Judging Joey (18 page)

Chapter 16

“Nice wart.”

Madeline couldn’t help but chuckle at Joey’s remark the next day, even though she was trying her best to ignore him and his goofy gorilla suit. Her hand automatically flew to touch the green protrusion on her nose. She’d gone all out that Halloween afternoon and donned her full witch’s gear, green makeup on her face and all. She wore a long black dress and cape, squeezed her legs into pink and black striped stockings, and held a broom for added effect.

So far the weather was cooperating fully. As predicted, the unusually warm fall weather finally snapped and dropped at least fifteen degrees from the day before. Joey seemed particularly thrilled. He kept the gorilla head on most of the time. She doubted he would have been able to tolerate the heavy costume otherwise.

For the past hour she had trooped alongside some of her students and their parents and participated in the obligatory small talk. She waited politely with the adults as the children raced to ring doorbells and shout “trick-or-treat.” And up until now, she had avoided more than a simple hello with Joey, his sister and her children, his parents, and even his over-the-top, in-your-face Aunt Nora.

The group stopped in front of a grand brick house with white pillar columns and a long driveway. The adults stayed on the sidewalk and watched the children race down the driveway toward the front door. As they waited, they formed groups of four or five and chatted amongst themselves. Mikey’s mother was one of the parents in the group, and upon noticing that Madeline stood alone for a moment, seized the opportunity to speak with her.

“Miss White, Mikey and I adore you. The other night I held a meeting at my house for the PTA committee I’m on and of course the ladies began to gossip about school. I thought you should know that Vanessa Booth’s been implying you’re not a good teacher.”

Madeline turned toward her but didn’t respond, too surprised to do more than nod and hear her out. She’d have to talk to Claire about this. This has to be considered slander or something.

“Vanessa wasn’t at this meeting. All the moms there were sticking up for you. One mom even suggested that Vanessa was off her rocker like last time.”

“Last time?” Bewildered, Madeline crinkled her forehead and saw her witch’s nose bob up and down in almost welcomed comic relief as she listened to the bizarre story.

“This mother has an older sister whose children went to school with Vanessa’s older son. There was a time, many years ago, when Vanessa started acting strangely at school functions and one of the teachers who had her son took a leave of absence. Rumor has it that Vanessa made the poor teacher’s life miserable. Then Vanessa went ‘away’ for a couple of months.”

Curious if there were any truth to the rumors, Madeline asked, “When was this exactly?”

“When Scott went to this school.” She spoke in a quiet, but determined voice. “Don’t you worry, Miss White. The ladies of my committee believe in you.”

The children started running back down the driveway and the parents began to travel to the next house.

Joey made his way over and Mikey’s mom cleared out.

“Thanks for coming.” Joey took Madeline’s elbow and led her away from the rest of the pack. He tore off the head of his costume.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. So much for safety in numbers. Or for more small talk. “Make a promise, keep a promise, Uncle Mark always says.” She crossed her arms and stared at the man she’d known since high school. Nothing Joey could say would change her mind about him. And if her uncle could move on in his love life, so could she. More determined than ever, she decided that after today she would have as sparse contact with Joey as possible.

He leaned in and kept his voice low. “I went to Alex’s place last night and we talked. And talked. She stuffed her face with Buffalo-style chicken wings and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink pizzas, before she finally admitted George wasn’t the monster she made him out to be.”

Madeline perked up, all ears now. “So she lied to you?”

“No, more like to herself. She couldn’t acknowledge that they were wrong for each other. She said she had invested so much time in their relationship that she wanted desperately for it to work.”

“Why didn’t it?”

“Alex wasn’t ready to be an instant mother. She came from a sizeable family and she is not ready to have children, but George is a package deal. Something she couldn’t handle and he knew it. That’s why he broke off their engagement. It’s taken her all this time to realize he had made the right decision.”

Madeline twirled the pole of the broom. “What about her finding him with another woman?”

“That was true. After they had broken up the first time.
He
thought they were on a break,
she
didn’t. A total misunderstanding according to Alex,
now
.”

“Sounds like you had a lot to do with her seeing the light.”

He laughed, tiny lines dancing around his eyes. “I think it finally hit her on her third root beer float.”

“Yikes! Who knew Alex was such a junk food eater?”

