Count on Me (Bayview Heights Trilogy) (9 page)

 He seems sad.

The thought came out of nowhere. Julia, who read faces like they were maps to the soul, had recognized the suffering on his.

 Good
, Erica would say. She was probably right.

“Here’s a list of duties you’ll perform, Julia. Of course, we need to be careful about what you do and have access to for confidentiality reasons, but Ms. Caufield assures us you’re reliable and discreet.”

Julia scanned the list. Help the secretary/receptionist answer phones, tidy the outer office and patient waiting area, make coffee, clean up, maybe do some filing and scheduling. “This is easy.”

Mr. McKenna leaned forward, his blue eyes kind. “At school, you’ll be helping me run some groups. The one I’m planning now, Teen Choices, will include role-playing, which I was hoping you could organize.”

 I’m an expert at role-playing
. “Sounds terrific. Have people signed up?”

“Yes.”

Dr. Sheffield continued, “We’re happy to have you working with us, Julia, and we hope this experience will benefit you in making decisions about your future.”

“Oh, I’ve already decided. I’m going to be an actress.”

“Well, maybe a minor in something else might help. Just in case…”

Y
ou don’t make it
. The woman was too tactful to finish the thought, the one that scared Julia to death. She didn’t want to think about living in the world as herself. She planned to be other people most of the time. It was easier.

 That why you assume roles, Jules?

She wondered how Dan was doing. And the others. Erica was probably dying. Shondra would be okay. Julia was a little worried about Ashley.

o0o

ASHLEY SAT before Dr. Max Johnson and pasted on a brave smile.

“Are you all right, young lady? You look a little pale.”

 Oh God, with his experience, could he tell she was pregnant?
She grasped her purse, which held the pregnancy testing kit she and her boyfriend, Evan, had stopped to buy before he’d dropped her off. He wouldn’t take it home with him. They were going to do the test tonight, together.

“I’m fine.” She gave him her cheerleader grin. “I’m really glad to be working here.”

“What do you plan to do with your life, Ashley?”

 The question of the day.
“I’m not sure. Maybe some area of health—community health or education.”
Or maybe just be a mother. It’s probably what I’d be best at, anyway
.

She tried not to think about Evan’s reaction. But his stunned face and angry flush haunted her…

 You’re on the pill, damn it. How could you be pregnant?

I, um, went off it because it made me gain weight.

When were you going to tell me?

I figured the first half of the month was safe.

For a smart girl, that was pretty stupid.

Only when she’d begun to cry had he softened up. That ploy always worked with him, but it made her mad sometimes to have to resort to it.

She tried to focus on what Dr. Johnson was saying. She’d do office work, stock supplies, make coffee, and maybe eventually she could get a little more involved with patients, if it was all right with them. Ashley didn’t much care. All she wanted was to be done here, go home and find out what her future was
really
going to be.

She hoped Shondra would finish on time. She was catching a ride with her; Ashley wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait.

o0o

JOHN BATTAGLIA had the most beautiful eyes Shondra had ever seen. So brown they were almost black, with lashes a girl would kill for. And they sparkled like onyx when he talked about medicine. He was a dedicated man, she could tell.

“I worked for Kurt when I was your age,” he told Shondra.

“In New York?”

“Uh-huh.” Buttoning his white lab coat, he sat down behind a desk. “You’ll be doing the stuff I did. Very similar to orderly work.”

“I’ve volunteered at the hospital for years.”

“So I see from your résumé.” He smiled, and Shondra’s heart, which had never been pledged to a boy, tightened in her chest. “You wanna be a doctor.”

“Yes. You’re in premed, right?”

“Columbia. I’ve taken extra courses each semester and gone summers, so I’ll be through a year early. I’ll start medical school in September.”

“There?”

“Yep. I’ve already been accepted.” He looked past her to the exit. She followed his gaze.

Dr. Lansing stood in the doorway with Erica. “Oh, sorry, I thought you’d be done by now.”

“We are. I’m going to take Shondra on a tour of the facilities. Erica, wanna come with us?”

“Not now.” Dr. Lansing smiled and answered for her. “We need to get some things outlined before she leaves.”

