Song of the Brokenhearted (10 page)

“I'm sorry about your daddy,” Ava said, wondering if Sienna's lack of disappointment was an act.

“It's all right. He's trying to protect us. Something is really wrong. We should support him.”

“That's more mature than I'm feeling right now,” Ava said, wishing she could argue and state her grievances. How long did she have to endure his career emergencies? Ava sensed Sienna wasn't about to back her up on this one.

“The student becomes the master,” Sienna said.

“We haven't discussed the wedding.”

Sienna bit her lip. So many of her daughter's traits were similar to Dane's that it always delighted her to see a few traits of herself in their girl.

“Can this be a wedding-free weekend?”

“Really? Most brides-to-be can talk of nothing else.”

Sienna shrugged. “I was having wedding overload. Next week I'll get back on track. Or for sure over Christmas break . . . once I'm done with finals.”

Ava studied her daughter's face, sensing again there was something more. “You're talking to our drill sergeant of a wedding planner then.”

“I'll e-mail her when I get home.”

“Preston is a really good guy . . . ,” Ava said.

Sienna sipped her coffee and glanced around for the waitress. “I know,” she said in a clipped tone. The waitress arrived carrying two large plates. She set down Ava's eggs Benedict and Sienna's frittata. It was time for Ava to tuck away her concerns and enjoy breakfast with her daughter.

The tension dissolved as they discussed plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas—Sienna wanted to be home for the tree-cutting and cookie-baking days. After breakfast they shopped for a while, then they watched a movie in the evening. Jason remained in his room, though Ava tried to coax him out. He wouldn't even talk to Sienna.

Sunday morning, Sienna announced that she needed to take an earlier flight back to California.

And the weekend was done. Her daughter was on a flight back to California, Dane was in New York, Jason would hardly leave his room. Their family was more fractured than Ava could ever remember.

Ten

M
ONDAY MORNING
, A
VA DROVE TO THE HIGH SCHOOL TO MEET
with the principal and Coach Ray. A Crock-Pot of stew sat in a box in the passenger seat for the funeral of Private Grant being held in a few hours. She told herself that no matter what happened at the meeting, she had a lot to be grateful for. Their family was going through a trial, but it was nothing compared to what Private Grant's family was facing. Still, this was a first—she'd never met with school officials about disciplinary action for either of her children.

Ava pulled up next to Dane in the school parking lot. She locked her car and slipped into the passenger seat of his luxury SUV. She didn't look at him and barely grunted a greeting. She knew little of his trip to New York that had stretched beyond his promised Sunday afternoon arrival. He'd come to the school straight from the airport.

“I think we should pray,” Dane said before she could utter a word. Ava turned toward her husband, wondering if she'd heard him right. She was the one who brought up prayer. With her irritation high over his many disappearing acts, Ava hadn't thought to pray before this meeting.

“You're worried he'll be off the team?” she asked, irritated.

Dane leaned back in his seat. “I've been thinking about a lot of things lately. I know it appears I'm consumed with work. But having the company in trouble, it's made me think about what's really important.”

“And what is that?” Ava wanted to take this in, but her anger and suspicion weren't easily abated.

“Our family. Us.” He studied her face in a way he hadn't done in such a long time that she shifted in the seat, wondering what he saw. Did he notice the lines around her eyes, the tiredness in her face? Dane had grown better-looking with age as some men did. He could turn the heads of women half her age, and surely did, while Ava struggled with an extra fifteen pounds and didn't work out as much as he did.

Ava turned away with her head against the headrest, savoring the scent of Dane's cologne and the warmth inside his vehicle.

“I guess we should get inside,” she murmured.

“Or we could make out in the backseat and pretend we're in college again,” he said with a slight smile.

“What?” she said, surprised by his words.

He took her chin with his fingers and guided her face toward his. His kiss was long and tender, awakening a surprising amount of feeling throughout her body.

“Where did that come from?” She scrutinized his face. “Are you having an affair?”

“What?” Dane leaned back surprised.

“Tell me the truth. Are you?” Ava studied his face, searching for the lie. Dane's lips curled into the edge of a smile as if barely holding back a tumult of laughter.

“Why would you ask me such a thing?”

“So you are.” A cold shot of adrenaline raced through her.

“No, I'm not. Why would you say that?”

Ava wasn't sure she believed him. “Then are you looking at pornography online? Or something like that?”

“Ava. What is this?”

“When a man is having an affair or doing something wrong, anything wrong, he starts acting differently at home. First, his schedule changes. Then often he starts complimenting his wife, buying her gifts or flowers. It's the guilt. A classic sign of a man's betrayal is suddenly becoming a good husband.”

“I'm glad I haven't bought you flowers.” Dane laughed, only making her angrier.

“It's not funny.”

“Listen, I'm not having an affair.”

Ava heard a bell ring across the school grounds.

“We're going to be late for the principal,” Ava said and opened the car door to a spillway of cold air. Something was wrong. Something had changed. A man didn't make such fluctuations overnight without something happening.