“Only under duress. She hit the gym at the crack of dawn before work.” He was still smiling when he said, “I saw one of the moms talking to you. See? People care about you here.”

Madeline decided to share what she learned about Vanessa and reveal what Mikey’s mom told her. She filled him in on the rumors. “Mrs. Gallo was teaching here at that time. Do you think she knows anything about this?”

Joey’s smile turned into a frown and his tone grew serious. “I’ll look into it. I doubt my family knew anything. Caitlin and I would have remembered that. It’s possible it was another thing that Trent hid from us about Vanessa over the years. We always suspected he didn’t want to disappoint my father and have to admit he made another poor choice where Vanessa was concerned. I’m starting to deduce we didn’t know the half of it.”

Caitlin called out to them from down the street, one hand on Kylie’s stroller. “Come on, you two. The kids are two houses down the street already.”

They nodded, then jogged to catch up with the crowd.

Christopher called to Joey to show him a special treat he received, and after telling Madeline he’d be right back, Joey followed the request.

As soon as he left, Caitlin dashed over leaving her baby and stroller with her parents and some of their other nieces and nephews. Aunt Nora swooped in behind Caitlin.

“It was so nice of you to come,” Caitlin said in a conspiratorial manner. “I can’t recall ever hearing of the other teachers doing this.”

Madeline shrugged. “Joey asked me and Christopher seemed so excited about it.”

Caitlin and her aunt exchanged looks. They both nodded and said, “Of course.”

“Joey said most of my students would be here as well. I thought that would be okay. Since most of my students are here. I wouldn’t be showing favoritism or anything . . .”

They exchanged looks again. This time Madeline’s jaw tightened. She ground her teeth waiting for a further explanation. When none came, she said, “Did I do something wrong?”

Nora cooed and then hugged her, apparently not caring that she’d probably get green makeup in her hair. “Sweet cheeks, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. You’re the one.”

When Nora trailed away, Madeline noticed her eyes misting up. She looked at Caitlin. Tears welled in her eyes, too, and she bit her lower lip as she nodded.

“I don’t understand,” Madeline said.

Joey came over. Caitlin and Nora dabbed at their eyes.

“We’ll explain later. You’ll have to come for dinner.”

“Dinner? Did I just hear my sister and aunt invite you to dinner? We won’t take no for an answer, will we?” He offered a beaming grin.

Madeline shook her head. “Thanks, but—”

Caitlin interrupted. “It’s tradition. All the trick-or-treaters are invited back to my parents’ for an early dinner. Several of your students and their parents are coming, too. Then whoever has energy left goes out trick-or-treating when it gets dark. It’s a blast.”

Nora smiled. “You must come. You’ll meet my husband.”

Madeline considered their offer. It seemed from their expressions it was one that she couldn’t refuse, so she gave in. For now.

Tomorrow was another day, and she was determined it would be Joey free.

After Madeline left to go home to change, Joey paced his parents’ living room. He had wanted her to come straight to the house with him and the group, but she had insisted on washing the green gook off her face and putting on comfortable clothes. He didn’t like being apart from her. This feeling was new to him. He had never quite felt that way about any other woman.

Joey stopped pacing, flung back the curtains, and peered out the broad picture window.
How long does it take to throw on a pair of jeans?

“She’ll come when she’s good and ready, son.”

Joey whipped around and grabbed his chest. “Geez, Dad, you can give a person a heart attack creeping up on him like that. Even someone my age.” He lowered his voice. “Why aren’t you in the basement or the kitchen with everyone else?”

His father waved him off. “I wanted a little peace and quiet for a minute. Could ask the same of you,” he added with a chuckle. “There’s no need to worry about your lady friend. She promised those kids that she was coming for dinner, so she’ll be here.”

Joey stuck his thumbs in the loops of his jeans. He, too, had decided to shed his costume. He had only worn the gorilla suit because Christopher had begged him to buy it when they had gone to the mall together one day. It had never occurred to him how hot he would be inside of it.

“Your sister mentioned something to Mom about Vanessa up to her old tricks again. Care to elaborate?”

Joey filled him in what he knew so far.

