Page 23 of That One Heartbreak

James shook his head.

“Did somebody force you to drink alcohol?” Her voice was tight. She wasn’t expecting to deal with this. Not yet. Maybe in ayear or two, but not now. Not when he was only fifteen. He was too young, damn it.

“No. I’m sorry. I only had one beer.”

“You’re fifteen years old,” she said, her voice louder now. “It’s illegal. And idiotic. Do you understand what a bad decision that was?”

“Yes,” he mumbled. Kate let out a long breath.

“I trusted you,” she told him. “And you lost that trust.”

“I know.” His chin trembled.

He was a good kid most of the time, but she knew she couldn’t let this go. Not even if he missed his dad and his whole world kept twisting upside down.

Why wasn’t there a manual for this? Yes, she’d read books about helping children deal with grief. How to parent boys. Even how to talk to teenagers.

But right now she couldn’t remember any of it. She was relying on instinct alone. And she trusted those as much as she trusted James right now.

“You’re grounded,” she told him. “For a month except for school, church, and anything else I decide is okay.”

He nodded.

“And you won’t be sleeping over at anybody’s house for the foreseeable future. Especially not without me talking to their parents first.”

James pressed his lips together.

“And if Ieverfind out you’ve drunk alcohol again, there will be hell to pay. Do you understand me?”

“Yes.” His voice was small. And she was so grateful he wasn’t talking back. Especially in front of Marley.

“Okay.” She let out a breath. “Now go take a shower and go to bed. We’ll talk about this more in the morning.”

James stood up. “I’m so sorry.” He looked at her and then Marley. “I won’t do it again.”

She tried to hide her sigh. “Go get some sleep.”

He walked out of the room and pulled the door closed behind him. And for a moment the only sound in the kitchen was the thump of her heart and the drip of the faucet she needed to change the washer on.

Marley lifted his glass to his lips. She was so aware of his gaze on her face.

“Was I too soft on him?” she asked, because she had no idea what she was doing here.

The corner of his lip curled up. “I’ve no idea. I’m not a parent.” He gave her an apologetic look.

“But you’re a man who used to be a teenage boy,” she pointed out.

“It’s probably best not to talk about that.” Marley gave a soft chuckle, and it was enough for the tightness to lift from her chest. His hair was mussed from wearing his helmet and she felt the weirdest urge to tidy it with her fingers.

“You’ve got me curious now,” she told him, a smile playing at her lips. And God, it felt good to smile after what just happened. “Why is it best not to ask you?”

He let out a breath. “Because I was so much worse than James. There were two of us for a start. That makes for double trouble. The things Pres and I got up to were…” he trailed off. “Nah, you really don’t want to know.”

“But now I do,” she said, grateful for the diversion. “What did you get up to?”

“We took my dad’s car for a joyride when we were fifteen.”

Her eyes widened. “No…”

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