Bayview Heights Trilogy (65 page)

She’d looked at him candidly.
With the
right man, I would.

Think I could be him?

Yes.

The lovemaking afterward had been
cataclysmic.

“Come in and sit, Kurt. It might do us good
to get comfortable with each other again.”

Once, he’d been more at ease with Zoe
Caufield than his own brother. From the doorway, he asked, “Are you
always this generous, or is it just with me?”

She shook her head. “What good does sniping
do? Or bitterness? We were both hurt by what happened. I’d like the
pain to stop.” Clearing her throat, she finished, “I’d like the
healing to start.”

Slowly he eased into the room and sat at a
desk chair, wondering if the still-open wounds of his betrayal
would ever heal. “You look wonderful, Zoe.”

She smiled. “Thanks. Paris was great for
me.”

I met Pierre when I was twenty-one. He
was so sensitive. So considerate. American men should take
lessons.

Kurt had tickled her until she’d begged—in
French—for respite. But he’d made a resolution to be more sensitive
and considerate on future dates.

“I’m glad you enjoyed your summer”

“You don’t look good, Kurt.”

He scrubbed a weary hand over his face. “It’s
been a rough year.”

She continued rocking Camille. Finally she
said quietly, “What happened?”

He didn’t ask what she meant. He faced her
squarely. She deserved to hear the truth. “It was a nightmare.
Elizabeth hadn’t changed, but I had. She was her normal demanding
superficial self. I don’t know exactly what I expected, but I
realized quickly I’d made a mistake.” There was more, about what
he’d discovered regarding his feelings for Zoe, but he knew she
didn’t want to hear that now.

“You stayed with her a year. Why didn’t you
leave sooner?”

“Because of Lauren.” His daughter had
blossomed while he lived with them again. “You know she’d been
having troubles in school. When I came home, she got right back on
track for the school year and was accepted into Hartwick.”

“Well, some good came out of it, anyway.”

He shook his head. “Before she left for
school, she told me she felt bad for me.”

“Why?”

“Because it was obvious I was unhappy a few
weeks after I’d come home. And she suspected I’d stayed for her.”
He shook his head again. “She’s a great kid. She also told me that
she’d make sure I hadn’t made the sacrifice for nothing.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That none of it was her fault. I’d made my
bed, so to speak.”

Zoe winced. He immediately regretted his poor
analogy.

Finally she said, “That was the worst part
for me, you know.” Her voice was hoarse. Camille chose that moment
to begin fussing, so Zoe got up and placed her in the portable
crib. Soothing the child’s back, she didn’t say any more until she
turned around.

What he saw in her face he’d hoped never to
see again as long as he lived. It was the same look he’d seen that
day in his office when he told her he’d slept with Elizabeth. “It
leveled me to know you were making love with her. I couldn’t bear
it.”

He didn’t tell her that
making love
was not the correct term at all. He and Elizabeth had sex. And it
wasn’t even very good. Still, the thought of it made his stomach
turn, so he could imagine what it did to Zoe’s. “I’m sorry.”

She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Me,
too.” She crossed to the door, but pivoted when she got there. “In
case you have any ideas or any hope...” She trailed off. Then began
again. “Don’t. I wouldn’t be able to risk letting myself feel
anything for you again, Kurt. Please, don’t ever try to convince
me, in any way, to get back together.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

“Promise me something else?”

“Anything.”

“Take better care of yourself.”

It was the last thing he expected.

Emotion clogged his throat. He nodded, and
then she left the room.

o0o

“IT’S TIME for the open forum.” School
superintendent Joe Finn, a dark-haired bear of a man with a bushy
beard and intelligent eyes, smiled tightly at Jerry Bosco and tried
to be civil. But it was obvious to Zoe that the superintendent
didn’t like the influence the retired teacher had had this year on
the formerly smooth-running board. Bosco’s contingent, the
Taxpayers’ Common Sense Group, had supported him and gotten him
elected by a narrow margin.