His dad put his hands in his pockets and lowered his head like when one of his children disappointed him somehow. He took a moment as if gathering his thoughts. “Trent was like a younger brother to me. I took him under my wing. And he was doing okay until he met Vanessa. Your mom and I could tell she was a bad influence. They fought a lot. Trent drank more. We felt sorry for their boy, Scott. That’s why we pushed you to befriend him. You were a good sport about it, but we could tell that boy was trouble, and we weren’t being fair to you. So when he threw that party, we cut off what was left of our friendship.”

“Dad, do you recall a time Vanessa went ‘away’?”

Again his dad seemed to be contemplating what to say. “By ‘away’ if you mean prison, not that I know. But she did leave for a long period of time once or twice over the years and Trent made excuses for her disappearing. He said she had to take care of a friend or relative. We assumed she left him and then would decide to come back.”

Joey wondered if it was more than that. He was determined to push his detective skills into overdrive. But not tonight. Tonight he wanted to focus on his relationship with Madeline. “Dad?”

“Yes, son?”

“Speaking about the past. How’d you know Mom was the one? Was it love at first sight?”

His dad chuckled harder this time. “Not even close. In fact, I recall her first words to me were something about kissing her where the sun didn’t shine.” He winked at Joey. “You get my meaning?”

“What? Mom said that?” He couldn’t picture it since his mother was the prim and proper twin. “Mom must have mellowed a bit. Now, I could see Aunt Nora saying that.”

His dad laughed again and pointed to the couch. “Let’s sit.” His dad slid back, but Joey perched on the edge.

His dad continued, a glimmer in his eye. “There was a fall dance at your mom’s all-girl high school during her junior year. Boys from my private school were invited. I asked her to dance and she turned me down. Well, let’s just say I couldn’t take no for an answer.” He paused for a moment as if reminiscing and his smile grew. “I thought she might like a glass of fruit punch. Wouldn’t you know when I reached her, one of my pals smacked me on the arm?”

His father smirked. “His way of saying hello. I’m not sure what happened next. Either he threw my arm off balance or he knocked into the glass of punch, but the next thing I knew, your mom had red liquid running straight down the front of her yellow dress. It took all of that year and well into senior year to convince her I wasn’t a total insensitive klutz.”

“You never gave up on her, did you, Dad?”

His father shook his head again, looking a million miles away. “She was worth it, son.” He focused in on Joey. “This Madeline, is she worth all your effort? If tomorrow, you never saw her again, how would you feel?”

Joey felt his stomach tense just from the thought. “Like someone shot me in the gut.”

His father leaned closer. “Maybe she’s the one, boy. The females in this family seem to think so, anyway. But you’re the only one who can determine that.”

“I never felt this way about anyone. Ever. I think I finally know what it feels like to start to fall in love with someone. Now I just have to convince Maddie of that.”

Chapter 17

Madeline unhooked Rusty’s leash and let him loose in the dog park. He dashed after Chloe, Steve and Chet’s dog. Madeline chugged down cold water from a reusable bottle, and used a sports towel to wipe the sweat off her neck. Steve and Chet acknowledged her with a wave and she reciprocated hoping they wouldn’t come over immediately. She needed some time to herself to think.

She took the towel and dabbed at her legs. Although the temperature had dropped down to a more seasonable fifties, she still opted for shorts for her long run. Exercise always took her mind off of her troubles. And troubles she had.

Madeline sank down on a bench under a tree, blocking the sun from further burning her skin. In her haste that morning she had forgotten sunscreen and the delicate pale skin on her arms was beginning to show a blotchy sunburn. Great. Now she could add an unattractive sunburn to her list of troubles.

Also on her list of troubles—her job. It was in the toilet, thanks to Vanessa’s anger toward her and Joey speaking his mind about George. Now, because of that, Sabrina wasn’t standing by her in her role as her mentor. Madeline would have trouble finding another teaching job without a good reference. Plus, she wouldn’t be able to help pay the bills, and her uncle’s debt was climbing. He might lose the house.

Not only had she lost her mentor, she’d lost a best friend twice, considering Allison, thanks to the man she foolishly thought she had feelings for. Blaming Joey for what’d happened with Allison might be a stretch to some, but he was friends with those jocks back in high school. And Madeline had to acknowledge she’d had feelings for him then too. Strong feelings. Like now. Maybe even falling-in-love-with-him feelings. But after everything that had happened, she couldn’t even look him in the eye without thinking of all the pain he had caused her, no matter how directly or indirectly.

