Caught in a Bind by Gayle Roper

Author:Gayle Roper
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Mystery
ISBN: 9781426844034
Publisher: Love Inspired
Published: 2000-01-01T07:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

“Merry, you said to call.” It was William Poole.

I smothered a yawn as I looked at the clock. Almost eleven. “Randy?”

“Can you keep him for a couple of days?”

A couple of days? When I’d said he could come for tonight, I’d never given a thought to any longer. What would I do with him? What would I say to him? What if he lost it while here? I had visions of my furniture in kindling and the house ransacked. Then I remembered the quality of my furniture and the dearth of ransackable goods and acknowledged those thoughts for the excuses they were.

“Will Edie be in the hospital that long?” I asked for something to fill the stretching silence.

“I don’t know. But even if she comes home tomorrow, which she probably will, she’ll be in no shape to keep an eye on the kid.”

“What does he say about coming here?”

“He doesn’t get a choice. It’s you, or I’m taking him to juvenile detention down in Lima.”

Me or the juvenile facility. No pressure there. My heart beat against my ribs, and my stomach churned like a malted in a blender.

“I’ve got to go to work in the morning,” I said.

“Take him with you.”

“What about school?”

“There’s only a day or two before Easter break. He can miss the time or you can take him and pick him up. I really don’t care.”

“Are you at the police station?”

“Yes.”

I took a deep breath and jumped. “I’ll be right there.” And Jesus, You’d better come with me!

Randy was not the finest of companions as we drove to his house for clothes and necessities, which I was interested to notice included his iPod and laptop computer as well as a PlayStation and numerous cartridges. He was sullen, embarrassed and angry.

“Do you have school tomorrow?” I asked as he packed.

Grunt.

“Do you have homework and stuff?”

He swung his backpack before my nose.

“Do you want to go to school or to work with me?”

Grunt.

“Is your car okay?”

Grunt.

And just because I couldn’t resist, “Don’t forget clean underwear.”

That didn’t even rate a grunt. We left his house in silence.

Looking at the situation from his fifteen-year-old vantage point, I understood his attitude. After all, I’d seen him slug his mother, fall to pieces and get dragged off by the police. Our common experiences were hardly the stuff of meaningful conversation and deep friendship.

“Have you had dinner?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“McDonald’s okay?”

He nodded.

I pulled up to the drive-through order mike. “What’ll it be?”

He stared straight ahead without speaking for a few seconds, tumultuous emotions pouring from him in waves. It was as if he were so consumed by internal conflicts that he couldn’t articulate a coherent thought.

Finally he growled, “Two Big Macs, two large fries, two large Sprites and two apple dippers. Don’t forget the caramel stuff.”

“Thanks, but I already ate,” I said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

He looked at me blankly.

The boy of ten who took my money was definitely more fun than Randy. He might struggle to reach the cash register, but at least he knew how to smile.

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