Unexpected Attraction. Stella MacLean

he is my friend—a good friend. He would never do anything to hurt me or anyone else.”

      Then why did Andrea feel so unsure about Shannon’s explanation? Something didn’t ring true even though her daughter hadn’t changed her story after being punished. Her head pounded as she considered the possibilities.

      She peered at Shannon’s face, the unfamiliar lines of tension evident around her eyes and mouth. Andrea wanted to hug Shannon close and tell her that everything would be okay. But would it? Was there something seriously wrong in her daughter’s life, or was she simply overreacting?

      “I love you, sweetie, and we’ll work this out. Let’s talk in the morning after we both get some rest.”

      “Mom, I don’t want to talk about it tomorrow or any other time. It’s over. I promise. Okay?”

      Anger fueled by fear welled up in Andrea. “As far as I’m concerned, until you tell me what’s really going on, it’s not over. But it’s up to you. Without the truth, you’ll miss out on school and your friends. But if that’s the way you want it...” She shrugged as a show of bravado, but one look at her daughter told her in no uncertain terms she’d created a distance between them she might not be able to cross.

      Shannon turned away, went into her room and closed the door.

      The closed door and the change in Shannon’s attitude fed Andrea’s fear. Should she go after Shannon and insist on answers? Or would that only drive her further away? Should Andrea apologize to see if they could find a way to talk about what happened? They always talked before bedtime. Always.

      A part of her wanted to scream in frustration. Another part of her simply wanted to forget everything in the hope that it would all go away—wishful thinking, but easier to deal with than the alternative.

      She locked the house and put the security system on before going to her bedroom. As she passed Shannon’s door, she listened for any sign that her daughter was still awake. There wasn’t a sound. Making her weary way to her room, Andrea ran a bath and took the portable phone in with her. She’d talk to Gina, get her advice on what all this meant, then try for a little sleep.

      * * *

      THE NEXT MORNING, Andrea went in to the office. “What are you doing in here? You should be home with Shannon,” Gina said with concern as she met Andrea at the door.

      She and Gina had talked for over an hour last night as Andrea tried to work out how to handle what was going on with her daughter. As they’d arranged, Gina had taken Shannon to her hair appointment then dropped her off at the house, unaware that Shannon had planned to go out again. All Andrea could figure out was that Shannon had returned to the school, probably with Kyle.

      “There’s not much point in staying home when Shannon won’t talk to me.” Andrea rolled up the sleeves of the old white shirt she’d tucked into her faded jeans. She couldn’t be bothered dressing up this morning. She was too tired, and she didn’t have any clients coming in. Last night she’d called the doctor and his wife, explaining that she couldn’t show them the house today, apologized again and rescheduled the showing for tomorrow. She was simply too distracted to do a good job of presenting the property to a prospective buyer.

      To ease her mind away from her problems, she had decided to come in to work and make a list of cold calls. She needed more sales if she was to meet her goal for this year. Her plan to take Shannon on a vacation was even more urgent, given the current situation. As she’d tossed and turned last night, she’d decided that a vacation as soon as possible was the best answer. Although it was only the middle of October, maybe she should plan a long weekend for them, or go away during Thanksgiving in November. A vacation away from here would offer the best chance for her and Shannon to put their relationship back on track.

      “I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough time. But if it’s any consolation, you and Shannon will work things out together. That’s how you’ve always done it, and this won’t be any different.”

      “I hope you’re right.” Gina had two boys who had given their mother a fair amount of grief during their teenage years, and Andrea appreciated all the advice Gina had offered last evening on how to deal with Shannon’s sudden change in behavior. But none of it had mattered in the dark spaces of her bedroom late in the night. She’d gone over everything from the moment she’d gotten the call to their disastrous conversation at home.

      She’d finally given up on sleep, gotten up, washed two loads of laundry, made banana muffins then headed in to the office. Andrea had left the house without speaking to Shannon, mostly because her daughter hadn’t yet emerged from her room. While making the muffins, she’d noticed that most of the milk she’d bought yesterday was gone and the peanut butter was still sitting on the counter. Shannon had been up sometime in the night and had eaten her favorite comfort food.

      “Shannon wasn’t anywhere in sight when I left, and I didn’t have the courage to go into her room. Quite frankly, I don’t know what to say.” Andrea tucked her purse under the corner of her desk and turned on her computer.

      Gina pulled up a chair next to Andrea’s desk. “You’ve got to stop worrying. It’s too hard on you, and God knows you’ve done enough worrying over the past four years to last you a lifetime. Like I said last night, I’ve had huge fights with my boys, taken their phones and grounded them on several occasions. They got over it. Shannon will, too.”

      Andrea wasn’t so sure, given the way Shannon had looked at her before she went into her bedroom. And if Scott believed he had a chance at moving Shannon to Phoenix with his new family, he would tell Shannon anything he thought she wanted to hear. Scott hated to lose no matter what the situation was, and custody of Shannon was in his mind a loss. And although it was four years ago Andrea knew that Scott wouldn’t give up trying to prove that he could win in the end.

      “Shannon’s never hidden the truth from me...at least not that I know of. As for Kyle, I thought he was trustworthy. He’s been at my house dozens of times. Yet he disappeared before I got to the hospital. Why wouldn’t he stay with Shannon? He’s been so attentive to her lately, I thought they were dating. And Shannon says they want to go to Phoenix on March break next spring. Doesn’t that sound like more than friends to you?”

      “It does. Did you know about their plans for Phoenix?” Gina asked.

      “Not until last night.”

      “Are you okay with her going?”

      “No. Especially when she won’t tell me the truth. And God knows what sort of game Scott will play with her. He’s already siding with her about this whole falling-on-the-sidewalk story.”

      “Do you suppose he’s angling to get her to stay with him? Maybe he’s discovering how difficult it is to find babysitters for those young kids of his.”

      “I can’t even think about that. I mean, I wouldn’t put it past him to try, but I need to sort out the mess in front of me before dealing with him and his schemes.” Andrea sighed in defeat as she thought about Shannon traveling to Phoenix with Kyle. “If part of this is about Shannon dating Kyle, she knows I’d be okay with it. So why wouldn’t she confide in me?”

      Gina patted her shoulder. “Now, there’s a familiar feeling. Teenagers! One day they’re our lovely children, and the next they’re like strangers speaking a language we’re only vaguely able to comprehend.” Gina paused. “But Kyle’s an okay kid. I know his mother from church, and she’s always talking about what a good son he is. Maybe Shannon’s need to call Kyle last night was as much of a betrayal to you as her call to her father. Very often when I’d be angry with my boys it was mostly because of their inconsiderate behavior toward me. If you want my opinion, Shannon could have waited to call Kyle today, if she really needed to.” Gina’s look was thoughtful. “And this probably isn’t helpful, but I need to get it off my chest. If I ever see Scott again, I’ll have a few choice words for him. If he’s so concerned about Shannon, why didn’t he call last night?”

      “Oh, darn. I meant