Sitting between Philip and Zoe, Seth
stiffened. She reached over and squeezed his arm in support. He
patted her hand. Though she was glad to be here for her principal,
she dreaded Kurt’s arrival. He’d told Seth he’d be late, and by
nine, he still hadn’t arrived. She hoped that when he got here,
he’d sit in the back of the spacious meeting room at the
Administration Building, which was set up with tables in the front
and several rows of straight chairs facing them.

“Mr. Bosco, would you like to state your
concerns?”

Almost completely bald by now, Jerry Bosco
dragged his microphone closer. His jowly face wore its usual scowl.
Zoe thought idly that the collar of his white shirt looked tight
enough to choke him. “Be glad to,” he said.

Kurt came into Zoe’s line of vision as he
approached their row and slid in next to her. Giving her a weak
smile, he focused on Jerry. Zoe tried to ignore him and listen to
Bosco, but she felt an immediate physical reaction when Kurt sat
down; it was hard not to react when his wide shoulders brushed hers
and his scent— something woodsy and male—filled her nostrils.

“As many of you know, I’ve asked the board to
examine some of the programs at Bayview Heights High for several
reasons.”

Shifting slightly, Kurt settled back into the
straight chair and crossed his arms over his chest. His legs were
stretched out in front of him, and she noticed the suit he wore.
Heather-brown, it was one she’d helped him pick out when they’d
spent a day shopping in the city.

You look sexy as hell in that, Dr.
Lansing
, she’d said.

I’ll take it
, he’d told the
clerk.

“What exactly is your concern, Mr. Bosco?”
Finn asked.

“It’s threefold. First, I have grave
misgivings about the school’s increasing role as a social-service
agency.” He picked up a blue book. “I read the curriculum for these
health electives, for example, and there’re all sorts of
sensitivity exercises to put the students in touch with their
feelings
. There are also lessons to get them to share
their personal problems. This is
not
our role.” He lifted
his double chin. “Second, we should be concentrating on basics,
instead. It’s the same point I made as a teacher when I opposed the
social-studies electives.” Not that anyone had listened. Both the
English Department and the Social Studies Department had a wide
range of excellent courses in place. “We need to study the Civil
War, not psychology,” he stated pompously.

“God forbid the kids understand how the human
mind works,” Seth whispered under his breath.

“And last, the budget concerns me. I ran for
this board seat on a platform that promised to cut costs. There are
many, many places we can reduce our spending.” He knuckled the
curriculum. “This is one.”

Joe Finn took in a deep breath. “I’d like
Seth Taylor to address these concerns and then open the discussion
up to the community” He smiled encouragingly at the principal.

Seth stood. Zoe could see a muscle leap in
his jaw but he kept his shoulders relaxed. “First, though we don’t
like having to be social workers for the kids, the fact remains
that there are times we have to be. We need all the staff
psychologists, school counselors and innovative programs we’ve
amassed just to keep kids out of gangs and curb the violence
erupting all over the country.” Seth warmed to the topic. “A study
done on school shootings just this year indicates that students
connecting with teachers and staff about their problems is the most
significant factor in stopping student violence. It’s
disconnecting
that leads kids to bring guns to
school.”

Zoe knew this concern was vital to all
educators.

Seth continued, “Second, the numbers for our
health electives had to be limited to make this an effective
program. Ms. Caufield can’t supervise more than fifteen students
per course per semester, given the rest of her class load. And
there’s a long waiting list for these courses, so you can see
they’re popular. And valued.”

Next to her Kurt moved restlessly.

“And last, the board has been very pleased
with our college attendance rate—it continues to rise. I’d like to
remind you that colleges insist on community service as part of an
applicant’s résumé. This course helps fill that need.”

Bosco’s face reddened. “They can volunteer on
their own.”

Zoe raised her hand. “May I speak to
that?”

“Of course, Zoe.” Joe gave her an encouraging
nod.

She stood. “The kids do continue their
volunteer work after the course ends. Seventy-five percent of them
stay at the workplace for the following semester and into
subsequent years.”

“Speaking of the placements...” Bosco began,
cutting her off. Zoe had no choice but to reseat herself. She had
more to say, but she’d vowed not to antagonize Jerry. “I’m
distressed to see that so many of our students will be working at
the teen clinic that’s scheduled to open in a few weeks.”

