Stay: Changing Tides, Book 1 (18 page)

“Really? Elmont wasn’t where Ellen wanted him to go.”

Her condescending tone irked him to distraction. “I know that, Meg. But I didn’t have much choice, and it seems to be working well despite what Ellen and I had planned.”

A heavy sigh slipped through the phone. “Well, you’re his father. I guess you’ll decide what’s best for him.”

“Exactly.” The anger that raced through his veins nearly made him hang up, but he managed to resist.

“Well, we’d like to take Jonathon for spring break, if that’s acceptable to you.”

“I don’t have a problem with it,” he lied. “But we’ll have to see what Jonathon wants to do. He’s dating a girl from school, so he may want to stay here.”

“A girlfriend? Really?” A slight catch marred her voice. “It doesn’t seem like he’s old enough for that.”

“He’s sixteen, Meg.” Adding that Jonathon had decided he was old enough to have sex would have been a sweet little shocker, but he kept the temptation to share in check. “And she’s a good kid.”

“He’s just growing too quickly, and I feel like we never get to see him.”

There were so many responses he wanted to hurl her way. Meg and Lou had left less than a week after Ellen and Jeremy died. No more than two weeks had passed before they’d taken back to their lives of travel and high living. He and Jonathon could have used their support, but they’d done nothing more than call occasionally. Usually with a reason for why they weren’t going to make it for Jonathon’s birthday or other significant holidays.

“You know where we live.” Frustration made him bite the words. He sighed, adding more carefully, “And you’re both welcome here anytime.”

“Of course. That’s very kind of you.” With a small sniff, she went on. “Please have Jonathon contact us this evening and let us know what he wants to do. If he doesn’t want to come we’ll plan something else.”

In other words, they wanted a backup plan for their precious time. “I’ll tell him you called.”

It didn’t take long to get off the phone after that, and by the time he stepped from the truck, Jonathon was skidding across the parking lot. He signed away as he neared. “Dad, can I go bowling with Lynette and her sister?”

The thought of letting him go anywhere without an adult still gave him a headache, but he squashed the immediate “no” response. He had to make an effort. Jonathon had stuck to his end of the bargain thus far and stayed out of trouble. “How are you getting there?”

Jonathon pointed to a small red car at the head of the parking lot. “Her sister drives. We’ll be back by eleven. Jen’s got to work early tomorrow morning, so we won’t be any later than that.”

Jonathon’s eyes, so like Ellen’s, sparkled with his excitement. He’d never been able to say no to those eyes. “You’ll wear your seatbelt? And text if you get in a bad situation?”

He crossed his heart, glancing back at the girls. “Come on, Dad.”

Shit. He was going to have to say yes. “You can go, but no drinking, drugs, nothing you shouldn’t be doing. Understand?”

Jonathon shook his head with a tiny grin. He signed quickly and shuffled his feet impatiently.

Brack couldn’t wrap his mind around his son’s last statement and nodded his permission absently. He watched him run off.
Abby would kill him?
His son had signed that Abby would kill him if he did anything wrong?

He searched the bus and surroundings for the woman who’d managed to gain his son’s respect and wondered if she had any idea what effect she had on him. Probably not. Just as she had no idea the affect she was having on the kid’s normally proud-of-his-ability-to-control-himself father.

Normally.
But not where Abby was concerned. And he had a funny feeling he was going to have to get used to it.

Chapter Thirteen

Abby met the huge smile Jonathon gave her as he approached, more than happy to have something besides the boy’s father to focus on. It didn’t seem to matter that he leaned against his truck across the parking lot, her eyes refused to behave. She dug through her limited signs for the words she needed when Jonathon skidded to a halt. “What are you so happy about?”

“I’m going bowling with Lynette and her sister.” He shook his head. “Still can’t believe Dad’s letting me go.”

“Excellent. I knew he’d come around.” She forced herself not to glance at the topic of their conversation and added, “Have a great time, but be safe.”

