Never Say Goodbye & Crossroads by Irene Hannon

Author:Irene Hannon [Irene Hannon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2012-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CROSSROADS

You changed my mourning into dancing; you took off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.

—Psalms 30:11

To my precious niece, Catherine Moira,

who has been such a blessing in our lives.

May all your tomorrows be filled with joy and love.

Chapter One

Bruce Lockwood banged the door and stormed into the kitchen, his eyes flashing. “Mr. Jackson is a—”

“Bruce!” Tess gave her fourteen-year-old son a stern warning look. She knew exactly what he was about to say, and she didn’t allow that kind of language in the house.

“—creep!” Bruce finished more tamely, slamming his books onto the table.

Tess cringed. She hadn’t exactly had the best day herself, and she wasn’t sure she was up to another tirade about Southfield High’s principal. She took a deep breath, willing the dull ache in her temples to subside.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Bruce gave her a sullen look. “He’s just a creep, that’s all.” The boy withdrew a card from his pocket and tossed it onto the table. “He wants you to call and make an appointment with him.”

Tess frowned and reached for the card, her stomach clenching. The adjustment from small-town school in Jefferson City, Missouri, to big-city school in St. Louis had been difficult for him, particularly midyear. If there had been any way to delay their move until the end of the term, she would have. But the unexpected merger of her newspaper with a larger chain had left her a victim of downsizing, and the offer from a community newspaper in suburban St. Louis had seemed the answer to a prayer. She’d been able to find a comfortable apartment near the office in a quiet suburb, and had hoped that the small-town feel of the area would ease the transition to their new environment. It had worked for her, but not for Bruce.

Tess glanced down at the card. “Mitch Jackson, principal.” Her frown deepened. Parents weren’t usually contacted unless there was a good reason. The ache in her temples began to throb, and she looked over at her son. He was watching her—his body posture defiant, but his eyes wary.

“Why does he want to meet with me?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Bruce countered.

Tess folded her arms across her chest, her lips tightening into a thin line. “I didn’t say you did. I just asked why he wants to see me,” she replied, struggling to keep her temper in check.

“Because he’s a creep!”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s true! Ever since I transferred to that dumb school he’s been watching me, just waiting for me to mess up. He should still be a cop, the way he’s on me for every little thing.”

Tess held the card up. “What ‘little thing’ prompted this?”

Bruce glared at her. “You’re as bad as he is. Always asking questions, always breathing down my neck. Why can’t people just leave me alone?”

Tess stared at her son. How had her relationship with Bruce deteriorated in two short months? There was a time when they used to talk, when he shared things with her.

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