked beside the white activity bus and raced into the gymnasium. Her footsteps echoed off the cinderblock walls. Matt stood in a doorway at the end of the long hall. She instantly recalled his kiss and his touch. Her pulse kicked wildly, and her steps slowed. She had to ignore her response and focus on the reason she was here. Chastity was apparently a chip off the old block when it came to finding trouble.

  “How did you end up with her?” she asked.

  “We needed to separate the girls.” Matt indicated his office with a tilt of his head.

  One look at Chastity’s militant expression and she knew the teen was guilty of whatever the charges. “What happened?”

  Chastity turned away.

  “Tell her,” Matt growled in a warning tone.

  “My lame-ass junior partner for our end-of-the-year chemistry project told the teacher in front of the whole class that she couldn’t work with me.”

  “What’s a junior partner?”

  “We have to work with the stupid sixth graders.”

  “Okay. And why can’t your partner work with you?”

  Chastity looked at Matt. He nodded. “Her mom says she has to stay away from you and anyone associated with you.”

  Rachel’s stomach sank. She knew she wasn’t going to like the answer but asked anyway, “Why?”

  “Beth’s mom told her you were a tramp, and she can’t have your sinful habits rubbing off on her daughter. So I gave Beth what she deserved. I popped her right in her nasty mouth.”

  Horrified, Rachel tried to catch a breath. Her worst nightmare was coming true. Chastity was being tarred with Rachel’s reputation. It would only get worse if people found out she was Chastity’s biological mother. She had to get out of this damned town ASAP.

  “Chastity. You can’t hit people just because they’re assh—idiots.”

  “You want me to let her talk trash about you? Family’s supposed to stick up for each other.”

  Matt’s scowl made Rachel excruciatingly aware of her lack of parenting skills. She decided it was time she took Matt’s advice and acted like a parent instead of Chastity’s friend. It lit a fire of worry in her stomach because she could very well make her daughter hate her.

  “There are better ways to handle obnoxious people. Just ignore them.”

  “Like you did when you trimmed the principal’s shrub into the shape of a penis because he was a dickhead who rode your case when you went to school here.”

  Shame engulfed Rachel. “Not one of my finer moments. I wanted my parents’ attention and did stupid things to get it. None of it worked. As your mom often told me, just because someone acts like a prick doesn’t mean you should stoop to their level.”

  “How will they learn if I always ‘turn the other cheek’?”

  “Teaching them is not your job. Kill ’em with kindness instead. When they get a reaction out of you, they are controlling your behavior instead of you controlling it. It irritates them more when you ignore them.” Rachel could have sworn she saw approval in Matt’s eyes, but it was gone too fast to be sure. “What do I need to do, Matt?”

  “Chastity’s suspended for three days. Sign her out in the office. I’ll make sure she gets her assignments. You make sure she makes up the missed work.”

  “Got it.”

  His frown turned to the teen. “And, Chastity, when you return, you get a week of litter patrol.”

  “But, Coach—”

  “I warned you what would happen if you got in trouble again.”

  “You said if I ended up in detention.”

  “This is worse. Much worse. You assaulted another student. I should bump you right up to locker room duty.”

  “No! I’ll straighten up. And I’ll do litter patrol.”

  Rachel put a hand on Chastity’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

  “But what about my presentation with Jess after lunch?”

  Rachel glanced at Matt. He shook his head. “You should have thought of that before you hit that girl.”

  “But Jess might fail—”

  “I hope she’ll forgive you.”

  Chastity pivoted on her heel and stomped out.

  “Lesson number one,” Matt said when Chastity was out of hearing range. “If you threaten it, follow through.”

  Feeling as if she’d handled everything wrong, Rachel looked at him. “This sucks.”

  “Yes. It does. But you’re getting the hang of it. You did well.”

  His praise was nice, but it didn’t make her feel any better.

  Her daughter had been forced to defend her honor once. She couldn’t stay in Johnstonville and risk it happening again.

  * * *

  “WHAT IN THE devil happened at school today?” Pam demanded as she entered the garage.

  Matt straightened from the engine compartment of the old MG he was helping his brother-in-law restore. “What do you mean?”

  His sister shot him a spill-it look, one she’d learned from their mother. “Don’t play dumb with me, Matthew Johnston. Jess called me at work, nearly hysterical because Chastity wasn’t there to do her part in their presentation, and Jess had to do it alone. She said Chastity disappeared before lunch, and she’s nowhere to be found now.”

  Alarm prickled through him at the idea of the girl missing. “She’s not at home with Rachel?”

  “No one is answering the phone at Hope’s—I mean, Rachel’s, and I didn’t get her cell number.”