His smile grew, though it didn’t seem possible and he pointed to her hands. “You’re getting good.”

She spoke clearly so he could read any words she’d forgotten the signs for. “If you say so. It’ll probably take me until summer to be able to sign a complete sentence, then it’ll be time for me to leave.”

“You’re leaving?” His brows furrowed. “Why?”

If a simple explanation could be found, she’d yet to find it. And she’d searched for years. “I’ve always moved. Ever since I was a little girl.” She shrugged, “It’s just what I do. There’s always somewhere new to see, some place I’ve yet to discover.”

“Wow. I wish you weren’t leaving.” A slight nod lightened his features. He slowed down and acted out or spelled most of the words he wanted to share. “Actually, I wish I could go. I’ve never flown in a plane, never traveled farther than this state. When Mom and Jeremy were alive, she always wanted us to see the world. Dad won’t leave this place.”

Understanding for both parents’ ways of thinking ran through her mind. But only one remained now, and he was doing the best he could. And he loved his son so much. The deep ache constricting her throat made it difficult to concentrate on her signs. “He just wants to keep you safe.”

“He doesn’t get it, though.” Jonathon glanced back at his father. “I want to skydive, or swim with sharks. Something crazy and maybe dangerous. At this point I’d settle for riding a rollercoaster, but he doesn’t think anything is safe unless he controls it.”

Abby struggled to find the right words. She’d never understood her mother’s reasoning when they’d moved from place to place. As a child, the normalcy of constant change hadn’t bothered her. It wasn’t until early in her teens when she’d felt the first stirrings of resentment. She could relate to Jonathon’s frustration and confusion. “He’s scared of losing you. Both of you have been through so much. It’s his way of coping.”

“It’s his way of controlling.”

Apples and oranges again. “So why don’t you talk to him?”

The anger she’d sensed building deflated. He rolled his eyes. “Are we talking about the same man?”

“Okay—” his humor was infectious, “—I’ll admit that won’t be as easy as I made it sound, but maybe if you tell him what you want, and how you feel, he’ll meet you halfway.”

“I doubt that.”

“I didn’t say it would be easy.” She patted his arm to bolster his courage. “But you aren’t afraid of a challenge, are you?”

The question stiffened his shoulders. “Easy for you to say—you’re the one who’s leaving. If I make him mad, I have to live with him.”

Lynette ran over to grab his arm. “We better go. Jen’s ready.”

He grabbed his bag. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, Abby.”

“What’s tomorrow night?”

He smiled. “Friday. The auction. I thought Dad said you volunteered.”

With everything so crazy, she’d completely forgotten. “Yes, well I was somewhat suckered into it.”

Lynette giggled. “Jonathon’s going to bid on his dad.”

Jonathon sent her an emphatic nod. “Nothing better than having my dad for a slave.”

Unease warped Abby’s stomach. “Slave?”

He signed quickly, “Yeah, small town. They have a lot of fun torturing the volunteers.”

Lynette tugged at his elbow. “We really have to go.”

With a quick glance at Lynette’s sister, he added, “Abby, I won’t be able to make it to practice tomorrow. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment after school.”

“Go. Have fun. And don’t worry about practice. We’ll manage.” Abby waved him away. “Everything’s okay, I hope?”

“Just a checkup.”

Abby turned to look at Brack when he answered her question. Jonathon and Lynette slipped away but she couldn’t have cared less in that moment. The steady perusal of his gaze turned her mind to mush, and the last thing she wanted was for the kids to witness her pathetic reaction. “Oh. That’s good.”

God, he looked good. If work boots, faded jeans and a Carhartt jacket ever looked better, she couldn’t remember when. He belonged in a catalog. But the easy grin that curved his mouth was the clincher. It set her blood to a slow burn, and any resolve she’d mustered to control her reactions to the man crumbled.

The panic surrounding Kelsey’s injury hadn’t blinded her to Brack, but it had kept her attention from completely settling on him. That was then. Now… Shit, she really needed to get a grip. Maybe finding him so achingly attractive would be karma’s punishment.