Her heart softened a bit as she watched Rusty frolic about, carefree and oblivious to human trouble. She suddenly remembered something comical she had read about regarding dogs’ problems. If dogs encountered something they couldn’t eat or chew, then the solution was to pee on it. She laughed softly and a smile lingered on her lips. If only her problems could be solved so simply.

“I thought I’d find you here after you didn’t show at the shelter.” Sabrina came around to the front of the bench with Pepper, surprising Madeline. She released the leash and Pepper raced to join Rusty. “Can’t blame you for switching your hours. It’s good to see you smile.”

Madeline shrugged. “Not much to smile about lately.” She turned away, not able to stop her eyes from watering.

“A lot of that is my fault.” Sabrina touched her arm. “I’m sorry.”

Madeline faced Sabrina, tears threatening to spill over if she blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I shouldn’t have refused to be your mentor any more. I crossed the line between professionalism and friendship. That wasn’t right.”

“Oh.”

“I called Mr. Denby at his home last night, even though it was Saturday.”

Madeline shot up straighter on the bench. “You did?” She used her towel to wipe under her eyes, pretending to wipe away sweat.

Sabrina nodded. “Mmm-hmm. I told him I should have never let a silly personal misunderstanding jeopardize your professional career and I was completely at fault. I told him what a wonderful teacher you are and that he shouldn’t let someone like Vanessa Booth dictate school policy. And I wanted him to know that before he went to that stuffy Halloween party of hers.”

Madeline gasped. “You didn’t!”

“I sure did.”

“Sabrina, why would help me? I thought you hated me.” Madeline clasped her hands to her heart.

Now it was Sabrina’s turn to get teary-eyed. “I had to make it right again. I admit I was hurt when you took Joey’s side against George. You took his opinion over mine and I lashed out. After some soul-searching I can see why you thought the worst of George. My track record is abominable, and Joey and Alex’s comments added fuel. I get it.”

“Still, you’re my friend. I shouldn’t have butted in.”

“You were only trying to help. Can we put this behind us and forget it ever happened?”

“You want us to be friends again?”

Sabrina laughed. “Of course. I couldn’t stay mad at you forever.”

Madeline would have hugged her if she hadn’t been so sweaty.

Sabrina leaned over and kissed her cheek instead.

“So how are things between you and Joey?”

“Nonexistent. I blamed him for what happened between you and me.”

“I figured as much. Joey called me early yesterday morning to see if he could come over and talk to me. He said he was supposed to work the day shift, but was able to get the day off so that he could take care of a few things before you all went trick-or-treating later that afternoon. He promised coffee and donuts, so I thought why not? I
never
turn down a chocolate frosted donut. Anyway, when he arrived, he told me that Alex finally shed light on what really broke George and her up. Then George told me later that Joey had gone straight to him afterward and had a man-to-man. I guess Joey wanted his conscience clear by doing the right thing, too. I asked him about you, but he was tight-lipped.”

Madeline didn’t reply. She didn’t know what to say. She was with him in the late afternoon and evening and he never mentioned a thing. Neither did Caitlin, come to think of it.

“He’s coming here to meet us. Should be here any minute.”

“What? You didn’t!”

“Sure did. I told you I had to make things right again. And he’s right for you. Only you’re too thickheaded to see that. And here he comes. See? He even has perfect timing.”

Madeline leaped up and, sure enough, Joey strode over from the parking area. Sabrina flashed a smile and wave to him, then left Madeline alone, marching toward Steve and Chet without further explanation. Madeline had no choice but to wipe away the stunned expression she was certain was plastered on her face.

“Hey. Mind if I sit?” He pointed to Sabrina’s empty spot.

Madeline gave him a cool reception. “Suit yourself.” She joined him on the bench, suddenly feeling self-conscious about being sweaty.

“You had fun yesterday, right?”

“Yeah, it was nice. Halloween’s my favorite holiday. Your family was very kind to me.”

“They really liked you. You fit right in.”

She relaxed back on the bench, a feeling of warm contentment wrapped around her. “Puh . . . lease . . . you probably say that to all your girlfriends.”

“No . . . no, I’ve never said that. They accepted you instantly. Wait . . . are you saying that you’re my girlfriend?”

