Roz Denny Fox - A Texas-Made Family

Rebecca glanced at her reflection in the café window to see if she appeared as harried as she felt. Satisfied that she looked okay, she reminded herself that she couldn’t stay long. Her first client was booked for eleven-thirty.

Smiling again, Grant opened the restaurant door wider, allowing Rebecca to pass. It was a nice touch and she gave him points for being a gentleman.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“I usually sit in a booth by the window, but why don’t we get a table at the back where we can talk more freely?” He gestured for her to go first. Rebecca felt conspicuous in her work clothes and comfy shoes, but she refused to slouch.

The waitress arrived seconds after they sat down. “I thought you’d skipped breakfast today,” she said to Grant. “Do you want the usual? And what about the lady?”

“Just coffee for me. Black, one sugar,” Rebecca said.

“Make it the same for me.” Grant turned over both cups that already sat on the table.

Pasting on a smile, Rebecca gripped the handle of her cup. “I’ll pay for my coffee,” she said.

He frowned. “Not necessary. I invited you.” He followed that with another smile of his own that sent heat all the way to Rebecca’s toes. For a moment, her carefully prepared speech lodged in her throat.

“I’ll get right to the point, if I may,” she said, refocusing her attention. “Your son seems to be a good kid, but he’s all wrong for my daughter. Perhaps I wasn’t clear, but she’s a junior and this year is very important. If she has any shot at scholarships, her grades must remain exemplary. I’ve had no luck convincing her to stop seeing Ryan. I thought that, as another single parent, you might understand and help by persuading Ryan to move on. Lisa has to focus on school. That’s all there is to it.”

“At their age, shouldn’t they have a say in how they spend their free time and who they spend it with? I mean, she sounds like a wonderful girl. One a father would be happy to have his son date.”

“You don’t get it at all.” Rebecca twirled her cup around and around. “She’s spent money she can’t afford on a pass for Ryan’s ball games. Money that should be going into her college fund.”

“Why isn’t she doing what you ask?”

Rebecca’s eyes flashed. “I suppose because she’s flattered by his attention. She’s not used to it. The new boy. An athlete. All of that gives her social standing, according to my son.”

“How old is he? Doesn’t he have any influence with his sister?”

“Apparently not.” Rebecca held her cup so tightly her knuckles turned white. “I honestly thought I’d taught Lisa the importance of a good education.” Sipping her coffee, Rebecca shook her head sadly.

“Choosing to watch a high school ball game isn’t the end of the world. So she gets a little off-track. Don’t all kids do that at least once? Or have you planned for every contingency and lived a perfect, orderly life?”

“Hardly. Which is why I want more for my children. But this isn’t about me. It’s about making sure our teens stay on the right path.”

Grant shrugged.

“Is that your answer? Maybe this doesn’t matter to you, but it matters to me.” Rebecca slid out of the booth, dug in her purse and slapped two one-dollar bills down on the table. “Thanks for nothing.” She stormed out of the café, got in her car and pulled into traffic, all the while muttering under her breath about what a jerk Grant Lane was.

GRANT WATCHED Rebecca leave in a huff. He sat glaring after her. She had some nerve trying to manipulate him into a confrontation with Ryan when her own daughter wouldn’t listen to a word she’d said. Although maybe she’d inadvertently handed him a way to bond with his son. If Ryan liked the girl, and she liked him, why shouldn’t they date? It was what normal teens did.

He paid for his coffee, and followed in Rebecca’s wake. She’d already gone through the light at the corner by the time he climbed into his car.

The flash of her ocean-colored eyes haunted Grant as he eased the Boxter into traffic. The hell of it was she’d managed to garner his sympathy, too. He thought about Brandy. If he were in Rebecca’s position and it was his daughter getting into a romance with her son, Grant had to admit he might feel differently. He knew well enough that sometimes a young man was ruled by baser instincts. Rebecca probably knew, too.

But didn’t she trust her daughter?

Adjusting his sunglasses, Grant stopped to wonder why Mrs. Geroux didn’t just ground her daughter, the almost-genius, if she was really that concerned.

It irritated Grant all over again as he replayed their conversation and realized Rebecca had made it seem as if Ryan was totally to blame for leading the brilliant Lisa astray. What if Rebecca had a skewed vision of her daughter?

By all reports his son was a good student, although if truth be told, Grant couldn’t claim much credit for it. Still, Lisa wasn’t the only one who’d be going to college.

This full-time-dad role also meant Grant ought to concern himself with what kind of friends Ryan hung out with. Who knew better than he how easily a young man could screw up his life?

Did Lisa Geroux look like her mother? Rebecca was attractive. Especially when she was passionately standing up for her daughter. Grant hadn’t exactly processed all of Rebecca’s complaints, because he’d been distracted by her pretty eyes and lush lips. She made quite the picture with her shoulder-length red hair curled in wild disarray around her face. Grant found he’d been most drawn to Rebecca’s eyes. They held fire and life, yet he saw a hint of tragedy in their luminous depths.

For the first time in a long while, a woman—a slightly brusque one who didn’t care for him at that—had provoked a yearning Grant had thought was dormant, if not dead. He’d purposely avoided serious relationships since his ordeal with Teresa.

Why had he let Rebecca leave so abruptly? His day now stretched before him like all the lonely days he’d experienced since he’d moved his family to San Antonio. He needed a hobby. Something more than writing a new technical strategy manual as an old friend now in the Pentagon had asked him to do. He’d thought retirement would let him connect with his kids, but they seemed remarkably self-sufficient.

What would Rebecca have said if he’d asked her to go out with him some night? Nothing to do with their kids.

He could guess. She’d already blown up at him. Grant grinned at the thought of what it’d be like to intentionally stoke her fire.

She’d also given up on him too fast. After his years in the military, Grant took his time to make an informed decision. If she wanted his help, she should’ve given him more information. He needed to talk to her again.

But he supposed he’d have to get her phone number from Ryan.

Grant swung his car into his driveway and impatiently punched the garage door opener that hung on his visor. The problem with having to question his son, as Grant knew only too well, was that Ryan barely spoke to him.

Rebecca of the captivating eyes and the protective love for her daughter clearly expected him to be able to influence his son’s choices.

What were the chances of that?

For too many years he’d left raising Ryan to Teresa. With all the ups and downs in their marriage, it had seemed easier. The result hadn’t turned out well for anyone.

Considering his lack of rapport with Ryan, Grant knew he couldn’t open a conversation by repeating Rebecca’s accusations. Especially when he’d been clueless when it came to Ryan’s friends. Or girlfriends, for that matter.

He wasn’t ready to admit the girl was a problem, but wasn’t keeping tabs on stuff like that an important part of parenting? He hadn’t been good at it in the past, but had vowed to be better after their move. It seemed he had a lot of catching up to do.