Chapter Two
“Thank God you’re here,” Lenore announced with dramatic desperation when she opened the door. “Come in, come in!” She swept out a hand toward the kitchen and family room in back just as Shane came running.
“Dad!” His son flew at him like a bullet.
“Hey, buddy!” Laughing, Josh lifted Shane high in the air.
Shane beamed his biggest, happiest smile, his straight brown hair flopping over his forehead as he laughed in delight. “It’s getting dark, and we got candles and a tent!”
Lenore rolled her eyes. “Stop shouting, you two—come on, now. Let’s go in the other room.”
Josh lowered his son to the floor, and Shane grabbed his hand. “Come on, come see…” Josh followed where his son led, into the family room where the furniture had been pushed to the outer walls, leaving lots of room on the big area rug where Lenore had set up a blue tent. “Isn’t it the best, Dad?”
“It’s terrific,” Josh agreed.
Lenore had pillar candles burning on the peninsula that separated the kitchen from the family room. She’d also lit a fire in the family-room fireplace. By the tent opening, a battery-powered lantern gave off a large pool of light.
“Come in with me.” Shane tugged his hand again.
“All right. But first I need to check the breaker box for your mom…”
“You’re here now.” Lenore flipped a lock of long blond hair back over shoulder. “No worries. Take your time. Let Shaney show you his fort.”
Josh considered reminding her that on the phone twenty minutes ago, she’d been desperate to get the electricity on immediately.
His ex, as usual, was oblivious to his flinty stare. She smiled sweetly and asked, “What can I get you? A drink? A little snack?”
“Dad!” Shane tugged on his hand.
“Yes?”
Shane stepped back and threw his arms wide. “This tent is my fort!” he announced. “You can come in my fort, and you will be safe. Wild animals can’t get you, and the bad guys can’t get in.”
“Well, now. This sounds like a really good fort.”
“Yes, it is! Now come on. Let’s go in.”
He thought about Riley and felt a tug of disappointment that his evening with her had been cut short. But then he looked down into his son’s big brown eyes and couldn’t help smiling. “Lead the way.”
Shane crawled through the tent flaps first, and Josh followed. They sat cross-legged facing each other.
As soon as they were settled, Shane warned in a whisper, “The wild animals will hear us if we talk too loud. They will hear us and come in our fort and try to eat us!”
“But, Shane,” Josh whispered back. “I thought you said they couldn’t get into the fort.”
“Well, mostly they can’t. But sometimes wild animals can surprise you, you know?”
“Ah. Well, I guess we’ll have to be quiet then.”
“Yes.” Shane put a finger to his lips. “Shh. We have to be very, very quiet. And those wild animals will leave us alone.”
Five minutes later, Lenore stuck her head in. “Carrot sticks, cheese cubes and juice boxes, anyone?”
“Shh!” Shane warned. “We’re hiding from the wild animals, and we have to be quiet.”
Playing along, Lenore widened her eyes and whisper-shouted, “Sorry. Want snacks?”
“Yes, please,” Shane replied.
Lenore joined them in the tent where they crunched on carrot sticks and spoke in hushed voices. Josh got a kick out of Shane, who talked nonstop—but quietly, in order to fool the wild animals as he made up rules for life in his fort.
Shane was a happy kid. He got along with just about everyone and rarely acted out.
And Lenore deserved a lot of credit for their son’s sunny attitude, his even-tempered approach to life.
Lenore was a good mom, plain and simple.
Josh made a mental note to remember his ex’s admirable qualities the next time she decided that faking an emergency was an acceptable way to get him over here.
After an hour of “playing fort,” as Shane called it, they crawled from the tent, and Shane yawned hugely.
“Looks like it’s time for bed,” said Josh.
Lenore instructed, “Put on your PJ’s, and we’ll brush your teeth.”
Shane trotted off down the hall leaving Josh and Lenore standing there by the wild-animal-proof tent.
“I’ll just check that breaker now,” he said.
She flashed him a bright, determined smile. “I’ve been thinking. You were right. It’s not that big of a deal. I’ll just put more wood on the fire to keep things cozy and deal with the breaker box in the morning.”
He kept his expression neutral as he shook his head. “I’m here. I might as well check it out before I go.”
“Uh… Well, great. Thanks.” Her cheeks were hot pink, and she didn’t quite meet his eyes. Busted. No doubt about it. “Go on,” she said sulkily. “Do what you need to do.”