Erica’s expression was sulky, but okay. Shondra wished her friend could chill about this assignment. She wasn’t helping Ms. C at all.

“Need a ride home?” Shondra asked Erica as she and John headed to the door. “I’m taking Ashley.”

“No, my car’s out of the shop. Thanks.”

“See you later.”

John nodded to Erica, then squeezed Dr. Lansing’s arm. His knowing look didn’t escape Shondra.

Erica’s anger was obvious to everybody.

She should just get over it and get on with things.

o0o

EMOTIONS SWIRLED in Erica like the paint on a Van Gogh canvas. Tom between doing what was right and her dislike of the man behind the desk, she sat stiffly in the chair and tried to be civil.

“Can you type?” he asked without preliminaries.

“Of course.”

“Good. Then you can type some of the weekly and monthly reports I have to do for the city and state.”

“I didn’t know I’d be a secretary.” She winced at her tone. She really was going to try harder.

Lansing either didn’t catch it or ignored it. “I thought it might help you understand the workings of the clinic.”

“Oh.”

“And you can sort through my mail. Separate junk from what needs my attention.”

“So I can see how the place runs.”

He smiled as if she’d said something smart. Like her father did—
only
when she said something smart. “Exactly.” Leaning back, he crossed his arms over his chest. “And I thought you might do crossover checks for supplies. All of this will give you valuable business experience.”

“Sounds okay.” She fidgeted with the strap of the purse her aunt had bought her for Christmas. Erica knew she was going into business like her father, had known since she was little, but she also wanted to help people. Big business sometimes took advantage of the public.

She and Ms. C had talked about that a lot. Once while they were shopping for shoes and stopped at Starbuck’s for coffee, Ms. C had gone on about how much she loved teaching…

 It’s so rewarding, Erica. I hope you get into a profession that gives you as much satisfaction.

CEOs probably don’t feel like you, Ms. C.

So, you don’t have to be a CEO.

Tell that to Jackson Case
, Erica had said…

“Do you like running clinics like this?” she asked Lansing.

“I love it.” He studied the half-empty bookshelves, the bare walls and the boxes stacked in the corner. “It gives meaning to my life.”

“You like it better than practicing medicine?”

“I still practice, though not as much as before. But, yes, I like starting programs that help people. I like the excitement of running a clinic.” He cocked his head. “Is that what you want, Erica? To run a business?”

“I guess. The money’s there.”

“Is money important to you?”

 It’s important to my father. It’s the only measure of success to him.

“Yeah, but...” She trailed off.

“But?”

She scowled. What was she doing sharing personal stuff with this guy? “Look, can we talk about my schedule? I have to rearrange some things to work here.”

He scanned her résumé. “I can tell. Is there any club you’re not in?”

She smiled in spite of herself. “I think I missed the chess club.” She sobered. “Extracurricular activities are important to get into college.” He looked like he was going to object, so she cut him off at the pass. “The schedule?”

He glanced back down. “Fine. Let’s hammer it out.”

It took a half hour. When they were done, he nodded at it. “Looks good to me.”

She stood. “Okay.”

His shoulders sagged as he rose, too. And his face was lined with fatigue. She glanced around—his office was still a mess. Yet he’d spent a lot of his time accommodating her. “Um, thanks for taking the time to do this.”

“You’re welcome. I’m sure you’ll be a real help here, Erica.”

Pleasure shot through her. Her dad never said things like that. “I will be.”

She turned and headed for the door. He followed her. She was feeling okay about him—until she found Ms. Caufield in the waiting area.

o0o

DÉJÀ VU. ALMOST A YEAR AGO today, Zoe had sat in Kurt’s New York waiting room, blissfully happy—and totally unaware that her world was about to fall apart. This place even smelled the same—coffee brewing in the corner, the faint scent of cleaning fluids and antiseptic. Well, that was the past. She was done with it and she refused to fall victim to the pain again. Dropping the magazine she held, she stood and smiled pleasantly when Kurt’s door opened and he and Erica came out.

“Things okay?” The issue of Erica’s dislike of Kurt needed to be addressed openly.

“Just fine,” Kurt said. “Right, Erica?”

