“Running away is never a good answer. And parents do yell sometimes.” Claire wondered if this was truly a story about a friend, or if Kayleigh was the one having issues with her father. The black eye from the week before flitted through Claire’s mind.
Coming in half-way through the school year, she hadn’t met many of the fifth grade parents, only the few who volunteered in the classrooms. Kayleigh’s parents weren’t among the ranks of volunteers and there were no notations in her folder about family situations, so Claire had no yardstick to judge the story against. In her experience, though, most stories starting with I have a friend… were actually about the speaker themselves.
“She says he mostly yells after he’s been drinking beer. He gets angry with her and blames her for everything.” The girl twisted her hands together. “My uncles all drink beer, but I’ve never seen any of them get mean because of it.”
“You’re right, it’s not a normal reaction.” She noticed the girl cited her uncles and not her own father. Claire hesitated before asking the next question. “Does he… does your friend’s father hurt her when he drinks?”
Kayleigh shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I mean, he hurts her feelings, but I don’t think he hits her or anything. He bullies her, I guess. Tells her everything is her fault.”
Having recently gotten out of an emotionally abusive marriage, Claire knew the constant battering of self-esteem left damage even if there weren’t bruises to show for it. Her brain spun with scenarios, wondering what her obligations were in this situation. Was Kayleigh’s father struggling with an alcohol or drug problem? Was Kayleigh, or her so-called friend, actually at risk?
“So what should I do?” The girl’s clear blue eyes were trained on Claire as if the title of teacher conferred absolute wisdom in all things. Claire wished she had a good answer for her. But not everything was black and white. And unless Kayleigh confided something more, there wasn’t much Claire could do to help in a concrete way. Except to let her know she had options. And people to talk to, especially should the situation escalate.
“The most important thing is to know there is someone safe to talk with. Remind your friend that running away isn’t an answer and will only cause more problems. Make sure your friend knows you’re there for her to listen, just like I’m here if you need to talk more about anything. Anything at all. Sometimes we all need someone to listen. But if there’s any sign of physical harm, we need to get involved right away.”
Kayleigh looked older than her eleven years. “Thanks, Mrs. M. I’ll keep that in mind. I wish I’d thought to come talk to you sooner. It’s hard to keep a secret in a small town, and I don’t want to make things worse for my friend.”
Claire gave her a solemn nod. “Remember what I said. I’m here if you need anything.” Before she’d finished the sentence, Kayleigh bridged the gap between them and threw her arms around Claire in a warm hug. The girl smelled like a combination of maple syrup and herbal shampoo, and Claire felt her heart clench to think anyone would even dream of hurting this child, physically or emotionally.
When Kayleigh stepped away to grab her backpack, Claire cleared the emotions from her throat and kept her tone light. “Now you should go back outside to your friends, enjoy the nice weather while we have it, I mean, the sun is finally shining! And get in some last minute studying for today’s history quiz while you’re at it.”
Kayleigh’s face split into a wide smile. “Cindy came over and we studied last night. We’re both ready to ace the test for sure.”
Claire returned the grin. “It never hurts to study a little more.”
“Thanks for talking with me, Mrs. M.”
“Anytime.” She waved as the girl skipped out of the classroom, passing Emily on her way out the door and giving her a high five. “Hey, Mrs. O. How’s it going?”
“Dandy as candy, Little Miss Kayleigh.” Emily stood with her hands on her hips watching the fifth grader skip the rest of the way down the hall. “What was that all about?”
Claire bit her lip. The girl had come to her in confidence, which she didn’t want to betray. “Nothing big. She wanted to talk to me about something.”
Sympathy filled Emily’s eyes. “That poor girl has been through enough. Is she having problems with her friends again?”
“Again?”
“She went through a rough patch with some of the mean girls last year over her lack of fashion sense. Are they giving her grief over her current pink obsession?”
