Page 26 of Fight For Us
“I’m sorry for assuming,” Mrs. Nolan said. She flipped through a stack of folders on the desk, pulling out two red ones. “Shall we begin?”
“What are we going to do?” Olivia asked, pouring syrup onto her stack of pancakes.
We stopped at a diner after the meeting, equal parts hungry and distressed. Both of us needing to go over what we’d learned from their teacher.
“You’re the seasoned parent here,” I said as I squirted ketchup onto my burger. “What do you do when your kid is failing fifth grade?”
“I don’t know.” She stared intently at a neon beer sign on the wall. “Alex never had trouble in school. He’s always gotten good grades. Been a math wiz. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have moved him when he was doing so well.”
“It’s not your fault. Obviously breaking his leg set him back. Maybe he just needs to catch up. Lilly on the other hand, I have no idea what kind of student she was. She barely talks to me anymore and my mom is the one who does homework with her.” I dipped a fry in ketchup and held it in front of me. “If this is anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”
She unzipped her hoodie and shoved it next to her. My eyes bugged out all over again. “It’s hot in here.”Yes, it was.“We’re missing the point. Blaming ourselves isn’t going to help anything. Obviously we need to talk with our kids. Find out what’s going on in their heads.”
I chewed my fry slowly. “You’re right. I’ve been spending too much time at Sunshine. So have you.” I pointed a fry at her for emphasis. “They come first.”
“Right,” she said, snagging the fry out of my grasp. My gaze followed it right to her lips and lingered there. “Earth to Wes. Did you hear me?”
“What? I spaced out for a second.”
“I noticed. Let’s talk to them tonight and report back tomorrow at work.”
“Report back? I didn’t realize I was under your command,” I teased.
“You are and you’ve just been given an important and deadly mission. Getting your tween daughter to open up to you.” She patted my forearm and smiled sweetly. “Good luck soldier.”
I’d need it.
I paid the check and Olivia dropped me off at home. The mood between us grew somber as we both knew the heavy conversations that we had coming. After helping Alex to the car, I waved them off, feeling that same pull I always felt when Olivia left my side.
I faced the beach, taking a few gulps of sea air to clear my head. I could do this. Whatever Lilly needed, I’d take care of. Atutor, a therapist, both. Hell, she wanted a damn cat, I’d take her to the shelter tomorrow.
As I turned to head inside my phone buzzed. “Dammit.”
I yanked it open and said a gruff hello.
“You finally decided to answer me,” Regina’s nasally voice rang through the phone. “I thought your mother raised you to respect your elders?”
“She did, but ex in-laws who think they’re God’s gift to earth don’t count.” She scoffed in response. “What do you want, Regina?”
“I just had a lovely conversation with a Mrs. Nolan about my granddaughter. Seems she’s not doing so well in school under your care. Not that I expected otherwise.”
My nostrils flared and I forced my breathing to slow. “Lilly is my daughter. Your daughter abandoned her here. Of course she’s having an adjustment period, but that’s none of your concern.”
“Face it, Wesley. You couldn’t take care of yourself and you can’t take care of Lillian. She’s better off here with Gerald and me. We can provide for her, and she’ll want for nothing. I’ll put her in the best private schools money can buy.”
“Because you did such a bang up job raising Savannah,” I said. “Throwing money around doesn’t equal good parenting.”
“Neither does working sixty hours a week and letting your ridiculous parents mind her either. Clearly, you’ve tried your best and you’re lacking. You’re not fit to be aparent. You have until the new year to do the right thing or I get my lawyers involved. Goodbye, Wesley.”
Her words took root in my mind, spiraling around with my own negative thoughts. Maybe she was right. I’d been telling myself that I couldn’t do this. That I wasn’t fit to be a single parent. Look at the damage I did with Lilly already in a few months. The new year was only a couple weeks away. Could I change that much in such a short period of time? Did I want to?
Chapter 11
Olivia
Every time I watchedAlex struggle to get in and out of the car my heart broke. I knew soon enough he’d be done with physical therapy and back to his old rambunctious self again. But seeing my kid in pain, even temporarily, was the worst kind of hell a parent could go through.
A chilly ocean breeze bit at my skin. The closer we got to the holidays the more I felt the slight change in season. My body wanted to hibernate, even though it was still sunny and warm during the day.