She saw Erica struggle. Her chin came up and her hand closed around the strap of her purse. But finally she smiled. “Yep, just fine. Dr. Lansing and I have a schedule all worked out.”

Unexpectedly she walked over and hugged Zoe. “Don’t worry, Ms. C,” she whispered. “I won’t let you down.”

Touched by the sentiment, Zoe hugged back. “I know you won’t.”

Erica left with a lukewarm, “Goodbye, Dr. Lansing,” and suddenly Zoe and Kurt were alone.

The late-day sun shone through the windows and glanced off Kurt, accenting his high cheekbones, kissing the cleft of his chin. He looked tired—and alone. A wave of sadness swept through her, but she ignored it. “I’m glad things went well with her.”

He leaned against the doorjamb, looking at Erica’s receding back. “She’ll do anything for you. They all will.”

“Years of building their trust,” Zoe said simply.

“Mmm. Trust. That’s the key, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“They ever abuse it? Your trust?”

“Of course they do. They’re kids.”

“And you forgive them.”

“Yes.” Pique arose in her. “Where are you going with this, Kurt?”

“Nowhere. I’m sorry.” He straightened. “Do we need to meet?”

She glanced at her watch. “Yes. If you have time, I’d like to do it now.” She didn’t want to schedule another meeting and spend days dreading it.

“I’ve got nothing but time.” He sighed.

“May I use your phone first? I left mine in the car.”

“Sure.” He stepped aside so she could enter his office; tactfully he waited in the outer area.

His office was bigger than the one in the city, but just as jammed. Unpacked boxes, walls bare of photos and certificates told her he hadn’t settled in yet. She crossed to the oak desk and picked up the phone. Dialing quickly, she waited. The call went unanswered. She dug into her purse, looking for the cell-phone number she had in her pocket directory. After several rings, he finally answered. “Ransom.”

“Hi, Alex, it’s me. I’m running late.”

“That’s fine. I’m caught up in something here, anyway.”

She smiled into the phone. “You work too hard. Is six-thirty good?”

“Great. We can still have dinner and make it to the football game.” He pitched his voice low. “Don’t dress in heavy clothes. I’ll keep you warm.”

“Stop. I’m going home to change.”

His laugh was happy and uncomplicated. “I’ll pick you up at your condo.”

“See you then.”

“Zoe?” he asked, concern in his voice. “How’d it go today?”

“Just fine. See you soon.” She hung up and pivoted; Kurt stood in the doorway watching. Listening.

There was an unmistakably possessive look on his face. His whole body was tense as he came toward her. “I thought you wouldn’t date him because he was too young.”

 He is
. “I’m not dating him.”

“Sounds to me like you are.”

“Look, this really isn’t any of your business.”

Raking a hand through his hair, he circled around her and sat behind his desk. He looked like a student who was so full of emotions he didn’t know if he could contain them. “I knew it was going on.” He swallowed hard.

“You have no right to say anything about what I do, Kurt.”

“I realize that. It doesn’t change the facts. I’ve been imagining you with him for the past year—”

She held up a hand. “Stop right there. I won’t listen to this. We’re history. Dredging up the past and how you felt when you went back to your wife is not of any interest to me.’’

He blew out a heavy breath. “Fine. Let’s talk about the kids, then. What do you need from me?”

She cleared her throat. “We’ll have to meet weekly. Though the students are working with other people, you’ll be their direct supervisor.”

“Yes, I know that.” His voice was cold.

“Let’s set a regular time, if we can.”
So I can prepare myself
.

“How about Friday afternoons? Johnny’s going to work that day, and I’ll be able to get away.”

“Fine for me.” She drew her day planner out of her purse. Opened it. “How about four?”

“I’ll come to the school.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to. I’ll need to get out of here.”

She was going to make some comment about controlling his tendency to overwork, but she refrained. “All right.”

He looked up. “What else?”

Her sigh was resigned. “There’s an annual weekend thing for all the Life Issues kids and their supervisors. The program’s called Down to Earth. We go to a cabin in the woods and do activities designed to test strength and stamina and to build self-esteem and confidence. Everything’s geared to teach team-building and cooperation.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “Under the circumstances, I’d ask you not to go. But the girls need to get to know and trust you. I think you should participate this year.”