  Maybe they’d gone shopping. Or had Rachel packed up the kid and left town? She’d looked devastated by this morning’s incident.

  He debated claiming teacher/student privilege, but he knew Pam wouldn’t fall for that. “Chastity’s chemistry partner refused to work with her, but the teacher insisted the girls work out their differences in the privacy of her office. Beth claimed her mom said Rachel was a tramp, and she feared her loose morals would rub off on her kid.”

  “Oh, shit.” Pam covered her mouth, then looked around to see if any of her kids had overheard her cursing. “Who’s the mom?”

  No point in evading. Pam was as persistent as a mosquito. “Liz Bass.”

  Her husband chuckled beside Matt.
“Your old girlfriend. Figures.”

  “Chastity smacked Beth and was suspended. The principal’s trying to keep it quiet since she was provoked, and there were no witnesses other than the teacher.”

  “Poor child. First she loses her mom and now this. And all because you dated Liz, that vengeful, jealous bitch.”

  “Hey! How is this my fault?”

  “You were young and stupid. And while we’re on the topic, you never should have let Rachel get away. She’s the only woman you’ve ever dated who got that stick out of your butt.”

  He should probably keep his mouth shut, but he wasn’t going to take the rap for something he didn’t do. “I didn’t ‘let’ Rachel go. She left me.”

  Pam blinked. “Really? You never said.”

  “It was none of your business. Still isn’t.”

  “He’s right, babe,” said Brad.

  Pam sent him a scowl that promised he’d regret the comment. “What’d you do to make her dump you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “That’s not exactly something a man brags about, dear,” Brad chimed in again.

  Pam shot another glare at Brad. “Well, where’d Rachel and Chastity go?”

  Good question. “Rachel doesn’t report to me, Pam.”

  She snatched her keys off the counter. “I’m going over there.”

  “I’ll check on them on my way home. I picked up Chastity’s assignments, and I need to drop them off.”

  She checked her watch. “You haven’t yet? It’s almost nine.”

  “I lost track of time.” Matt wouldn’t admit he was procrastinating. He hadn’t worked out his game plan for convincing Rachel to give them another try. Today’s debacle hadn’t helped. He’d been doing his damnedest this morning to be a stern teacher, and all he could think about was how Rachel had tasted and felt in his arms and how close he’d come to making love to her Saturday.

  He washed his hands and headed for his truck. He was doing the right thing, he told himself as he drove toward Rachel’s. He’d promised to deliver Chastity’s assignments, and that’s all he would do tonight. He wasn’t going to kiss Rachel. Or take her in his arms. Or—

  Aw, hell, who was he fooling? The burning need to see Rachel was directly connected to the defeat he’d seen in her eyes before she’d left him. He needed to reassure her that she’d handled her niece correctly. And, yes, he’d been dragging his feet because he’d wanted to drop by after Chastity had gone to bed.

  The red Mustang wasn’t in the driveway, and the house was completely dark. He pulled in anyway and rang the bell. No response. He knocked. Still nothing.

  Had she skipped town despite her promise to let Chastity finish out the year?

  Had she bailed on him again without any explanation?

  It shouldn’t matter. They were nothing to each other now. No promises had been made. They’d kissed. That was it.

  But it did matter. He wanted more from Rachel Bishop. Much more.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “TAKE THE BEDROOM,” Rachel told Chastity as she unlocked the door of her tiny apartment. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  “Why are we here? I mean, Mom was right. Aunt Rachel, your place is a dump. And it stinks. Couldn’t we have stayed in a hotel or something?”

  Rachel tried not to take offense. She crossed the room and adjusted the thermostat. “It’s smells because it’s been locked up for almost six weeks. Once the air conditioner circulates the stagnant air it won’t stink. And my apartment may be in an old building, but that doesn’t mean it’s not clean and paid for.”

  “What are we going to do now?”

  “We’re going to bed.”

  “But it’s early!”

  Rachel ignored the protest. “We’re starting early in the morning. We need to check out schools and look for houses.”

  “I hope you don’t mean in this neighborhood.”

  “No. My boss lives in a nice suburb. I hope we can find a house there.”

  “The house in Johnstonville is paid for. We could stay there for free.”

  “Then, when we sell it, you’ll have enough to pay for your college education.”

  That earned her an eye roll. “Who says I’m going to college? I hate school.”

  “I can’t make you go. But I will tell you that more doors are open if you have an education. Without a degree you’re looking at minimum wage, if you can find a job. As much as you’ve talked about wanting to see the world, you’ll need to be able to finance that.”

  Chastity gave a dramatic sigh worthy of a silent-screen actress. “Do we have to talk to the homeless guys again when we go out?”

