Hard Knocks (52 page)

Still, sex in my office wasn’t my idea of acceptable behaviour. “Rachel, this is wrong. It can’t happen again. Not in my house.”

“Mother, we’re not children. Jesus. I’m going to college next year.”

“I know. And I can’t wait.”

“You would say something like that. You never want me around. You don’t trust anyone. You always have to be in control.” When Rachel goes into attack mode, I cringe. It was a tactic she’d learned from her father, who figured he could wear me down with belligerence. It didn’t work when he did it; it wouldn’t work now.

“If I were you, I’d button my mouth before I found myself grounded for a month.”

She tightened her lips, but her eyes were pools of rage.

Then the phone rang. Her eyebrows went sky high, and she bolted into her room to grab it. Which was fortuitous. We were both on the verge of saying things we’d regret.

“It’s for you,” she called petulantly.

I poked my head in her room.

“Could you please take it in your office? I need to call Julia back.”

“We’ll continue this conversation later.”

She rolled her eyes.

I went back in my office, put down the condom, and picked up the phone.

“Sounds like another fun morning at the Foreman’s.” It was Susan Siler, my best friend and possibly the wisest person I know.

“She’s full of mother angst right now.” I started to tell her about the condom but Susan cut me off. “Ellie, I want to hear about this, but it’s got to wait. Something important has come up.”

“Go ahead.”

Susan rarely makes demands. Of course, her life is perfect. She has the perfect husband, two perfect kids, a perfect house, and a perfect part-time job in an art gallery. We’ve been friends for nearly twenty years, and I still don’t know how she does it.

“I have this friend,” she said. “Sort of a neighbour, actually. Christine Messenger.”

“I don’t think I know her.”

“Ellie, her daughter has been kidnapped . . .”