“Not that she mentioned.” Although the girl did mention how small the community was. And if a seventh grade teacher knew what was going on with last year’s fourth grade mean girls, the kid had a point. “And I don’t see anything wrong with an eleven year old wearing pink. I’d love a pink flannel shirt like hers. Actually, I may check to see if it comes in my size.”
“I suspect her father does all her clothes shopping online, since he’s a bit of a workaholic.”
“He’s one of the parents I haven’t met yet.” A workaholic father might be prone to bouts of anger. Claire wondered how to probe for more information on Kayleigh’s home life without raising Emily’s suspicions. Short of flat out asking, she drew a blank. She tried an open-ended statement. “I’m hoping to meet more of the fifth grade parents after vacation week.”
A thoughtful look crossed Emily’s face. “I keep forgetting you’ve only been in Chatham since January. You know Kayleigh’s grandmother is the principal, right? Ann MacDonald?”
Claire’s eyes flew wider. “I had no idea.” She liked the no-nonsense older woman who’d hired her. Was it possible her grandchild was a victim of abuse and she wasn’t aware? “I figured MacDonald was a common enough name. The town librarian has the same last name.”
“There are a lot of MacDonalds in Chatham,” Emily agreed. “But especially in a town this small, you’ll find out they’re all actually related.”
“Not that I’ve had much of a chance to explore Chatham, what with the downright ugly weather.” Claire shook her head. “I’m so done with the grey days of winter. Tell me spring will come to Cape Cod soon?”
Her friend chuckled. “I can’t promise anything. Most of the time we go from cold and overcast straight into the summer heat.”
Claire caught sight of the pile of yesterday’s quizzes still on her desk and remembered what Kayleigh interrupted. She grabbed the red pen. “Did you need something else? I’ve got to finish marking these before the bell rings.”
“Actually… there might be something else, but I need to make a call first.” Emily stepped out the door before peeking her head back in once more. “You’re on cafeteria duty with me today, right?”
“It’s Friday, so yes I am,” Claire replied. Emily gave her a thumbs up and disappeared again. Sticking the new teacher with Friday cafeteria duty seemed to be a tradition, since the kids were usually riled up for the weekend. And the Friday before a vacation week? She planned to take ibuprofen before leaving the classroom in anticipation of the headache to come.
The last of the students had barely left the cafeteria when Emily cornered her. “What day are you free next week?”
“For what?”
“Your blind date, of course.” Emily practically vibrated with excitement. Today’s sweater set was red with white polka dots that seemed to bounce on their own as Emily clapped her hands. “I have the perfect guy for you.”
Claire made a show of rolling her eyes at her friend, while at the same time trying to tamp down the butterflies in her stomach. “Tell me.”
“No way. You heard Marie Louise. The definition of blind date is to have no preconceptions. You get to discover it all for yourself.”
“Yeah, but…” The butterflies in Claire’s stomach increased their tempo. When they talked about it over drinks the other night, she’d laughed it off. A blind date? Could she really go out with a stranger whom she knew nothing about?
“What if I promise you it will be okay? Not that there will be sparks, nec
essarily, but that you’ll at least be safe. He’s a friend of my husband’s. Closer to your age so I can’t say I went to high school with the guy, but I know he's one of the good ones.”
Claire’s lips twisted into a lopsided grin. “Wow, I’ll be safe and it’ll be okay? How can I pass up such a tempting offer?
“You can’t.” Emily’s smile grew wider as she bounced on the balls of her feet. “How about Monday night? You can meet him at Gilley’s.”
“Emily…I don’t know about this.” Claire’s stomach twisted with anxiety, but also with excitement. Could she do this? Go on a date with a complete stranger? She hadn’t been out on a first date since college, let alone a completely blind date. “You have to tell me something about him. How will I even know who he is in the crowded bar?”
Her friend tapped her temple. “Already thought of that. He’ll meet you on the sidewalk in front of Gilley’s. He’s got dark hair, blue eyes, and his name is Ed.”