  “Yes. They won’t hurt you. I know them.” And for the price of the Chinese take-out dinners she’d given to them on her way in she could trust them to keep an eye on the rental car. But she wouldn’t share that info with Chastity.

  “When can we go home?”

  “After we house hunt. Even if we found the perfect one tomorrow, the paperwork takes time. We need to start the process now if we want to move in this summer. You can’t go back to school before Friday. We might as well do something productive, rather than sit in the house and stare at each other.” She wished they didn’t have to return to Johnstonville.

  “You should buy a car, so we wouldn’t have to keep the rental.”

  “If we find a house, I will.”

  Her cell phone rang. Who would be calling after nine?

  “It wouldn’t cost much to add me to your cell plan,” Chastity suggested with a sly look. “My birthday’s coming up.”

  “Not for months, and you’ve done nothing to earn a phone.”

  Rachel’s answer sent Chastity flouncing into the bedroom. The door shut just short of a slam.

  Rachel pulled her phone from her pocket. Seeing Matt’s number on the screen did crazy things to her vitals. “Hello, Matt.”

  “Where are you?”

  His voice shimmied through her. “Atlanta.”

  Seconds ticked past. “Are you coming back?”

  Her mouth dried. The tension in his voice made it sound as if he cared. But he shouldn’t. “Yes, but we need to check out the school situation here.”

  “I’m at your house. I brought Chastity’s work.”

  “Thank you. If Hope gave you a key, you can put it inside.” She wasn’t fishing. She wasn’t.

  “I don’t have a key.”

  A warm flush of relief rushed over her. “Then leave everything on the porch. We’ll get it when we come back.”

  “When’s that?”

  “Sometime Thursday.”

  More silence. “Tell Chastity Beth was suspended, too—for instigating the fight.”

  “Will her mother press charges?”

  “I’ll see that she doesn’t.”

  First, her child going to bat for her and now, Matt. “Thanks for that and for getting Chastity’s work. I’ll make sure she completes it. Good night.”

  Rachel disconnected. Fourteen years ago Matt’s willingness to take her side and fight her battles had made her fall in love with him. She couldn’t risk a recurrence.

  * * *

  “WHAT’D YOU THINK?” Rachel asked as they returned to the car. She hoped this school had made a better impression than the first one which had driven Chastity to silence.

  Chastity turned wide, panic-filled eyes to her. “This one’s even bigger than the first one. I can’t go here.”

  “This is a private school. It has a large campus because it’s kindergarten through twelfth grade. All the kids wouldn’t be in your class or even your building. And believe it or not, the public school isn’t that big, either.”

  “Compared to Johnstonville, it is humongous. I can’t change schools
, Aunt Rachel. You have no idea how hard it will be for me to...fit in at a new one.”

  Empathy clutched her chest. “Yes, kiddo, I do. In my twelve years I attended seventeen different schools—many in countries where English wasn’t the first language.”

  “You don’t understand. I’m not like other kids. I don’t...adjust well.”

  Anxiety over moving from the only house she’d ever known was to be expected. “You’ll do fine, Chastity—especially here. The teacher/student ratio is great in both schools.”

  Not looking convinced, Chastity knotted her fingers and stared out the car window.

  “Let’s go find our house,” Rachel suggested, hoping to elicit some response.

  Chastity remained mute during the short ride to Marcia’s neighborhood. Her tension was palpable. Rachel wished she had the magic words to calm the teen’s fears. But she didn’t. She stopped the car in front of a cedar-sided two-story home with a for-sale sign in the front yard. “How about this one?”

  “It’s all brown. No grass or flowers. All trees and shade. No sunshine for a garden.”

  “True.” Rachel rolled on without reminding her she’d specified no garden and halted by the next real estate sign.

  Chastity’s face scrunched. “It’s ugly. Looks like stacked shoe boxes. Too modern.”

  And so the ride continued past two more houses. Chastity found fault with each of them with excuses as lame as, “The neighbor’s house is another gross box.”

  “You wouldn’t be living in the neighbor’s house, Chastity.”

  “But I’d have to look at it every day.”

  Frustrated, Rachel put the car in motion. If Chastity was going to be difficult, then Rachel might have to choose their home without the teen’s approval. That wouldn’t be an auspicious start.

  There were only two streets left in Marcia’s neighborhood, and Rachel had about given up on finding a house when she rounded a curve and spotted a Craftsman-style cottage with gray shingles, white trim and a stone foundation. And a for-sale sign out front. Everything about this one called out “Welcome home” to Rachel. She hit the brakes at the end of the sidewalk.