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Authors: Julie Michele Gettys
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had all the incentive she needed to keep her end of negotiations moving.
During dinner, she watched Michael enjoying his pancakes. How tragic his father couldn’t see this beautiful side of him. When Joel pulled away from Michael, he shut down, as if he blamed himself for their breakup. She couldn’t have done a thing to bring them together. Joel had made that quite clear.
After her divorce, she had taken Michael to several counselors, who weren’t very encouraging about his improvement under the circumstances. Yet each case was different they told her. She continued to work and prayed for a miracle.
After dinner, Michael watched TV, and she sat curled up on the couch thinking of Patrick and negotiations. Never had she been in a situation like this. She wondered what he honestly thought of her, or if he even thought of her.
He held her hand when they strolled along the edge of the lake. He checked her out in an admiring way a few times. She knew they shared the same warm sensation when they were together on the ground, locked in that stupid gunnysack. She giggled. So silly.
The tougher the negotiations, the more he tested her across the table, the easier she found it to keep her feelings in check.
She glanced down at Michael, asleep on the floor in front of the TV. Something trembled inside her. She felt scared, alone and helpless. Had she been reaching out for help from a man?
Michael stirred, drew his legs up to his chest, and rolled his right hand under his chin. His contentment sent a rush of love through her. She slipped down to the floor, lifted his head onto her lap, and stroked his forehead. His skin felt warm and clammy. “My baby,” she spoke in a suffocated whisper. “I love you more than life itself. I wish we could change places. I’ll help you, Michael. You wait and see. Somehow, some day, I’ll find a way.” She rocked him slowly, feeling their need for each other flow between them.
* * *
Teal turned on her headlights as she pulled her Corvette off the 280 North onto Page Mill Road. A brilliant red sun fell behind the skyline of San Jose and Palo Alto. She pulled over and removed her cell phone from her purse.
The directions to Joel's house lay crumpled on the passenger seat. While punching in his number, she had second thoughts about doing this. Joel and Dana had been married. She and Dana had made a pact back in school. They'd never hit on each other's current or ex-boyfriends, but she wasn't in school anymore, and Joel wasn't an ex-boyfriend. The pact didn’t cover husbands. She wanted to make sure Joel knew what Dana might use against him. He had a right to know. Just because he couldn’t handle a handicapped kid, didn’t make him an unscrupulous person. Teal related to him in that matter.
“Hi, is this Joel?” she said in a breathy tone when his familiar, husky voice answered.
Six
“Who is this?” Joel Claiborne muttered into the phone.
“Oh, my God. You don’t recognize my voice?”
“No. Let’s quit the guessing game.”
“It’s Teal.”
Oh my God, what next? “Hi, Teal. Where are you?” He hoped from somewhere near Ashton.
“About thirty minutes away. Want to see a blast from the past, with a new twist?”
“What are you talking about?”
“First off, I look entirely different. Then, if you're interested, I have some very important info for you regarding our mutual friend, Dana.”
What the hell was she up to? She had an agenda. Always did. No doubt about it. “You know how to get here?”
“Sort of.”
After giving her directions, he hung up and ran a thick hand across the stubble on his chin. What do you know? A voice from the past. A voice he’d just as soon not hear. He went to the bathroom to shave off a three-day growth of beard. He examined his scruffy face. Why in the world would he clean up for that little tart? Joel remembered, all too well, how difficult it’d been to pound a wedge between
During dinner, she watched Michael enjoying his pancakes. How tragic his father couldn’t see this beautiful side of him. When Joel pulled away from Michael, he shut down, as if he blamed himself for their breakup. She couldn’t have done a thing to bring them together. Joel had made that quite clear.
After her divorce, she had taken Michael to several counselors, who weren’t very encouraging about his improvement under the circumstances. Yet each case was different they told her. She continued to work and prayed for a miracle.
After dinner, Michael watched TV, and she sat curled up on the couch thinking of Patrick and negotiations. Never had she been in a situation like this. She wondered what he honestly thought of her, or if he even thought of her.
He held her hand when they strolled along the edge of the lake. He checked her out in an admiring way a few times. She knew they shared the same warm sensation when they were together on the ground, locked in that stupid gunnysack. She giggled. So silly.
The tougher the negotiations, the more he tested her across the table, the easier she found it to keep her feelings in check.
She glanced down at Michael, asleep on the floor in front of the TV. Something trembled inside her. She felt scared, alone and helpless. Had she been reaching out for help from a man?
Michael stirred, drew his legs up to his chest, and rolled his right hand under his chin. His contentment sent a rush of love through her. She slipped down to the floor, lifted his head onto her lap, and stroked his forehead. His skin felt warm and clammy. “My baby,” she spoke in a suffocated whisper. “I love you more than life itself. I wish we could change places. I’ll help you, Michael. You wait and see. Somehow, some day, I’ll find a way.” She rocked him slowly, feeling their need for each other flow between them.
* * *
Teal turned on her headlights as she pulled her Corvette off the 280 North onto Page Mill Road. A brilliant red sun fell behind the skyline of San Jose and Palo Alto. She pulled over and removed her cell phone from her purse.
The directions to Joel's house lay crumpled on the passenger seat. While punching in his number, she had second thoughts about doing this. Joel and Dana had been married. She and Dana had made a pact back in school. They'd never hit on each other's current or ex-boyfriends, but she wasn't in school anymore, and Joel wasn't an ex-boyfriend. The pact didn’t cover husbands. She wanted to make sure Joel knew what Dana might use against him. He had a right to know. Just because he couldn’t handle a handicapped kid, didn’t make him an unscrupulous person. Teal related to him in that matter.
“Hi, is this Joel?” she said in a breathy tone when his familiar, husky voice answered.
Six
“Who is this?” Joel Claiborne muttered into the phone.
“Oh, my God. You don’t recognize my voice?”
“No. Let’s quit the guessing game.”
“It’s Teal.”
Oh my God, what next? “Hi, Teal. Where are you?” He hoped from somewhere near Ashton.
“About thirty minutes away. Want to see a blast from the past, with a new twist?”
“What are you talking about?”
“First off, I look entirely different. Then, if you're interested, I have some very important info for you regarding our mutual friend, Dana.”
What the hell was she up to? She had an agenda. Always did. No doubt about it. “You know how to get here?”
“Sort of.”
After giving her directions, he hung up and ran a thick hand across the stubble on his chin. What do you know? A voice from the past. A voice he’d just as soon not hear. He went to the bathroom to shave off a three-day growth of beard. He examined his scruffy face. Why in the world would he clean up for that little tart? Joel remembered, all too well, how difficult it’d been to pound a wedge between
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