“That’s all you’re going to give me? A first name?”
“Blind date, remember?” Emily threw an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Trust me.”
5
Monday, April 20
Chatham Police Station, George Ryder Road, Chatham
“MacDonald! What are you still doing at your desk? Shouldn’t you be home getting prettied up for your hot date?”
Ed glanced over as Jake sauntered across the office, dressed in black jeans and a black t-shirt stretched tight across his wide chest, gold shield clipped to his belt. He glanced down at his dress shirt and tie combination, wondering why Jake looked more official in his t-shirt than he did in a tie. Probably the confident swagger had something to do with it. Ed tried to remember the last time he was dead sure about anything, and realized it had been years. Since before Laura’s cancer diagnosis.
Leaning a hip against Ed’s desk, Jake folded his arms across the wide expanse of black. “Is that what you’re wearing? I thought you wanted to make a good first impression on this woman.”
The teasing grin on his friend’s face felt like sandpaper on an open wound. Did the whole department know about Ed’s blind date? Half of them would think he was so pathetic he couldn’t ask a woman out properly. The other half would judge him for cheating on Laura’s memory. He wasn’t sure which half he’d agree with, but he did know something shifted inside him after Quinn’s wedding. It felt like time to move on. But that wasn’t anyone else’s business. Yeah, good luck with that in a small town like Chatham.
The only reason he’d agreed in the first place was that O’Toole swore to keep the whole thing on the down low. That, and the fact Kayleigh was out of town with his parents and brother, visiting New York City for school vacation week. Which should have meant the whole blind date thing flew under the radar. He didn’t want to be discussing it here at work. “Need to finish this paperwork first,” he grumbled, gesturing at the messy desk. “And who spilled the beans?”
Jake had the nerve to laugh. “I’m a detective, MacDonald. I know stuff.” When Ed continued to glare, he shook his head. “All right, all right. I may have been with O’Toole when he fielded the initial call from his wife on Friday morning.”
Squinting his eyes, Ed frowned. “How did you know I’d agree to a blind date?”
“You said last week you’d be open to dating someone new.”
“And from there you jumped to conclusions?”
Jake’s smile widened as he pointed to his chest. “Detective, remember? Might as well confess.”
“Fine,” Ed huffed. “Yes, O’Toole set me up on a blind date. Friend of his wife’s.”
“Another teacher?”
Ed shrugged, focusing on his paperwork. “I assume.”
“Someone who works for your mother?”
“Don’t think so.” Ed’s mother had been the principal at Monomoy Middle School for the last decade, after teaching there even longer. “Mom didn’t mention any new hires, but I know the elementary school had several teachers retire at the end of last year. O’Toole did mention that he met her last week at the emergency preparedness thing and that she’s cute.”
“Are you gonna tell her your mom is the principal?”
Ed grimaced. “I know I haven’t been out on a lot of dates, but do you really think that’s a good ice breaker? As in, hey so I hear you work with my mother…or worse, if Mom actually is her boss. Does that sound like the recipe for a fun conversation?”
Jake barked out a laugh. “She might think she has to pretend to like you or something, you know, to keep her job.”
Ed bristled. “It’s just one date, no big deal. And Jake, I’d rather you didn’t spread it around like news.”
“No one is going to hold anything against you, MacDonald. Quit being so prickly about everything. You’re allowed to go out with women. You’re allowed to be happy.”
“Jeez, Campbell, you sound like the relationship column from the newspaper.” Ed glanced up at the clock on the wall before shoving the rest of the paperwork into his inbox. “I guess I should head over to Main Street or I’m gonna be late.”
Jake fell in step with him as they left the building. “Does she know you have a kid?”
He shrugged. “I don’t have a clue. Probably not? O’Toole said the whole idea of a blind date is to go into it without knowing anything about the other person.”
“You gonna tell her?”
