Counting on Starlight (18 page)

Yes, she’d fallen for Jake Tucker.

Same here.”

Stand up for me, Jake.” She tried not to plead.

I have to be careful—”

Why? To save your own skin? To protect your position? Are you part of the ‘old guard’ that you were talking about?” She stepped toward him and jabbed his chest with her index finger. “Do you want to keep your prime job here in Starlight? Just in case Kansas Tech passes, you’ll still have a backup plan, and the top position in Starlight would make you are very big fish in a tiny pond.”

Jake stepped away from her, fists on hips. “C’mon, Liann. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“By standing by and doing nothing, you’re agreeing with them. With Blann.” She shook her head. “Talk to the campus security. Surely they have video of people leaving. See what time Maddie left with Tim. Because there’s no proof of when she left campus. Unless you can talk to her yourself.”

“I’m not going to just stand by.”

She wanted to scream. “You know what? Never mind. This is just a part-time job, in a little rinky-dink town. Take care, Jake.”

“Liann—”

She held up one hand as she fumbled with her car keys in the other.

#                           

“So Ms. Rivers isn’t coming back?” Maddie sounded as though she had cotton in her mouth. She sank back into her pillows, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. “It’s all my fault…all my fault.”

“We don’t know if she’s coming back.” Jake stood by his sister’s hospital bed on Wednesday. He’d taken a personal day to meet his parents in Abilene and visit Maddie. She needed to know what her actions—and Tim’s—had cost people. Had cost him. Liann would probably never speak to him again.

“It’s not fair....” She hiccuped then winced. “I was going to call once we crossed into New Mexico, to tell Mom and Dad we were coming.”

“Sweet pea, if you wanted to come see us, you should have called beforehand.” Mom sounded tired. She sighed and looked at Dad. “Nobody was
making
you stay in Texas.”

“I know. But Tim and I just wanted to...just go...and I told him about Colorado. So we started making plans to go.” She frowned. “I thought Cassandra was lying about the baby. He told me it might not be his, even if she
is
pregnant
.”

“Tim’s going to have to grow up a lot faster than he planned,” Jake said.

“He hasn’t called me, at all.” Her voice quavered. “Guess that means...” She sobbed then hiccuped. “Ouch. I was so stupid about him.”

Jake opened his mouth to say something then realized he wasn’t the parent here. He never had been. Not really. Both he and Liann had taken on roles for Maddie that they probably shouldn’t have. Not that they shouldn’t care.
Lord, forgive us. We acted out of love for her, and concern.

Mom drew close to Maddie’s bedside. “Honey, you are still loved. Very, very much.” She brushed Maddie’s hair back.

Dad motioned Jake into the hallway. “Son, when will we get to meet this Liann? What’s going on? I realize we’re hours and hours away, but I thought she might come with you.”

“Dad, I don’t know when. I... I don’t know when I’m going to see her again. She’s... She’s planning to leave Starlight for good.” The thought sliced into him, all thoughts of Kansas Tech shoved aside for the moment. “I tried to explain to her, how we have to be careful—”

“Why? Is someone in trouble over what happened to Maddie??”

“Liann.”

“Over our daughter?”

“Yes, because of how she handled things on Friday night. That, and Coach Blann was trying to protect Tim. I think he was hoping Tim would reconsider TSU’s offer.”

“You can’t let this travesty continue. I don’t care who people think they are.”

“You’re right, Dad. I can’t.”

Chapter 16

Despite Aunt Chin Mae’s offer of the Smart Car, Liann rented a car and drove to Dallas for her interview at the Hyatt with the Ventura recruiter. She clipped along the sidewalk in her favorite heels, saved for occasions like this. And her favorite suit with the purple blouse. She’d done her hair like she hadn’t in months, her makeup perfect with smoky eyes and just enough blusher and a light lip gloss. This was a cheer coach position, something far, far different than her interview for the ragtag color guard team back in Starlight.

She met Misty Rossetti in the foyer. Funny. Maddie’s horse was named Misty. This made her grin as she and Misty shook hands. This Misty wasn’t old, grayish, and lumbering, though.

“Thanks for accepting my invitation to interview,” Misty said, flashing gleaming white teeth. “I’ve reserved a small conference room here so I can show you the PowerPoint presentation about the Ventura cheer program.”

“Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”

Misty led her down a hall off the lobby and into a tiny meeting room containing a conference table with a dozen padded chairs. A laptop sat at one end of the long table, facing a blank wall. “If you’d like a water, help yourself, and we’ll get started.”             

“Thanks.” Liann took a glass from the table and filled it from a pitcher. She took a seat as Misty dimmed the lights.

Music blared from the laptop’s speakers as the PowerPoint began. “Ventura means...VICTORY.”  Wow. That sounded like the guy who did movie preview voice-overs.
“In a world...'

Faces of cheerleaders, their hair pulled back and festooned with bows, appeared on the screen. “We have a long tradition of cheer at Ventura, a spirited legacy that continues with the next generation of students to come through our halls.”

Video of formations—amazing ones—played on the screen. Liann had to admit she missed the gymnastics portion of cheer—the physical skills and pyramids. The catches and flips. Music with a pounding beat accented the performances.

“Should you join us at Ventura, you will join us in bringing cheer to the next level. Higher, stronger, louder. The question is: Are you worthy?”

Liann blinked when the lights came on. No, she didn’t know if she was worthy. “That was quite a presentation.”

“It’s brand-new this year,” Misty said, taking a seat across from Liann. “All right, Ms. Rivers, now that you’ve seen the presentation, do you have any questions?”

“So, what’s your position on hazing or bullying, even among cheerleaders?”

