Chapter 2
Violet
“Are you going to at least say you’re sorry?” I glanced into the rearview mirror at my child fidgeting in his booster seat.
Damon folded his arms, huffing and turning his head away from me. He had yet to turn eight years old and he was more than just a handful. He was ceremoniously trying to drive me absolutely nuts. If I’d bothered to look up sullen in the dictionary, his picture would be the posterchild.
“When can I get out of this seat?” His question was flat, but I sensed he was full of piss and vinegar.
“You just tried to burn down your elementary school and all you can say is about the booster seat you’re required by law to be strapped into, so you’ll stay safe?”
“Only babies sit in booster seats. I am obviously not a baby.”
Right now, that was debatable. I sucked in my breath, which caused a wheezing sound while both hands twisted around the steering wheel to the point my fingers were hurting. That’s what my beautiful son, my incredible little boy did to me on a daily basis.
“Plus, I didn’t try and burn down the school, Mom. If I had then there’d be nothing left but ashes.”
Oh. My. God. The kid was boasting about his arson abilities.
He wasn’t a bad child, not really. He was far too intelligent for his own good, kids unable to keep up with him, which had turned him into a little tyrant.
“You know what? I remember when you were so adorable as a child. You used to laugh all the time, sleep through every night. We would sit and watch movies together and eat popcorn. Do you remember those days?” When he didn’t say anything, I snapped my gaze to the rearview mirror.
I knew it. The kid was rolling his eyes. Where had I gone so wrong? He’d been a very happy child, always laughing. Always eager, including when going to school. Not any longer. I’d thought he was being bullied but had soon learned he was the bully. Then things had escalated.
Now, this.
With school letting out in the summer in just a few days, he wouldn’t be held back. That was the craziest thing of all. My child was brilliant, his IQ tested not once but three times and he’d blown past genius level. He didn’t study because he didn’t need to.
His school psychologist had been the first to suggest upper-level classes would help ease his boredom. Instead of second grade, he was in the fifth on his way to by passing the sixth and heading straight into junior high.
After jumping grades, things had gotten worse, the fire starter in him born. While I’d exaggerated about burning down the school, the fire had been large enough the fire department had been called. It was only a matter of time before his pranks escalated.
I was currently spending every dime I had on a regular psychologist, but as per usual, my amazing son was devious and had the man believing he was completely normal.
I snorted when I made the turn on the street leading to the babysitter’s house.
God, I adored him with every ounce of my being, but I could throttle him daily.
What good would that do?
I needed to get through to him and right now with the long hours at my job and the state of my finances, which was shitty considering Damon’s father hadn’t paid child support since day one, I was short on time and patience.
And right now, I wanted to curl up in a ball and have myself a good cry. That wasn’t going to solve anything either. I’d gotten myself into a pickle at work and the absolute last thing I needed was to lose my job.
With tears forming in my eyes, I glanced into the rearview again. I don’t know what I was hoping to see with Damon. Nothing seemed to get through to him.
“We’re going to Carrie’s house?” With a wide smile on his face, he pushed up from the seat, even bouncing up and down. Correction. The only person that could seem to get through to him was our babysitter.
Thank God for Carrie or I honestly don’t know what I’d do. She was not only good with him and cheap, but she could also speak his language. Whatever that was. He was the sweetest little boy in the world when he was with her, which made me feel like an absolute shit most of the time.
Failure wasn’t an option, but lately, that’s all I’d felt. As if I was shirking my duties as my child’s mom. “Yes, we are, honey. Mama needs to go back to work for a few hours.”
I felt him shrugging without looking to confirm. He barely tolerated me while soaking up everything Carrie said. She was an interesting young woman, an artist with eccentric tastes in all things.
Which fascinated my son. I’d enjoy branching out with my likes and dislikes if I had the time or money. As soon as I pulled into her driveway, my little man was out of his seat and onto the gravel, bolting toward her door.
She always seemed to know when he was coming, a happy smile on her face. Today was no exception. You bet there were times I was jealous.
Maybe she wanted to adopt him. Laughing, I cut the engine, yanking out the keys. Where I sat quietly for a few minutes while Carrie was happy and animated as usual to see my son.