Ed frowned. “It’s not at the top of my list for conversation starters.” When Jake didn’t say anything, Ed blew out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Campbell. I haven’t been out on a first date since high school. Kayleigh’s away this week with Dylan and my folks, so I thought I’d see how it goes.”
Jake held up both hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m not judging, just asking. Where are you meeting the lucky lady?”
Ed rolled his eyes. “I thought you said you were a detective. Don’t you already know everything?”
“Well, my first guess would be Gilley’s, except that it’s Monday night and you know the girls will be there, which is the opposite of keeping it on the down low. In fact, that’s where I’m headed to meet up with Brian to watch the Sox in the back bar while Abbie and Caroline do their catching up, even though Bella’s out of town this week and...” Jake stopped mid-sentence when he realized Ed was no longer at his side. He turned back, hands on hips. “Shit, you were going to meet her at the bar, weren’t you?”
“I forgot about their weekly girls-only night.”
“Ed, it’s no big deal. Abbie and Caroline…”
“…were friends with Laura. I can’t go on a blind date with them watching me. That’s a little too weird.” His stomach twisted into knots. This was why he didn’t go on dates. Too many people knew his wife. Were friends with his wife. Had mourned with him and helped him through those dark days after cancer stole her away. How could he pretend none of that happened and flaunt someone new in their faces? He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “What do I do now?”
“Meet somewhere else?”
“I don’t even have a phone number, just her first name. Claire. I’m meeting her out front on the sidewalk.”
“So meet her on the sidewalk but don’t go in the bar. No one said you had to stay at Gilley’s right?”
He thought about it. “No.”
“Problem solved. Take her to the sushi joint up the block instead. Lots of tables for two.”
“What? I can’t go there on a date. Marilyn Chambers works the hostess desk. I went to high school with her and know for a fact she’s the biggest gossip in town.”
His statement was met with a smirk. “Like there aren’t gossips at Gilley’s?”
“It’s a bar. It’s different. People don’t automatically assume it’s a date thing if you’re meeting for a beer.” Except if he did go to Gilley’s he’d have to face Abbie and Caroline. And see the recrimination in their eyes.
Jake shook his head. “You’re overthinking all of this, MacDonald. You’re s
ingle, you’re an adult. You’re allowed to have a life, and that includes dating. And the possibility of sex.”
Ed winced at the word sex. “It’s just a date.”
“Exactly.” Jake reached out and tugged on Ed’s elbow. “C’mon. Your date is waiting.”
6
Gilley’s Bar and Grille, Main Street, Chatham
Claire sat on the bench near the front entrance to the bar, scrolling through her Instagram feed, trying to settle her nerves. She’d been ignoring the damn butterflies roiling in her gut since Emily first set up this date, but now it seemed those first few flutters invited a hundred friends to join them, twisting her stomach in knots of both anxiety and excitement. Expectation. She spent the weekend telling herself it was just one date. And therein lay the problem. Dating. Was she ready to date again? As Emily pointed out when she’d talked her into this, there was only one way to find out.
So here she was, ready to try.
Except… dating led to kissing, led to other activities. After the demeaning way Dennis spoke of her lack of skill in the bedroom, she had zero confidence that she even knew what she was doing, let alone if she knew how to satisfy a man. Hell, she wasn’t even sure she knew what an orgasm felt like, although the tingling sensations she’d achieved with her vibrator must be somewhere close to the real thing. If so, she couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Romance novels lie, she thought with a frown.
And… here she was sitting on a sidewalk bench, thinking about orgasms. She shook her head in disgust. Get it together, Claire. It’s only a blind date, not an invitation to have sex.
Scroll, scroll, scroll. Photos of her sisters’ kids interspersed with random dog pics and classroom project ideas from other teachers she’d worked with or met at conferences over the years. Posts about new releases by authors she loved and home improvement projects from a few of the new pages she’d recently started following.
Ed's Blind Date Dilemma Page 4