“Why is that, Jerry?” Leonard Small
asked.

“It’s no secret I opposed the approval of
that establishment.” Bosco had been a busy beaver sabotaging all
the programs needed in Bayview Heights to help out kids. “This
clinic has the potential for giving our young people wrong
ideas.”

“How so?” Leonard’s voice held traces of
impatience.

“God only knows what’ll go on there. Birth
control without parental consent. Free counseling. Hell, they’ll
probably do abortions at the drop of a hat.”

Kurt straightened. Zoe stole a quick look at
him. His jaw was set and his eyes narrowed on the front of the
room. He raised his hand, too. “I’d like to address that.”

“All—”

Bosco leaned over to his mike and cut off the
superintendent. “He can’t. He’s neither a staff member nor a
resident.”

“But I am a resident of Bayview Heights. I’ve
moved to this community and am in the process of buying a home
here.”

“And your relation to this issue?” Marian
Smith, a pretty single mother sitting on the other side of Bosco,
asked.

“I’m running the clinic, Mrs. Smith. I’m Kurt
Lansing.” His smile could charm a snake out of its skin. It
certainly worked on Marian.

“Go ahead, then,” the woman said sweetly.

Jerry Bosco leaned back with a
harrumph
.

Kurt rose with calm assurance. “My clinic
will be run like the others I have in New York.”

“This isn’t the big city, Lansing,” Jerry
said.

“No, but you have the same problems here. The
difference is, you have a better chance of curtailing them, dealing
with them, because you’re small. As we all know, frustrated, upset
teens do dangerous things. Already, the innovative programs, like
the health electives and the At Risk courses, and the general
Resiliency program Seth started at the high school, have
contributed to helping your teenagers cope with their lives. My
clinic will support and augment all that.”

“Will you hand out contraceptives without
parental consent?” Jerry asked pointedly.

“Each case will be dealt with individually,”
Kurt replied smoothly. “And we’ll abide by the law.” He stuck his
hands in his pockets and smiled at the rest of the board. “I want
to be part of the good work you’re doing with kids here. I can
assure you, I only want to help.”

When Kurt sat down, Seth leaned over Zoe.
“Thanks, buddy,” he whispered.

Kurt nodded. Zoe gave him a weak smile. She
appreciated his support, but damn it, one of the things she always
found irresistible about the man was his dedication to his work,
and his concern for kids. In that, they were perfectly matched.

The thought scared her.

She barely listened to Bosco’s rant about how
vigilant he intended to be, both on the school board about her
classes and on the council about the clinic. Her heart was thumping
in her chest. It would be hard to resist getting drawn in by the
man beside her. She’d have to be very careful to protect herself
from him.

At eleven, after heated discussion with the
community—including praise by Philip Cartwright’s group for both
the school and the clinic—the meeting broke up. Seth faced her and
Kurt.

“This could be a mess. We’re all going to
have to work closely to keep Jerry Bosco out of our programs. And
we need to avoid any negative publicity.”

Her gaze locked with Kurt’s. His was
apologetic. She imagined hers was fearful.

God, she hoped she was up to this. She simply
couldn’t let him break her heart again. She didn’t think she’d
survive it a second time.

JUST AS JULIA was about to ask her friends
whether anyone was up for shopping after school, Ms. Caufield
headed toward them. She reached the group with stage-worthy
flourish. “Okay, ladies, disperse and find your partners.”

Julia sighed dramatically. She wore an
electric-blue shirt, which topped a black wraparound skirt she’d
gotten for a song in the city. “Just one second, Ms. C. I wanted
to—”

“No excuses, Sarah Bernhardt. Find your
partner.” She gave Julia The Look—which everybody knew meant
business. “Now.”

It took a few minutes, but soon Caufield’s
Chicks split up. Julia found herself seated once again with Dan
Caruso. The only thing she’d known about him before this week was
that he was in the At Risk classes and he dressed mostly in black.
Now she’d discovered that his family called him Danny, he was two
years older than she was, and he never removed the
expensive-looking diamond stud from his ear. Today they’d get into
heavy stuff. “Ready to bare all, Danny boy?” she asked.