Catching Fireflies (21 page)

She chuckled. “I got it exactly right. Oversize leather furniture and a giant flat-screen TV. You are so predictable, except for the Paula Vreeland pictures. Those are a total surprise. I’m so envious. I only have one print of hers.”

“You like her work, too?”

“Love it. The detail is exquisite.”

“Have you met her?”

“Just once,” she said. “You?”

“Hey, I’m in practice with her ex-son-in-law, who is not beloved by her. I try to steer clear of her. It’s a shame, too, because I’d love to tell her how much I admire her work.”

“Then you should. I’m sure she’d love to hear that, despite your unfortunate connection to a man she despises.”

J.C. handed her a glass of wine, then took a seat across from her. It wasn’t lost on him that, though she wasn’t the first woman to cross his threshold in this house, she was the only one who actually looked as if she belonged here. The disconcerting thought rattled his usual composure. One more chink in his defensive armor shot to blazes.

Time to get focused, he decided, hoping to reclaim some semblance of his usual careful distance between him and the sort of messy emotions that always led to disaster for Fullerton men.

“Okay, what have you learned about Misty?” he asked, knowing the change of topic would spoil any intimate mood at once.

Laura described the information she’d been given, then handed over the online posts someone had passed along to her. J.C. read them, his disgust growing. He thought he knew Misty well enough to know that absolutely none of the nasty accusations were true.

“And there’s no question that Annabelle’s behind this?” he asked.

“From all reports her online identity is well-known to the other kids at school. They were actually passing those pictures around at school today. Why none of the teachers caught a glimpse is beyond me. I saw a few clusters of giggling kids in the halls. I’m still kicking myself for not checking to see what they found so hilarious.”

“Any idea why she targeted Misty?”

“It’s over a boy, of course. At that age, isn’t it always?”

“I guess I’d forgotten what it’s like to deal with all those raging hormones, though I certainly see evidence of it in my practice. I’m more likely to see an unplanned pregnancy than something like this, though.” He held Laura’s gaze. “What’s next?”

“I spoke to Helen earlier. She’s going to do everything she can to get the posts and pictures taken down. I have no idea how long that might take. I’ll go to Betty either later tonight or tomorrow and arrange some sort of meeting on Monday morning.” She shrugged. “I guess we’ll see where it goes from there.”

“I hate to sound harsh, but I have absolutely zero sympathy for Annabelle Litchfield. Whatever they do to her can’t possibly be enough.”

“That’s not the first time this has sounded personal to you,” she said, startling him with her perceptiveness.

J.C. tried to fend off more questions. “Okay, yes. I’ve seen the tragic outcome when something like this spirals out of control. There need to be serious consequences for bullies. I don’t care how young they are or how innocent their parents claim the behavior to be. It’s wrong.”

Laura nodded. “No question about it.”

He gave her a thoughtful look. “You sound equally fierce about this. Have you had your own experience with a bully?”

She avoided his gaze but eventually nodded. “Years ago,” she admitted.

“I can’t imagine anyone picking on you.”

She smiled at that. “I was a lot like Misty in some ways, a brainy kid and very shy. The only difference between us is that she’s a lot smarter than I was when it comes to getting involved with a jerk.”

“Meaning?”

“She knew enough to give Greg Bennett a wide berth. When the hotshot bad boy in school started paying attention to me, I fell for it. I thought I was in love. I thought he was, too.” She hesitated, then finally met his gaze. “And then I got pregnant, and he couldn’t leave me in the dust fast enough.”

J.C.’s anger stirred on behalf of the shy girl who must have been scared out of her wits by an unplanned pregnancy. “What happened?”

“My parents considered sending me to live with relatives out of town, but then they decided that keeping me in school would be a better punishment. They also insisted I give the baby up for adoption.” Her eyes shimmered with tears. “So, that’s what I did.”

“But the other kids made your life hell,” he guessed.

She nodded. “If I hadn’t had a teacher who stuck by me, I don’t know if I could have gotten through it, but she was determined I’d graduate and go on to college, so I couldn’t let her down. I figured if she was willing to stand up for me, then I had to stand up for myself.”