“We have a zero tolerance policy for such behaviors.” Misty blinked. She probably didn’t get asked questions like that every day.

“That’s great.” Liann paused. A sudden realization stopped her. Ventura wasn’t for her, not the cushy position, the polished glamor. She would have been excited several month ago at this opportunity, but not now. She'd exchanged that dream for a new one. She belonged in Starlight. She was sorry it had taken renting a car and taking up Misty Rossetti’s time, but, at least she knew. Liann stood.

Misty did as well, a questioning look on her face. “Is everything all right, Ms. Rivers?”

“Yes, it is. I just realized, Ventura’s not for me.” She shifted, avoiding Misty’s eyes. How could she explain? “I wish you the best in finding a coach, though. Thanks for meeting with me.”

“Thank you.”

Liann left Misty, her mouth still gaping.. By the time Liann found her rental car, her hands were shaking. What had she just done? She’d prayed last night for clarity. Oh, she’d received clarity, all right. Watching the images paraded across the screen, she realized they were just that. Images.

“Lord,” she said as she started the car, “I have no idea where I’m going, or what I’m doing. I know now what I’m
not
doing. That was easy today. But what’s next?” She found I-35 and headed south, home to Starlight. Home? Home for now, anyway.

She turned on the radio as she zipped along the highway. Maybe she could go back to college. She’d studied education, but what she really enjoyed was helping students. Matt was half-right. She did want to help young people. She could always go back to school to become a counselor or an adolescent psychologist. She still had a lot to learn. She would have kept herself at a better emotional distance from her students, for one thing. Emotions seemed to run high when she cared.

Liann thought back to Monday, how she’d given Jake a verbal lashing. He hadn’t said he
wouldn’t
stand up for her. All he’d said was he needed to be careful. But still, that said something. If he did love her—not that he’d ever said he loved her—he’d put his heart’s desire on the line for her. This time, she wasn’t going to settle for a man who loved himself and his position in life above her.

“I love you, Jake Tucker,” she said aloud in the car. “The question is: How much do you love me?”

#             

“Emma Waters and her daughter are behind these ridiculous allegations,” said Jake before the school board on Monday night. “I appeal to you to look at the facts of what happened—which really have nothing to do with Ms. Waters and have everything to do with Tim Rollins and my sister, Madelynn Tucker. Ms. Rivers brought concerns to me on several occasions due to conversations she’d had with Maddie, as well as my sister’s Facebook page. I appreciate that. She was doing her job as a teacher who truly cares for her students, both on and off the clock. You will see that these young women who allege they were harassed were, in fact, the ones doing the harassing. Of
my
sister.”

The school board was assembled in one row along with the superintendent. The president of the school board spoke. “Coach Tucker, we thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. There are a lot of facts and statements to sort through, but we will get to the bottom of it and give our ruling to the Human Resources department.” She smiled at him.

“Thanks, ma’am. I won’t take up any more of your time.” He wished others could have been there, to hear him stand up for Liann. But his parents, Aunt Zalea and Uncle Herb, many others supported Liann.

He owed her an apology, he knew, but tonight he’d essentially put his job on the line and addressed the school board. He could probably kiss the head coaching job a long goodbye. Blann would find someone else, probably one of the egomaniac assistant coaches who would love to spend time rubbing Jake’s nose in the fact that he’d thrown away the position over a woman.

Not over any woman. The woman he loved.

In his pocket, he carried a polite letter from Kansas Tech, thanking him for his interest in being part of the athletic coaching team for their institution.

Although you exhibit many fine qualities of a coach that we look for when recruiting for our staff, you have not been selected for a position at this time.

#             

Liann had spent the three days since her bombed interview for Ventura helping Aunt Chin Mae close the hives for the season. October had blown in with cooler temperatures, and mornings held a crispness in the air that energized rather than drained her.

Azalea Bush had called last night, singing Jake’s praises. “Oh,  darlin’, it was just like David and Goliath, him in front of the school board with his five smooth stones. You just keep prayin’, and we will too.”

No answers had blown in on the wind, although she had received assurances from the teachers' union that her interests were protected, and she needed to continue carrying out her teaching duties, which she'd done. She had also looked at the catalog for Texas A&M Central Texas. The university was close enough for her to pursue more studies, once she’d lived in Texas long enough to be considered a resident. However, she couldn’t imagine Starlight without Jake, or her in Starlight without him.

A pair of vehicles pulled up in the driveway, one of them a large boxy van and the other, Jake’s truck. Its bed brimmed with boxes tied down by bungee cords. Was he moving?

Some kind of fuss was going on beside the van as Liann approached. Maddie settled onto the seat of a wheelchair with a couple helping her. The man was an older version of Jake with touches of gray in his hair. The woman, Maddie’s mother, had dark hair like her daughter, kind brown eyes, and a big smile that Maddie had inherited.

“Ms. Rivers!”

Liann ran to them. “Maddie!” She hugged the girl, who immediately began sobbing.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. All you ever did was push me to do better. You stuck up for me, and now you're in trouble. And it’s all my fault.” Maddie buried her face in Liann’s shoulder.

“Don’t cry. It’s going to be okay.” Liann straightened and stood to face their parents. Jake’s parents. What must they think of her?

“Melvin Tucker,” Jake’s dad said, extending his hand. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for our Madelynn.”

“I’m June Tucker,” said Maddie’s mom. “And I’m a hugger.” With that, she enfolded Liann in a motherly embrace. The gesture made Liann miss her own mother.              Liann stepped back, glancing at Jake.

“And you know me.” Jake quirked a grin. “Listen, about last Monday—”

“Don’t.” Liann shook her head. “I was upset—really upset. I’m sorry. I said some things I probably shouldn’t have.”