Her Daughter's Father

“Colleen!” A tall white-haired man’s sharp voice made the girl jump.

“Grandpa,” she said, turning around.

“I take it you’re with him?” The man tilted a contemptuous chin at Chris, and India swallowed a cheer.

“You’re embarrassing me.” Colleen looked stealthy. “He’s not a bad guy.”

Her grandpa shared India’s doubts, but he broadcast them, not caring Colleen had left the car door open. “Has that boy had anything to drink today?”

“No.” A quick blush reddened her skin. “We had a Coke after school. He’s not like that.”

“All the same, I’ll take you home.” The man looked at India. “You must be Miss Stuart.”

“My grandfather, Hayden Mason.” Colleen rammed her hands into her pockets. “I’m not coming home with you, Grandpa. I’m old enough to take a ride from a friend without you calling the angst police.”

“I have no idea who the angst police might be, young woman, but I’m taking you home. Say goodbye to Miss Stuart.”

“India.”

He looked startled, and India realized he welcomed her contribution to the conversation no more than his grand-daughter’s. “India, then. Colleen, I’m busy this afternoon. Come now.”

Colleen twisted her mouth in a frown India recognized. It usually came just before her mother put her foot down so hard the house rumbled. But Colleen gathered her wits with a wary look at Mrs. Fisher. “Goodbye, Chris,” she called, a hint of panic edging her voice.

Without another word, he yanked her door shut and squealed away on smoking tires. India planted her feet firmly on the ground, instead of comforting Colleen, who broke her heart with a forlorn expression.

Colleen followed her stern grandparent as he turned, but she looked back at India. Defiance and a puzzled awareness struggled in her eyes. India dragged herself to her full height. If she couldn’t stay out of Colleen’s life without looking like a cyclone victim, she needed to leave. Colleen offered a halfhearted smile and lifted one hand that quickly flopped back to her side as her grandfather reached for her other sleeve.

India waved back, but Colleen looked away so fast, India wasn’t even sure she saw. Realizing her daughter had truly come and gone, India shivered, finally feeling the cold air that snaked into her heavy sweater. She stopped waving and wrapped her arms around her waist.

“Great. I’ve turned into Granny Clampett.”

Mrs. Fisher leaned across the booth’s counter. “I didn’t know anyone your age ever saw that program.”

“JUST TALK TO HIM, DAD,” Colleen whispered through the small opening in her doorway. “I’ll never be able to show my face in front of my friends.”

“What friends? Even you said Mrs. Fisher and India Stuart were the only ones close enough to hear.

“And Chris.”

“Chris is out-of-bounds to you. He’s too old, and he tried to hurt you.”

“No one understands him except me.”

“I understand him, and that’s why I’ve told you to stay away. I need to be able to trust you, Colleen.”

“Trust me? If you did, you wouldn’t set Grandpa on me. Did you have him follow me after school?”

Jack almost laughed, but her frustration made him empathetic. Mary had told him how strict Hayden could be. “No, but he can’t walk away when he sees you doing something dangerous.”

“I don’t want him here if he’s going to embarrass me like that. He was worse than you.”

Jack really had to hold back a grin. Maybe he owed Hayden some gratitude. “I’ll talk to him, but try to see this afternoon from his point of view.”

“No, thank you.” She shut her door with a firm click.

Jack turned, wanting to whistle. She hadn’t thrown herself back into Chris’s car, and she’d come to him for help. Parenthood looked a little brighter tonight. He’d better find Hayden and explain the art of making good ideas seem as if they’d come from Colleen first.

He ran down the stairs, two at a time. Hayden looked up from his paper in the living room.

“We need to talk.” Jack sprawled on the sofa. “You made me look good to her.”

INDIA FIDDLED WITH THE SWITCH on the paint sprayer she was trying to clean. “Dad, I can’t make this thing work.”

“Let me see it.”

But as she turned to him, paint and cloudy water spewed from the nozzle, covering Mick in a smelly cloud. He stopped, a frame from an old cartoon. She couldn’t help laughing as he pulled off his glasses and stared at her, his eyes circled perfectly in white.

“Spray painting the boss?” he teased in a tone that promised retribution.

As he grabbed for the nozzle and she fell, a truck pulled up at the edge of Mr. Tanner’s driveway. Somehow, India knew who’d be driving.

“Jack.”

He leaned out his window, worry creasing his forehead. “I’m sorry to bother you again. Have you seen Colleen?”

India clambered to her feet. Mick stood swiftly beside her. “What’s wrong?” she demanded.

“We haven’t seen her.” Mick glanced down the road. “Shouldn’t she be in school?”

“She should be.” Jack shielded his eyes, more from their gazes than from the sun. He seemed intent on the sails just visible over deep trees at the end of the road. “Sometimes she goes to the marina. I thought she might have passed by here.”

Chris and his shiny car tumbled in India’s mind. “No.” She wished him on his way so she could look for Colleen without his knowing. Mick’s elbow in her ribs startled her.

“Tell him.” Mick nodded toward Jack, his ghostly face not funny anymore.

“Tell me?”

India stared at her father. “Tell him?”

“About yesterday.”

“I know what you want me to tell him, but Dad—”

“Tell me what?”

India grimaced. “I’m sorry. I’m being thoughtless, or maybe we’re both butting in.” She glanced her father’s way. “You probably already know, but I ran into Colleen yesterday. She wanted to apologize. And Chris was with her.”

“Hayden told me. You haven’t seen her today?”