Taking the lantern from its spot by the tent, he went through the shadowed kitchen to the laundry room where a door led into the garage. He left that door open so he could see when the lights came on inside the house.
The breaker box was right there on the garage wall beside the laundry room door. He pulled open the box door. Every breaker was flipped. He flipped them all back.
The garage light popped on, and a sudden glow from the kitchen spilled through the door to the laundry room as the refrigerator hummed to life. For a moment, he stood there in front of the open box, feeling annoyed at his ex-wife and resentful that he’d missed a night with Riley.
At the same time, he couldn’t completely regret how things had worked out. He’d loved hanging with Shane in his fort. For a moment, he considered just letting his frustration with Lenore go.
But no. He had to confront her. Maybe this time he would get through to her.
“Oh, Josh…” Lenore stood in the open doorway to the laundry room, looking so very grateful. “I’m not going to need a new breaker thingy, after all. Am I? Oh, Josh. Thank you so much!” She came toward him. When she stood right in front of him, she slid her arms around his neck.
“Don’t,” he said. She let go, and he stepped back. “Once Shane’s in bed, we need to talk.”
She shrugged. “Of course. Whatever you say.”
Half an hour later, with Shane tucked in for the night, Josh and Lenore faced each other across the kitchen peninsula.
He got straight to the point. “Lenore, you have to stop. I’m happy to help whenever you really need a hand. But turning off the power and then calling me to check the breaker… It’s not right, and you know it.”
Her lower lip was quivering. “Just you try to tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself tonight.”
“I always enjoy spending time with my son. That’s not the issue. Come on, Lenore. We’re divorced. But we do have to work together to raise our son. It’s important that we can trust each other to be honest about what’s going on.”
“I trust you.”
“And I’m glad for that. But when you do stuff like this, you’re telling me that I can’t trust you.”
She made a soft, sad little sound. “It’s not like I meant to flip that breaker.”
No way could he let that stand. “Lenore, you flipped all the breakers, and we both know you did it on purpose.”
She sniffled, a sad and lonely little sound. “Think what you want.”
He just didn’t get why she had to play these pointless games with him. She was an excellent mom and a capable person overall. No, their marriage hadn’t worked out. But she had a wonderful little boy and a good job working remotely as an insurance adjuster.
He tried one more time to get her to admit that she’d invented an emergency so he would come over. “Lenore. We both know what you did.”
“Oh, please! Why do you have to be so confrontational? We had such a nice evening, and now you’re just begging for a big argument.”
He opened his mouth to reply—and realized that whatever he said next would not be leading anywhere good. He should have checked the damn breaker box when he walked in the house. Or not come over here in the first place. Or…
Who knew? He sure didn’t. Bottom line, he still hadn’t managed to set effective boundaries with Lenore. And he wasn’t going to fix this problem tonight.
“Listen,” he said. “There’s no point in continuing this conversation. I’m going to go.”
Now she looked stricken. “Oh, right. I see your game, Josh. You jump all over me, and when I push back, you shut me out…”
“Good night, Lenore.” He turned on his heel and started walking. At least she didn’t try to stop him. He went out the front door, climbed into his truck and headed for home.
* * *
The next morning, Riley picked up Dillon from Annette’s house. Her mother-in-law greeted her with a beautiful smile and a hug.
They were close, Riley and Annette, family in the truest sense of the word. There was only the three them—Annette, Dillon and Riley. Also, Riley and Annette were partners, co-owners of the Statesman Hotel.
“Coffee?” Annette asked.
“I would love some, but—”
“I know, I know. You have to get moving.” Annette called for Dillon, and he came running. “See you in a few—and how about a hug, young man?” She dropped to a crouch, and Dillon wrapped his little arms around her neck.
Then Riley hustled him to the car, and off they went to Bright Beginnings Daycare. When they got there, Lenore was just dropping off Shane.
The four of them walked in together, the boys in the lead, swinging their lunch boxes, laughing and chattering to each other about their plans for the day. Riley and Lenore talked about Shane’s birthday party at Lenore’s house a week from tomorrow.
“Dillon can’t wait,” Riley said. “What can I bring—aside from Dillon and his special present for the birthday boy?”
“Thanks for offering to give me a hand,” Lenore said with a quick, bright smile. “But I’ve got the situation under control.”
“Call me if there’s anything…”
“Thanks, Riley. I will.”
Riley almost asked if the power was back on at Lenore’s house but thought better of it. Lenore might ask how she knew about that, and then Riley would have to decide how much to say.