Before she could rise from the car, he leaned across, his body pressing against hers as he reached for the door and closed it shut.

“What are you doing?”

“We're going to pray. And then I'm going to kiss you again.”

“Then do it,” she said in annoyance, and something else— respect, fear, excitement.

Dane took her hand and prayed for Jason, for them as parents, for their family, and finally for their future.

“Everything is shaky right now. Whatever path you have for us, help us to know it and have the strength to take it.”

Could prayers be amended? Ava wondered. “Whatever path” sounded too open-ended with the growing unrest in their family.

Dane held the door open, then followed Ava inside the administration building, humming a death march. Ava didn't find it humorous but tried smiling anyway.

“We have an appointment,” Ava said, but the receptionist rose from her chair as she recognized them. The older woman's grim expression further unsettled Ava's stomach.

“Go on in. Principal Landon and Coach Ray will be there shortly.”

Through the glass window Ava saw Jason already sitting in a chair off to the side and slumped low in the seat. She had an instant vision of him as a five-year-old in kindergarten. She'd been called in because he'd freed the classroom lizard.

“He hated that cold cage and wanted to play outside on the playground,” he'd told her, not understanding why he was in trouble.

“Hi, honey,” Ava said as they walked into the office. Jason raised his head as they sat beside him.

“Hi, Mom,” he said in a low monotone.

Dane greeted their son, but Jason didn't respond. Before either one of them could remind Jason to respect his father, the door reopened as the coach and principal arrived.

“Hey, buddy,” Dane said, shaking Coach Ray's hand. The coach didn't respond with his usual quick humor and hard slap on the back.

The greetings became more subdued as they pulled up seats, with Principal Landon moving around his desk and opening a file.

“Sit up, son,” Dane said in a firm tone. Jason sighed loudly and slid up a few inches in the chair.

“We know why we're meeting, but do you have any questions?” Principal Landon asked.

“What kind of drugs?” Dane asked, more to Jason.

“The test doesn't specify. But from talking with Jason . . . Do you want to tell them?”

Jason shook his head. His eyes didn't leave his shoes.

Ava wanted to burst into tears. She couldn't believe this was happening.

“It seems there has been an instance of marijuana and a somewhat regular use of prescription drugs,” Coach Ray said.

“What?” Ava and Dane said in unison, with Dane much louder.

“You've been taking prescription drugs?” Dane said, his face red with anger. “And smoking pot? When did this start? Are you an idiot?”

“Dane!” Ava said, putting her hand on Dane's arm. Jason winced at Dane's anger, but made no other response.

“I know this is tough to hear,” Coach Ray said. “My middle son went through something like this, and yeah, I pretty much lost it. But let me finish.”

Dane leaned back in his seat, his body rigid with the pent-up fury.

“He's been taking scripts—as the kids call it—because apparently he hurt his knee at football camp.”

“But he did physical therapy and is fine now,” Ava said, glancing between Jason and his coach.

“Not as fine as we thought,” Coach Ray said.

“So what's going to happen?” Dane asked, cutting to the point as he often did.

“He's out for the rest of the season.”

“Out?” Ava asked. “You mean off the team. Completely?”

“Yes. You should know that this is a huge blow to the entire team. We need Jason. He's let us all down. As well as himself.”

“And he's suspended from school for the next week,” Principal Landon stated.

“We have a zero-tolerance drug policy. One more instance of this, and he's expelled.”

“Why, Jason?” Ava heard herself say.

“Mom—” Jason began, and she could see the tears filling the corners of his eyes. He looked at his coach. “Do I have to be here?”

“You can sit outside, if your parents don't mind.”

“Fine. Whatever,” Dane said.

Jason rose from his chair and tossed his backpack over his shoulder, quickly leaving the room.

“Honestly, I know Jason is a good kid,” Coach Ray said.

“His teachers all say so,” Principal Landon echoed.

“Obviously something is wrong,” Ava said, though her voice sounded far from herself.

“He could have a dependency problem. I think he was medicating to keep playing. The pot, well, I don't know why he was messing around with that. He knows we do the random testing, all the guys know it.”

Dane leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, staring at the ground while the coach spoke.

“After the money we've donated to the sport program, you can't do us a favor?”

“Dane, we can't ask things like that,” Ava said.

“Of course, that was wrong of me to ask. I'm sorry.”

Coach ran his hand through his thinning hair. “I'd like to do something, I really would. But the news is already out. Once the team knows and the community starts to hear, we have to follow the rules or we open ourselves up for a lawsuit.”

“No, it wouldn't be right anyway. Rules are rules,” Dane said.

Jason waited on a bench outside the door. As they walked out, he returned for a moment into the office. Ava thought she heard him apologize to the two men, but she couldn't be sure.

The three of them walked to the parking lot together. Jason's suspension began immediately.

“You're grounded from all extra activities at home as well,”