But she couldn’t just stand there. “Thanks for helping Kelsey.”

“That’s part of our job.” He shrugged. “No need to thank me.”

“Have you heard anything?”

“She’s in for x-rays now.”

“Has it been busy?” He quirked an eyebrow, and she added, “Calls, I mean? Have you had many?”

“It’s been pretty steady.” His gaze never wavered. “Nothing we’re not used to this time of the year.”

“No, I don’t suppose it is.”

“How’s school?” The same unease radiated from his stiff stance. “Jonathon says there’s a nasty bug going around.”

Calls? School?

Had one simple night of pleasure really reduced them to this? Conversations didn’t get much more stilted than the one they were sharing. And it was ridiculous. “Look, instead of standing here talking about nothing, could we just forget it ever happened?”

He took a step closer. “Can you?”

Nope.
Not when every night consisted of dreams that revolved around his face and the soft whisper of his touch. “Yes, if it will ease this strain between us. I’d just as soon go back to before when we could argue, at the very least. I honestly didn’t know sleeping together would create this much of a problem.”

“I told you it wasn’t a good idea.”

“Y-you told me?” she sputtered through the shock.

“Yes.” His lips twisted in a slight frown. “I knew it would cause problems. This awkward feeling we both have. That’s what I meant when I said team members shouldn’t date. Shouldn’t have any intimate contact. I knew better.”

She jutted a finger into his chest. “I don’t recall you protesting too much.”

“Actually, I did.” He stepped closer, his hooded gaze traveling her body. “But sometimes, even I give in to temptation when it’s dangled so readily.”

The dig set her teeth on edge. “It’s too bad you’re so easily influenced. I would have thought the all-knowing, all-powerful, Bracken Elliot would be able to control himself from doing something he didn’t want to do.”

“I never said I didn’t want to. If I hadn’t, it would have been a difficult task to accomplish, even for you.” He sighed. “But what I wanted doesn’t change the fact that it never should have happened.”

Her earlier thoughts, voiced with the simple conviction in his voice, created a deep ache in her chest. “No. I suppose not.”

“Come on, Abby.” He tipped her face up with his thumb. “You said it yourself. There was nothing more to it than that night. And look what it caused. Was it worth it to have to deal with this? What I said the other night is the truth. I don’t even know how to act when I’m around you.”

“Then don’t think about it.” She pulled back, needing some distance from his touch. “Just relax and be yourself.”

“Don’t think. Relax. That’s what you said before.” He jerked away. “I relaxed, let down my guard, and you know what happened? Not only do we have to deal with this awkwardness between us, but I missed a call. I left my pager, my phone, all ways for my son and my team to contact me sitting on my dashboard. Because of you.”

“Wait a minute. You stormed after me. You left them there. I had nothing to do with that.” Resentment for his callous blame pushed her on. “If you hadn’t been so intent on letting me know I’d gone against your ridiculous command, you would have had all your little devices in place.”

“I missed that call because I wasn’t focused.” His voice rose a notch, and she was glad they were alone. “You jumped in the water against my order, and it pissed me off. I was more concerned about one member of the team than I should have been.”

“Once again you’re laying blame on me, when it’s you who has the issue.” Fisting her hands at her sides, she struggled to keep her calm.

“But you made me angry.”

“But nothing happened. Nothing went wrong. So why in the world are you so bent out of shape?”

“I missed a call.” He roared the words into the courtyard.

Abby stepped back, realizing the bus had pulled away. She’d been so focused on Brack… God only knew what the bus driver thought of them. With a heavy sigh, she shook her head. “Is missing one call so bad? The world didn’t stop turning. No one died.”

“No.” He reacted to her calm, taking a deep breath. “But anything could have happened.”

“Something could have happened whether you were there or not.” She shook her head, deflated. “You can feel guilty all you want, but you can’t make me share in that. We do all we can to help others. No one can ask—or expect more.”