away for the weekend. No, I
told your mother I sent the check on Wednesday. What?!” He rose
suddenly to his feet, his fingers tightening on the phone. “No,
don’t do this to me, Terry. Damn it, I promised her this weekend.
Don’t punish me through Tiffany. Shit...”
He slammed the phone down on the
cradle and ran his hands through his loose hair. Elena thought she
ought to leave, but he was so upset she couldn’t do it. Sliding the
papers off her lap into the other chair, she leaned
forward.
He grabbed the phone again and punched
the buttons severely. “Hello...Terry ...damn it, don’t hang up on
me again. Don’t threaten me with Tiffany. You promised her that she
could spend the weekend with me, don’t let her down again.” Elena
thought she could hear crying in the background. Joshua drew a deep
breath and closed his eyes. “Please, Terry, don’t do this. Look,
I’ll bring some cash with me. That’ll hold you over until the check
arrives tomorrow, all right?” He opened his eyes and fixed them on
Elena’s anxious face. Slowly he nodded and swallowed convulsively.
“All right, five hundred, I promise. Let me talk to Tiffany now,
please.” Again he waited while the phone changed hands. “Hey, baby,
it’s okay. Don’t cry. Daddy’s coming to get you so get packed and
we’ll go to that pizza parlor Annie told you about. Yes,
sweetheart, I promise.”
Slowly he replaced the phone in its
cradle and took a seat, running his fingers through his hair.
“Sorry,” he said stiffly, “Didn’t mean for you to hear
that.”
Elena didn’t know what to say for a
moment. Finally she forced a smile. “I’m sorry I intruded like
this...”
“ No,” he said, looking up
and shaking his head. “My ex-wife’s a...well, she uses my daughter
to keep me in line. I’m supposed to have Tiffany every weekend, but
I’m lucky if I get two in a month. Every time Terry wants something
from me, she uses Tiffany as a weapon.”
“ Why don’t you take her to
court?”
Joshua leaned back in his chair and
regarded Elena closely. “Take her to court and risk the custody I
already have? I’m a heroin addict with a history of
promiscuity.”
“ You’ve been clean for nine
years,” she said adamantly.
Joshua laughed low in his throat. “You
do your homework.”
“ David told me.”
He nodded in understanding.
“I’ve been clean for nine years, yes, but it’s not enough. If I
took Terry to court, she’d drag out my drug addiction and parade
every woman I’ve slept with in the last five years before the
judge. Not to mention my two suicide attempts.” He swiveled his
chair to face the window.
Elena stared at his
profile. Suicide? She’d read in the tabloids he’d tried to take his life, but
she never knew whether to believe those slanderous rags or not. As
she stared at him, it suddenly occurred to her that he was a deeply
troubled man with a deeply troubled past. Not someone you bring
home to your mother. Still it amazed her. The Joshua Ravensong
she’d come to know, albeit briefly, seemed self-assured and strong
- not subject to weaknesses like drug addiction and
suicide.
He turned back toward her, his eyes
glinting in the light from his desk lamp. “You wanted to see me
about something.”
She collected herself quickly. “I
wanted to thank you for coming to my rescue. Julian can get me so
flustered that I can’t think straight.”
“ I know,” he said with a
half-smile. “Don’t worry about it. I love rubbing his nose in it
whenever I can...” He paused and his look became more intense.
“Elena, I was really out of line this morning. I owe you an
apology...”
“ No,” she began, shaking
her head, but he stopped her with an upraised hand.
“ Let me finish,
okay?”
She nodded.
“ I had no business prying
into your personal life, let alone...” His voice halted
significantly. “Anyway, I hope we can put it aside and get to know
each other, maybe be friends.” He laughed to
told your mother I sent the check on Wednesday. What?!” He rose
suddenly to his feet, his fingers tightening on the phone. “No,
don’t do this to me, Terry. Damn it, I promised her this weekend.
Don’t punish me through Tiffany. Shit...”
He slammed the phone down on the
cradle and ran his hands through his loose hair. Elena thought she
ought to leave, but he was so upset she couldn’t do it. Sliding the
papers off her lap into the other chair, she leaned
forward.
He grabbed the phone again and punched
the buttons severely. “Hello...Terry ...damn it, don’t hang up on
me again. Don’t threaten me with Tiffany. You promised her that she
could spend the weekend with me, don’t let her down again.” Elena
thought she could hear crying in the background. Joshua drew a deep
breath and closed his eyes. “Please, Terry, don’t do this. Look,
I’ll bring some cash with me. That’ll hold you over until the check
arrives tomorrow, all right?” He opened his eyes and fixed them on
Elena’s anxious face. Slowly he nodded and swallowed convulsively.
“All right, five hundred, I promise. Let me talk to Tiffany now,
please.” Again he waited while the phone changed hands. “Hey, baby,
it’s okay. Don’t cry. Daddy’s coming to get you so get packed and
we’ll go to that pizza parlor Annie told you about. Yes,
sweetheart, I promise.”
Slowly he replaced the phone in its
cradle and took a seat, running his fingers through his hair.
“Sorry,” he said stiffly, “Didn’t mean for you to hear
that.”
Elena didn’t know what to say for a
moment. Finally she forced a smile. “I’m sorry I intruded like
this...”
“ No,” he said, looking up
and shaking his head. “My ex-wife’s a...well, she uses my daughter
to keep me in line. I’m supposed to have Tiffany every weekend, but
I’m lucky if I get two in a month. Every time Terry wants something
from me, she uses Tiffany as a weapon.”
“ Why don’t you take her to
court?”
Joshua leaned back in his chair and
regarded Elena closely. “Take her to court and risk the custody I
already have? I’m a heroin addict with a history of
promiscuity.”
“ You’ve been clean for nine
years,” she said adamantly.
Joshua laughed low in his throat. “You
do your homework.”
“ David told me.”
He nodded in understanding.
“I’ve been clean for nine years, yes, but it’s not enough. If I
took Terry to court, she’d drag out my drug addiction and parade
every woman I’ve slept with in the last five years before the
judge. Not to mention my two suicide attempts.” He swiveled his
chair to face the window.
Elena stared at his
profile. Suicide? She’d read in the tabloids he’d tried to take his life, but
she never knew whether to believe those slanderous rags or not. As
she stared at him, it suddenly occurred to her that he was a deeply
troubled man with a deeply troubled past. Not someone you bring
home to your mother. Still it amazed her. The Joshua Ravensong
she’d come to know, albeit briefly, seemed self-assured and strong
- not subject to weaknesses like drug addiction and
suicide.
He turned back toward her, his eyes
glinting in the light from his desk lamp. “You wanted to see me
about something.”
She collected herself quickly. “I
wanted to thank you for coming to my rescue. Julian can get me so
flustered that I can’t think straight.”
“ I know,” he said with a
half-smile. “Don’t worry about it. I love rubbing his nose in it
whenever I can...” He paused and his look became more intense.
“Elena, I was really out of line this morning. I owe you an
apology...”
“ No,” she began, shaking
her head, but he stopped her with an upraised hand.
“ Let me finish,
okay?”
She nodded.
“ I had no business prying
into your personal life, let alone...” His voice halted
significantly. “Anyway, I hope we can put it aside and get to know
each other, maybe be friends.” He laughed to
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