“I wanted to talk to you about that. They seemed to think I was, and well, Joey, you and I can never be. In fact, I’m glad you’re here because I might as well say it to your face.” Madeline swallowed, regarded him, and continued, “I think it’s best if we keep our distance. It may be impossible to avoid each other, especially at school, but we can manage, we’re adults.”

“You still blame me for that whole thing with George and Sabrina?”

Madeline shook her head. “Sabrina told me what you did. That was cool of you.”

“I had nothing to do with her forgiving you. She did that on her own.”

“So she said. Still, I think you had some influence.”

“What’s the problem, then?”

“Look right now so many things are going wrong in my life. I need to step back and reassess. I have to focus my energies on finding a new job. I have to take care of my uncle.”

He just stared at her at first, apparently not getting the seriousness of the situation. Then he covered her hand with his.

She didn’t pull away. His hand felt comforting. It covered hers completely. It felt right. Still . . . “My uncle might lose his house if I can’t help with the bills. It would just kill him. He means everything to me.”

“I don’t know what kind of financial problems your uncle has, but you’re not going to lose your job. I won’t let that happen.”

She ripped her hand away. “There’s nothing you or anyone else can do. Vanessa Booth has it out for me and she has the board’s ears. I appreciate that Sabrina called our principal, but it’s not going to make a difference. The board is deaf and dumb where Vanessa is concerned. Mr. Denby will take her side over mine. That’s the nail in my coffin.”

Joey ran his hands through his hair. “Wow. I thought you were a fighter. That was my first impression of you anyway. My instincts are usually right on target. What gives?”

She twisted to meet his gaze head on. Now the true Joey was showing his face. The one she named Golden Boy, the one who never had a care in the world except which girl to go out with on a Saturday night. This is why they would never work. They came from two different worlds. His was fun and good times, hers—a lot of heartbreak.

“You have no right to judge me. You were born into a loving family. I wasn’t so lucky. My mother had no maternal instincts, and when my dad died, she abandoned me. Have you any idea what it’s like to have your own mother not care when the last time your clothes were washed or even if you ate a meal in the last week?”

She saw shock register in his eyes. Most people didn’t know the depths of her horrible childhood, with the exception of her aunt and uncle and her closest friends. The look in Joey’s eyes was exactly why she never spoke of her past. It still shocked her sometimes that she’d lived through years of neglect. Her jaw grew tight and she ground her teeth, blinking back tears.

He cupped her chin and gently forced her to face him. “Sorry. You’re right. I don’t know what you went through as a child. But this is now, Maddie. You have to put up a fight.”

“I’ve been fighting all my life. Fighting to be loved by two people who shouldn’t have been allowed to own a gerbil, let alone have a child. I had trouble fitting in at school because I didn’t have the right clothes, or haircut, or toys. By the time my uncle came for me, I’d found a cozy niche of friends, but was torn away from all I knew to live with elderly relatives I barely knew.”

Rusty bounded over and licked her hand. He nudged himself between Joey’s and her legs, then decided to lie down between them on their feet. When Joey released her chin, she reached down and petted Rusty. Dogs were so astute. She guessed he sensed her anxiety. Joey let her continue.

“Don’t get me wrong. My aunt and uncle were great. More than great. In their later years they were saddled with a teenager. A very unhappy one. But they became the parents I never had. Things were starting to look up for me. I had clean clothes, food to eat every day, trips to the doctors and dentist. All was well until the whole episode with your friends and Allison. Then life went into the toilet for me once again. High school became unbearable. I went away to a college where no one knew me and that’s where things were great.”

She stopped for a moment before saying, “Did you know my aunt and mother died within a short time of each other? I mourned my aunt.”

Joey reached for her hands again and held them tight. “Look at me, Maddie. A lot of people care about you in addition to your uncle. Including me. No way is Vanessa going to get away with railroading you.”

Madeline dared to look into Joey’s eyes and what she saw there surprised her. Concern. Could it be he cared for her as much as she was beginning to care for him? She reached for Rusty’s collar and clicked the leash on. “It’s getting late. I have to run home and shower before volunteering at the shelter.” Madeline stood up. She wished she could believe he could save her job, but Vanessa was well-respected if not well-liked.

Nope, if people believed Vanessa, her job was all but nonexistent.