A Father's Pledge. Eleanor Jones

head of children’s care, lived on-site with his wife, Gwen, who worked alongside him.

      Most of the other carers, therapists, teachers and cleaners lived locally, including the general manager, Wayne White. Luke was Wayne’s assistant and he lived on-site, as did Kat, though she was on the lookout for a place of her own.

      Kat deeply respected Mike and Gwen, particularly since they often spent time with the children in the main house. She liked the way they went above and beyond their job descriptions, helping make Flight feel like a real family home. The layout also helped with that, featuring single and double bedrooms for the kids and a large, comfortable communal living room, two smaller sitting rooms, a dining room with one huge table and a massive kitchen, where anyone could eat or snack or just sit near the stove. Alice, who came in daily to organize the cooking, was usually to be found there, along with one or two of the other kitchen staff.

      Kat and Luke had small apartments in a new annex at the rear of the house, but as they both had private doors into the garden, their paths rarely seemed to cross. Apart from a brief, cordial conversation when she’d first arrived at Flight, Kat hadn’t had much to do with him. A brief nod as they passed in the hallway or the odd polite comment was about the only interaction they had had...until Ben arrived. Ever since, Luke seemed to have taken it upon himself to interfere with everything she did.

      Kat had been working at Flight for just over a week when Mike had called her to his office to tell her that a new pupil, Ben Jackson, was arriving that afternoon and would be assigned to her for counseling. As usual, Kat had wanted to know as much about the boy’s background as possible and she’d spent time before he arrived looking through his notes and questioning Mike. Ben’s grandparents were his guardians, but his grandmother, Mollie Jackson, had been struggling to care for him properly after his grandfather had fallen ill. Ben had become cheeky and disobedient, as well as regularly skipping school or refusing to go at all. The elderly lady had been at her wit’s end, so when Ben’s social workers had suggested sending him to a special school, she’d agreed. She’d selected Flight because that was where Ben’s father worked. The father he had hardly ever seen.

      Mike had emphasized the importance of treating Ben like any other child at Flight. The plan was for him to get to know his father gradually without making a big deal of the relationship. They didn’t want the other kids to sense favoritism or feel excluded, but preventing Ben from getting to know his dad could be detrimental to him as well.

      When she’d found out that Ben’s father was Luke Travis, Kat was surprised, to say the least. Luke was thirtyish and single, as far as she could make out. Not even the staff, who had known him since he first came to Flight as a general office lackey, had a clue that he had a son. Apparently, he’d never mentioned the boy to anyone in the years he’d spent working up to assistant manager.

      Kat’s first meeting with Ben had been unproductive; he had refused point-blank to answer any of her questions and he exuded anger, an anger that she knew hid loneliness and fear. One thing was for sure: Ben Jackson was one very mixed-up little boy, and the more she could find out about his background, the easier it would be to try to help him.

      She’d even tried to talk to Luke, shortly after Ben arrived, but it had been like talking to a brick wall. Luke didn’t seem to know anything about his son and he’d flatly refused to discuss how they’d become estranged. Perhaps now, though, after yesterday’s fiasco, she should approach him again. If she asked for Luke’s help, maybe it would break the ice a bit. What Ben needed right now was calmness and stability, and his father arguing with his counselor was definitely not the way forward.

      Kat tapped on Luke’s apartment door, trying to appear professional and in control even though her heart was fluttering in her chest. It swung wide open at once.

      “Oh, it’s you,” he said drily.

      “Look,” she began, pulling back her shoulders and lifting her chin, “I’m really sorry about yesterday, and I wondered if perhaps we could have a chat...about Ben. You know, so we can get on the same page about what’s best for him.”

      Luke towered over her, a deep frown etched across his forehead. “No offense,” he said, “but I’m not sure I want us to be on the same page where Ben’s concerned. It’s your job as his counselor to find out why he’s been behaving as he does. I’m his father and I don’t have to answer to you.”

      “Well, no...obviously, I understand that.” Kat squirmed. “I just thought that if we had a proper chat about Ben’s background and his relationship with you up until now, it might help me understand his situation a bit better.”

      “We don’t have a relationship,” Luke retorted. “That’s the whole problem. And we are unlikely to ever have one if you don’t stop putting him in crazy situations that encourage him to get into trouble.”

      Kat tried to keep her cool, but heat flooded her face. “He was not in a ‘crazy’ situation yesterday—he just took advantage of me being distracted to have some fun. I’ll be the first to admit that I should have kept a closer eye on him and maybe reined him in earlier, but he was never in any danger, and the situation was not crazy. In fact, his behavior was typical of many young boys. Or perhaps you’ve forgotten what that’s like. In my experience, when children behave badly, it’s for a reason. Usually it’s a cry for help...or a way to channel their anger at the world. Children need stability and love in their lives if they’re ever to get back on track.”

      “So now you’re telling me that I don’t love my own son?”

      “No, of course not!” Kat felt as if she was going around in circles. “I just want to understand him better, and I thought you might be able to help with that.”

      “Look...” Luke gave a slight shake of his head as if summing her up as stupid and exasperating. “I agree that Ben needs stability, and he has that here. The other thing he needs, though, is discipline—ground rules he has to learn to follow. I don’t believe your airy-fairy method of counseling is giving him that. Yesterday proved it. It seems to me that all you’re doing is letting the kids run wild.”

      “Well, it seems to me that you and I will have to differ on that,” Kat said, holding her head high. “Oh, and by the way, I do happen to be the only one of us who is qualified to decide what a child needs.”

      “You don’t need qualifications to bring up kids, just common sense.”

      “And exactly what part has your ‘common sense’ played in your son’s life up until now?”

      Luke paled, and Kat wished she could take back what she’d said. He glared at her then turned on his heel and slammed the door in her face.

      Regretting her decision to talk to him, Kat walked slowly through the large gardens, needing time to calm down and think things through. As she reached the cliff top where the beautiful old house was perched, she stopped for a while to look out across the wide vista of the bay, breathing in the crisp, clear air before heading toward the front door of the school, feeling much calmer and more in control of her emotions.

      As she stepped into the spacious hallway, she smelled the comforting aroma of roast beef and the fragrant lilies that stood on a side table beneath the window. She hesitated, listening to the sound of children’s laughter floating through from the kitchen. Despite the troubles that most of the children here had faced in their lives, Flight was in many ways a happy house, and she was very grateful to be a part of it. She just hoped Luke Travis would allow her to help his son thrive here.

      Kat still had to talk to Mike, so she headed toward his study to see if he was still there. As she approached the half-open door, she could hear him speaking to someone. Could it be Luke, fueled by the confrontation they’d just had? She paused in the hallway, feeling guilty for listening in on a private conversation but unable to resist. If it was Luke, she needed to hear what he was saying about her.

      “I think you just need to give her a bit more time,” Mike said. “She does have a lot of experience, and I’m sure that she knows what she’s doing. I’ll have a word with her, if you like.”

      Kat