“And the baby?”

As she shook her head, the tears spilled over, rolled down her cheeks. “I don’t know where she is. It was a closed adoption. I pray every day that she’s with a loving family, one who’ll stand by her if she ever makes the kind of mistakes I did.”

“And in the meantime, you’re standing by Misty,” he said.

“How can I not?” she said simply.

J.C. felt her long-ago pain and sorrow, saw the strength it had created in her and fell just a little bit in love.

“I want to be there Monday,” he said decisively. “You’ll let me know the time?”

She blinked away her tears, then nodded. “Of course. As soon as it’s scheduled. I’m sure you’ll be busy with patients. Will that be a problem?”

“Bill will just have to pick up the slack,” he said. “This is too important for me not to be there. I want to make sure everyone understands just how serious a matter this is.”

“Surely you don’t think anyone will try to sweep it under the carpet, do you?” she asked, looking shocked. “Surely Serenity’s not the sort of town to rally around a bully, no matter who it is.”

“I hope not, but given who we’re dealing with, I think it’s best to be prepared for any eventuality.”

No matter what, he would not sit by while another child was tormented and the perpetrator was allowed to go free. Once, with its tragic and very personal consequences, had been more than enough. Just like Laura, for his own reasons, he couldn’t let it pass.

13

A
fter Laura Reed left, Diana turned to her precious daughter. “I doubt you’ll ever understand how terrible I feel about not being here for you while you were going through this. I’m so ashamed that I didn’t see how much pain you were in.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Misty said staunchly. “You’ve had your own stuff going on.”

“That’s no excuse,” Diana told her. “I’m an adult and I’m your mother. I should have seen that something wasn’t right. It’s my job to protect you and Jake, and I blew it.”

“You didn’t blow it,” Misty said, tears in her eyes. “You’re the best mom ever.”

Diana smiled at Misty’s determined defense. “Maybe once upon a time,” Diana said candidly. “But not lately. I’m going to fix this, sweetheart. I promise you. Not just the situation with Annabelle, but all of it. I’m going to pull myself together.”

She forced a smile. “Let this be a lesson to you, Misty. Don’t ever let yourself be so emotionally dependent on a man that you can’t figure out who you are without him. I wanted so badly for your father to stay that I lost sight of everything else, including who I am as a person. Believe it or not, once upon a time, I had my own goals, completely separate from us as a family. I need to get back to trying to achieve those. First, though, I’m going to get our family back on track.”

“Mom, I think it’s too late to fix things with Dad,” Misty said, her expression hesitant as if she feared saying that hard truth aloud might be too much for Diana.

“I think you’re right,” Diana concurred. “I just didn’t want to accept it. It’s up to your dad and me to figure that out, though. And we need to do it now, so we don’t go on hurting you and Jake. I guess I kept hoping I could wait him out, that he’d come to his senses and come home.” She gave her daughter a rueful look. “Blinders, huh?”

“Pretty much,” Misty confirmed.

Diana reached across the table for Misty’s hand. “Do you want to talk about this situation with Annabelle some more before I call your dad?”

Misty shook her head. “And I don’t want to be here when you tell him.”

“You can stay in your room, if you like. Why don’t you take some cookies and milk upstairs for you and your brother?”

Misty’s eyes widened with surprise. “You baked cookies today?”

The shock on her daughter’s face was too telling. Things evidently hadn’t been the way they should have been around here for far too long. “I did. I was a little distracted, so they might be a bit brown around the edges, but I think they’re edible.”

Misty bounced out of her chair and threw her arms around her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“They’re just cookies,” Diana said, even as she realized that to Misty they were far more. They were a hint that things might be returning to normal, or at least to whatever the new normal might be. It shook her to realize how little her children had come to expect from her.

When Misty had filled a plate with the chocolate chip cookies that had always been her favorite, she poured two glasses of milk, then gave Diana another hug before heading upstairs, shouting for Jake en route.

“There are cookies,” she sang out. “Mom baked!”

