“I couldn’t agree with you more about that,” Bill said, looking thoughtful. “Okay, sign me up, if you think it’ll help to have another perspective.”
J.C. grinned. “It’ll help. Since we want to keep the rally fairly short, the more speakers we have, the less each of us will have to say.”
“When have you ever been short-winded when it’s a subject you’re passionate about?” Bill taunted. “You spent a full hour trying to convince me we needed to hire Debra’s friend as a nurse practitioner. Her credentials alone would have been enough to convince me.”
“I figured you already knew we needed the help,” J.C. countered. “I just wanted to be sure you had all the data you needed to support making the decision and spending the money.” He gave Bill a long look. “You know, there could be another benefit to having you get up on that stage on Saturday.”
“What’s that?”
“It might make you a real hero in your daughter’s eyes. Katie was the one who made sure Misty got the help she needed. Not that anyone’s mentioned that to me directly, but all roads point in that direction.”
Bill stiffened ever-so-slightly. “Katie and I have done okay since the divorce.”
J.C. regarded him doubtfully. “Seriously? How many times has she put you off when you had plans? I know you’ve mentioned it to me on several occasions.”
Bill shrugged, though his expression said he was anything but indifferent. “She’s a teenager. None of them want to spend time with a parent.”
“Maybe that’s all it is,” J.C. conceded. “But just in case, this couldn’t hurt your cause. She may have been, what, just six when you left Maddie? But now she’s old enough to understand everything that happened back then, and she may be a whole lot more sympathetic to her mother.”
Bill winced. “I know you’re right. She’s even made a few comments, and, just as you guessed, she has been pulling away. It tears me up that I ruined my relationship with my kids for an affair that wound up going nowhere. Now I have a son in Tennessee I hardly see and three kids here who spend as little time with me as they can manage. I never thought my life would turn out like this. Let that be a lesson to you, J.C. When you have someone incredible in your life, do not do something stupid and thoughtless to ruin it.”
J.C. nodded, thinking of Laura. “Advice I’m doing my best to heed.” He regarded Bill curiously. “Do you think Delilah Jefferson and Jane Trainor really will take their kids over to Columbia to see other doctors?”
Bill shrugged. “So what if they do? Their loss, not ours.”
J.C. admired the cavalier attitude but still felt the need to reassure his partner. “I’ll do my best not to chase off any more patients, okay?”
“While I’d appreciate that from a business perspective, when it comes to saying what needs to be said, I don’t ever want you to hold back,” Bill said clearly. “Understood?”
“Understood,” J.C. said. “And appreciated more than I can say.”
18
Laura made it a point to go outside after school and linger where she could be seen by the students as they walked to the parking lot or headed home on foot. She noted that Betty Donovan and several other teachers were visibly scattered outside the school, as well. The usual clusters of chattering students seemed to break up quickly and move on.
Satisfied that they’d done what they could to ensure there would be no torment of Misty, at least on school grounds, Laura was about to return to her classroom when she saw Diana Dawson heading her way.
“Do you have some time?” Diana asked.
“Of course, come on inside. Were you here to pick up Misty?”
Diana gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “Are you kidding? She’d rather die than have me wait outside for her.”
“They do develop a healthy independent streak at this age, don’t they?” Laura said with a laugh.
“You say independent streak. I say aversion to all things parental,” Diana replied. “You should have seen her expression when I offered to drive her over here this morning.”
“I can imagine,” Laura said.
As soon as they were settled in her classroom, Laura asked, “Was there a particular reason you wanted to see me, beyond being worried about Misty, of course?”
“I came to thank you for being so quick to spot what was going on with my daughter. I’m very sorry to say that I was so lost in my own misery, I didn’t realize how much trouble she was having. I can’t forgive myself for that.”
“You shouldn’t blame yourself,” Laura consoled her. “I know parents are supposed to see and hear everything, and I truly do believe they have a responsibility to pay attention to what’s going on with their kids. That said, I also know just how good kids are at keeping things from their parents. I know Misty was doing her best to deal with this on her own, because she didn’t want to upset you. She found what she thought was the best way to handle it.”
“Skipping classes,” Diana said with a shake of her head. “What was she thinking?”
“It was a terrible solution,” Laura agreed. “But it’s exactly what caught my attention. Students as smart as Misty generally have no reason to skip a class unless there’s some other problem. I’m just sorry it took me so long to pinpoint what that problem was.”
“If I wasn’t to blame, then neither were you,” Diana said fervently. “I think what really woke me up to what lousy parenting I was doing was realizing that Misty was trying to avoid upsetting me.” She regarded Laura with dismay. “My daughter’s job isn’t to protect me. It’s mine to see that she’s safe and happy.”
She gave Laura a plaintive look. “Is she now, do you think? Safe and happy, I mean?”
“Not entirely,” Laura said candidly. “It was tough for her today. She stayed behind when my class ended. She told me the kids were whispering behind her back. I tried to convince her that will pass, but she’s not quite ready to believe it when all the evidence is to the contrary.”
“I tried to tell her the same thing this morning,” Diana said wearily. “She
