Page 95 of Waiting for Friday Night

“Mom?” Shania asked. “Why is Coach Q’s truck in the yard?”

Halle’s eyes widened. Her stomach dropped to her feet. “Shit.”

“Damn,” he said at the same time.

She pushed him away, but it was too little too late. “What are we going to do?”

Quinton took a slow breath. “Go out there and tell her,” he said in a steady voice.

“It’s Monday,” she hissed.

He cocked his head to the side. “Would Tuesday be better?”

She cut her eyes at him. “Of course this would happen on a Monday.” She hurried to go out the door. She crossed the threshold just as Shania came into the hall.

“Mom?” Shania said, a frown on her face. Her eyes darted behind Halle and her frown deepened. “Coach?”

“What are you doing here?” Halle asked in a too bright voice. “I thought you were going straight to school?”

Shania looked back at Halle. “I live here. Mom, what’s going on? Are you two...” The words trailed off as the frown on Shania’s face went to horror. “Eww...please tell me you’re not.”

“Shania, girl, come on. I need to get you to school,” Kayla’s voice came before she appeared in the hall. When she spotted everyone, her eyes widened. “Halle, Coach Q... Damn, girl! I didn’t know.”

Halle glared at her cousin. Who’d probably come into the house just to find out why Quinton’s car was in the yard, too.

She pointed to Kayla. “Not right now.” She looked at her daughter. “Shania, let’s talk.”

Shania’s face hardened and she shook her head. “You know what? Let’s not. I don’t need my headphones today.” She turned to Kayla. “Let’s go.” She pushed passed Kayla and went toward the door.

Kayla shot Halle an apologetic look. “Next time give me a heads-up and I won’t bring her by the house.” She turned to follow Shania.

Halle moved to go down the hall, but Quinton stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Give her a minute.”

“What? I need to talk to her.”

Quinton held fast when she tried to jerk away. “Do you really think she wants to talk about this rationally right now?” he asked gently.

Halle would make her talk. Make her understand. This couldn’t be ignored. “I don’t care. I can’t let her go to school like this.” She jerked on her arm and he let her go.

Quinton’s long stride followed her down the hall. “Halle, she’s with your cousin. She’ll be in school at a safe place. I’ll talk to her today.”

Halle spun on him. “It’s not your job to talk to her.”

He didn’t flinch or look away. “She’s my daughter, too.”

Halle sucked in a breath. The words a reminder that she couldn’t fix this on her own even if she wanted to. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what? Remind you that she’s just as mad at me as she is with you? That she’s going to want to know that I’m not just playing around with her mom and that I won’t hurt you?”

Halle frowned. “Do you think she’ll believe that?”

“You said yourself you never brought guys around. Gregory was the closest and even then, she wasn’t okay with you two. Let me talk to her.”

She held up a hand. “I should handle this.”

Quinton placed his palm against hers, then wrapped his fingers around hers. He stepped closer, his eyes just as worried, but also calm and steady. “Let’s handle this together. You aren’t alone in this parenting thing anymore.”

Halle stared back. Frustration warred with relief. She wasn’t in this alone. She should be happy about that. And she was, but still felt like the last bit of control she had on her life had slipped away.

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