Diana closed her eyes against yet another potential flood of tears, then determinedly reached for the portable phone and took it outside.

“Les, it’s me,” she said when her husband picked up. “You need to come over.”

“Is this some new trumped-up crisis?” he asked, his tone resigned. “Give it up, Diana. I’m not moving back home.”

She drew in a deep breath at his harsh, justifiably suspicious words, then said, “I’ve finally accepted that, but you do need to come over. There’s a problem with Misty and it’s serious.”

“What’s happened to Misty?” he asked, real panic immediately evident in his voice. “Was she in an accident? Is she okay?”

“Physically she’s fine, but you’re not going to believe what she’s been going through on her own, because you and I have been too preoccupied to pay close enough attention to her.”

He sucked in a breath, then blurted, “Dear God, she’s not pregnant, is she?”

“No, but instead of throwing out possibilities, could you please come over here so I can fill you in on the facts?”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he said at once.

Diana turned off the phone with a sigh. Whatever had gone on between the two of them, however badly their marriage had deteriorated, she couldn’t deny that Les loved his kids. He might not always know the best way to demonstrate that love, but she knew she could count on him to be there for them. She was the one who had to get used to the idea of living without him.

As of today, though, there was no longer any question that she had to find a way to do just that.

* * *

Cookies or no cookies, tonight was turning out to be the worst night of Misty’s entire life. Her dad came over after the call from her mom. Even in her room, she could hear them in the living room, fighting like always. When she couldn’t stand it, she went to the top of the steps and sat listening. Okay, she knew eavesdropping was bad, but they were fighting about
her.
She figured she was entitled to hear what they were saying.

“How could you let a thing like this happen?” her father shouted. “You say it’s been going on since school started. Aren’t you supposed to know when your own child is being tormented by another kid? If you’re too self-absorbed to pay any attention to what’s going on with Misty and Jake, maybe I should fight for custody.”

That was the very last straw for Misty. She bolted down the steps and into the living room.

“No!” she shouted at her startled father. “Don’t you dare blame Mom. She didn’t know because I didn’t want her to know. She was already falling apart because of you. I didn’t think she could take any more.”

Her dad seemed to wilt under the attack. “Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry,” he said, reaching for her.

Misty pulled away. “Too late. And what are you sorry for anyway? What happened to me? Leaving us? What? Being sorry doesn’t help.”

“I think we all need to calm down,” Diana said, her tone amazingly strong.

She sounded more like her old self than she had in months, Misty thought, regarding her with shock.

“Let’s sit down and talk this through,” her mom said in that same quietly determined tone.

Amazingly, her father sat right down on the sofa next to Misty. Her mother settled on her other side.

“Misty, we are both terribly sorry that we’ve been so caught up in our own drama that we completely missed that you were in trouble,” Diana said gently.

“Don’t apologize for Dad,” Misty said with a sniff.

Her father put his arm around her, and this time she didn’t pull away. She let herself lean into him, seeking strength just as she had when she’d run home hurt.

“I
am
sorry, kiddo,” he said. “But we know about everything now, and we are on your side a hundred percent. Whatever it takes, we’re going to settle this once and for all.”

“I just want it all to go away,” Misty told him. She tried once again to get some backing for what she thought the best solution to be. “Maybe we could pretend it never happened.”

Her dad only hugged her a little closer. “Believe me, I can understand why you’d want that, but you know it would be wrong to let Annabelle get away with this, right? It’s not just about you. She could do this to someone else. Bullies don’t always pick just one target. It’s essential that they learn a lesson and learn it fast.”

“But I’m the only one she thinks is after her boyfriend,” Misty persisted.

Her mom gave her a questioning look. “And are you?”

“No way,” Misty said indignantly.

“Then what makes you think there’s not another girl who might accidentally look at Greg the wrong way and get Annabelle all freaked out?” her mom asked. “Or that he’s not making a pass at half a dozen other girls right now that she might not know about yet? You’re her target today, but it could easily be someone else tomorrow. She has to be stopped. Honey, you do see that, don’t you?”