Read Online Precedent: Book Three: Covenant of Trust Series by Paula Wiseman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Paula Wiseman
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give her the benefit of the doubt.”
“ You heard the policeman. What was I supposed to think?”
“ Yes, the evidence was stacked up against her. Open and shut case.”
Chuck rolled his eyes and scowled at his wife. “Mocking me is not helpful.”
“ Did it ever cross your mind that there must be some other explanation?”
Chuck frowned. “No.”
“ Then she has a point.”
Chuck pulled one of the kitchen chairs around and sat down, trying to sort out how he ended up the villain in all this. “So you believe her?”
“ Yeah, I do. She hasn’t lied to us before, and she has a good head on her shoulders. I don’t think we should punish her.”
“ Not at all?”
“ All right, Mr. Negotiator, what’s the goal here?”
“ We don’t want her to ever do this or anything like it again.”
“ Exactly. You and I are not going to be beside her the rest of her life, making her decisions for her. We have to trust her and let go.”
“ Trust and let go?” Chuck asked, managing a smile. “That doesn’t sound like a mother talking.”
“ I didn’t say I’d done it yet,” Bobbi replied, “not with any of the four . . .” She quietly corrected herself. “Not with any of them.” Bobbi looked away for a moment. “Just stop trying to win, and listen to her.”
He frowned and looked back toward the staircase. “I don’t think she has anything to say to me right now.”
“ Then take Jack out somewhere, and let me try to mediate this one.”
* * *
Bobbi waited a couple of hours before knocking on her daughter’s bedroom door, hoping it was less obvious that she and Chuck were coordinating their efforts. “Shannon? Can I talk to you?”
“ Just you?”
“ Just me.” Moments later Shannon opened the door, glancing down the hall. “He’s not here. He took Jack and left a while ago.”
Shannon dropped on her bed with dramatic flair, causing it to squeak loudly. “Mom, I promise you, I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, holding back tears. “The party was Katelyn’s idea. I knew I shouldn’t be there. I had a hot pepper and grabbed the first drink I could get my hands on, but as soon as I realized it had alcohol in it, I was ready to go, but that’s when the cops showed up. It was a horrible misunderstanding. You believe that, don’t you?”
Bobbi joined her daughter on the bed, put an arm around her, and pulled her close. “Sweetheart, your dad believes that, too.”
“ Then why is he being such a jerk?” She sat upright, pulling away from her mother and wiping her eyes.
“ Simply put, your dad is a control freak.” Shannon smiled. “He just lost Brad, and he’s trying to find some reassurance that things are still familiar, predictable, that they still make sense. If that means he has to impose his own order on things to get there, then he will.” She patted Shannon’s knee. “When the police called last night, everything spun out of his control again.”
“ He can’t control me.”
“ No, but when things go nuts, he feels like he’s not protecting us, sheltering us. It really shakes him up.”
“ He can’t take this out on me, though. That’s not fair.”
“ No, it’s not. Be patient with him.” She took Shannon’s hand and placed her car keys in her palm.
“ Patience works both ways.”
* * *
Thursday, June 26
Shannon scrolled through a list of obscure science fiction titles on the store’s computer, searching for a book a customer had requested. She was the last one in the house to get back to work, back to a routine . . . except her mother. After three days, things were starting to feel normal again. At least as normal as they were ever gonna be.
The security system dinged, so she reflexively checked the door. Dylan Snider walked in. He parked his sunglasses on top of his head, and she caught the glint of a diamond in his ear bigger than her mother’s engagement ring. His T-shirt was at least one size too small, so it
“ You heard the policeman. What was I supposed to think?”
“ Yes, the evidence was stacked up against her. Open and shut case.”
Chuck rolled his eyes and scowled at his wife. “Mocking me is not helpful.”
“ Did it ever cross your mind that there must be some other explanation?”
Chuck frowned. “No.”
“ Then she has a point.”
Chuck pulled one of the kitchen chairs around and sat down, trying to sort out how he ended up the villain in all this. “So you believe her?”
“ Yeah, I do. She hasn’t lied to us before, and she has a good head on her shoulders. I don’t think we should punish her.”
“ Not at all?”
“ All right, Mr. Negotiator, what’s the goal here?”
“ We don’t want her to ever do this or anything like it again.”
“ Exactly. You and I are not going to be beside her the rest of her life, making her decisions for her. We have to trust her and let go.”
“ Trust and let go?” Chuck asked, managing a smile. “That doesn’t sound like a mother talking.”
“ I didn’t say I’d done it yet,” Bobbi replied, “not with any of the four . . .” She quietly corrected herself. “Not with any of them.” Bobbi looked away for a moment. “Just stop trying to win, and listen to her.”
He frowned and looked back toward the staircase. “I don’t think she has anything to say to me right now.”
“ Then take Jack out somewhere, and let me try to mediate this one.”
* * *
Bobbi waited a couple of hours before knocking on her daughter’s bedroom door, hoping it was less obvious that she and Chuck were coordinating their efforts. “Shannon? Can I talk to you?”
“ Just you?”
“ Just me.” Moments later Shannon opened the door, glancing down the hall. “He’s not here. He took Jack and left a while ago.”
Shannon dropped on her bed with dramatic flair, causing it to squeak loudly. “Mom, I promise you, I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, holding back tears. “The party was Katelyn’s idea. I knew I shouldn’t be there. I had a hot pepper and grabbed the first drink I could get my hands on, but as soon as I realized it had alcohol in it, I was ready to go, but that’s when the cops showed up. It was a horrible misunderstanding. You believe that, don’t you?”
Bobbi joined her daughter on the bed, put an arm around her, and pulled her close. “Sweetheart, your dad believes that, too.”
“ Then why is he being such a jerk?” She sat upright, pulling away from her mother and wiping her eyes.
“ Simply put, your dad is a control freak.” Shannon smiled. “He just lost Brad, and he’s trying to find some reassurance that things are still familiar, predictable, that they still make sense. If that means he has to impose his own order on things to get there, then he will.” She patted Shannon’s knee. “When the police called last night, everything spun out of his control again.”
“ He can’t control me.”
“ No, but when things go nuts, he feels like he’s not protecting us, sheltering us. It really shakes him up.”
“ He can’t take this out on me, though. That’s not fair.”
“ No, it’s not. Be patient with him.” She took Shannon’s hand and placed her car keys in her palm.
“ Patience works both ways.”
* * *
Thursday, June 26
Shannon scrolled through a list of obscure science fiction titles on the store’s computer, searching for a book a customer had requested. She was the last one in the house to get back to work, back to a routine . . . except her mother. After three days, things were starting to feel normal again. At least as normal as they were ever gonna be.
The security system dinged, so she reflexively checked the door. Dylan Snider walked in. He parked his sunglasses on top of his head, and she caught the glint of a diamond in his ear bigger than her mother’s engagement ring. His T-shirt was at least one size too small, so it
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