Whatever Damon was sharing with her was ten times more than what he’d done with me. Yep. I was a complete and total failure. With a heavy sigh, I dropped my head onto my arms on the steering wheel. My stomach ached, a full sense of dread fueling the discomfort.
Something bad was going to happen. I felt it in my bones.
When the phone rang, I fisted my hand. Why were my instincts always correct? Brenda. “Please tell me nothing is wrong.” My voice sounded whiny. Great.
“No, but you had a call. Correction, I had a call.”
“Who was it?”
“Your ex.”
“What?” My child’s father because that was the only ex I had. He was the reason I’d sworn off men.
“I know. I was going to wait to tell you, but he was… angry?”
“Maybe because our last conversation didn’t go well.
” I’d dared try one more time to convince him to pay child support.
With the conversation getting ugly, and because I’d had a couple of glasses of wine before making the call, I’d threatened to take him to court.
As if I’d meant it. I was no fool. The man was rich and I wasn’t.
He had a team of lawyers and I couldn’t scrape up the downpayment for one. He also lived in another state, which was both good and bad. At least I wouldn’t run into him on the street. Asshole.
But I’d taken a swing at the dirt. That’s when he’d threatened me with finding out every dirty little secret. Not that I had any. Except for being a foster child. That had been months ago. “What did he want?” I gritted my teeth together.
“To talk. I said you were out of the office. Don’t worry. I didn’t give him your cellphone number.”
When Kenneth Coleman wanted something from someone, he did everything in his power to make that person miserable. I wasn’t interested in playing his game, especially not since he’d ignore his own flesh and blood. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle him if he calls and I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”
“Okay, cool. The team is working diligently.”
I ended the call, smashing my fists against the steering wheel. Why was life so complicated?
Thank God, I’d been able to bring the little monster over early.
By the time I pulled myself out of the wacko fog, I expected Carrie to have gone back inside. She was standing in the same place, a strange look on her face. Uh-oh. I hated when my intuition was right.
My legs heavy, I climbed out. “Thank you for taking him. I’ll be later than normal.”
“Oh, that’s fine. I already put on a pot of gravy, so I’ll make certain he has a good dinner.”
Gravy. The girl wasn’t even Italian but called her world-famous spaghetti sauce gravy. One of the many adorable quirks about her. “He’ll love that, the little pyromaniac.”
“What happened?”
“Girls’ bathroom. Apparently, he thought it needed a new paint job.”
Her grimace was exactly the way I felt. Gutted. “He’s just acting out.”
“Tell me about it. Well, he’s suspended for the last few days of school. Is there any way…” I lifted my eyebrows, trying to have a sad look on my face.
Why was everyone around me sighing heavily today? “Look, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”
“Oh, no. What did he do?”
Carrie giggled. “That beautiful little boy didn’t do anything. It’s my mom. She needs round the clock care and I’m the only sibling who works from home.”
“So…”
“I’m moving in with her. I’d be happy to continue watching Damon, but she lives in Sacramento.”
This wasn’t simply a pint of ice cream and full bottle of wine kind of bad day. This was a large pizza with everything including anchovies followed by a gallon of ice cream and two bottles of wine to wash it down trashy day.
Obviously, I’d physically reacted since her eyes opened wide.
“Are you okay? You look like you’re going to faint.”
Instead of fainting, I laughed, which was an entirely inappropriate reaction, but given the day I’d had so far, laughing was better than bursting into tears. “I’m fine. I’m just… So when are you moving?”
“Well, I need to pack so a week, maybe a little longer. I’ll be happy to babysit until I’m ready to leave.”
“Okay. That’ll be fine.” Like hell it would. Where would I find someone who could handle him over the summer? And for the price she charged me, which was one third the going rate? “I’m sorry about your mom.”
“Me too. It’ll be good to spend time with her. Family is important.”
If only I knew. I’d lost my parents a long time ago, long enough the memories were starting to fade. “You’re right. I appreciate everything you’d done. I hate to do this, but I need to get back to work.”
“You work too much, Vi. You really do. You need to take time to smell the roses.”
My laugh sounded like it was coming from a bitter old woman. “You’re right. Maybe someday. Anyway, I’ll be back around eight.”