Right from the Start (15 page)

And suddenly Kenzie was struck by the similarities between
them. She filled her life with the people she loved and work, too. That was a
good thing, right?

“This is the first chance I’ve had all day to give you a call.”
Geri launched into the summary of a case that had led her to a mediator from
another county she thought Kenzie might be interested in. “I want you to check
her out. I was impressed by her work on a tough case. She’s not technically
practicing collaborative mediation, but it was close enough that I thought you’d
be interested in what she’s doing. I know you’re always on the hunt for
qualified professionals.”

“Especially now I have room to start my training program,
thanks to you. I appreciate how you always keep your eyes open.”

“We’ll never push divorce reform in this state without the
professionals willing to crusade for the cause. You know that as well as I
do.”

“I do. Feels like nothing is really happening yet.”

A sharply exhaled breath hissed over the line. “Kenzie, how can
you even say that? You’ve accomplished so much even before you started the
agency.
We’ve
accomplished a lot with our family
court here in Henderson County.”

“True, thank you for the pep talk. I am excited.” She laughed.
“Well, I will be, when my classrooms are functioning.”

“How’s that going, by the way? You settling in?”

Kenzie sipped the Malbec, savored the deliciously dry and
full-bodied wine in her mouth before swallowing. Nathanial was the best.
Chocolate for Valentine’s Day? Not for Kenzie. She’d take a blooming plant for
her garden and a bottle of wine any day. Only good wine, though. “I think
so.”

“You sound undecided. Want to talk?”

Kenzie smiled into the beautiful space she’d created in her
living room with huge circles of soft light from the beaded lamps and all the
paned windows and live ferns and an airy rattan sofa with the big cushions that
matched this chair.

And here she thought she’d be alone with her thoughts tonight.
Things worked out exactly the way they were meant to. Kenzie needed to remember
that. “Something divine must be at work right now because you’re a little
angel.”

Hearty laughter. “I know what that means. What’s on your mind,
dear girl. I have lots of opinions. Always glad to share.”

“And I value your opinions, Geri. You know I do.”

“Always said you were a smart girl.”

Which meant something since Geri had been around for as long as
Kenzie could remember. So she explained what had been going on with her and
Will. There was no embarrassment to admit when she was in over her head. Not
with Geri, who knew everything about Kenzie and had daughters of her own.

By the time Kenzie had finished explaining about her run-in
with Nathanial and Will tonight, she was halfway through her glass of wine and
Geri was on the other end of the line saying, “Mmm-hmm. I understand the
problem.”

“I’m thrilled to hear that,” Kenzie said. “Any idea about a
solution? I could use one of those right now.”

“Do you hear yourself, Kenzie? I mean really hear what you’re
saying?”

“What?”

“You’re micromanaging your physical reactions. Or trying to. I
really don’t think you can do that, which is probably why it’s not working.”

“Of course I’m micromanaging them, Geri. If I don’t, who will?
They’re
my
reactions.”

Silence. Then a deep sigh. “That’s not exactly what I meant. I
get that you’re choosing what to do with your feelings, and I agree. But it
seems that if you’re having this strong of a reaction to Will, maybe you should
be analyzing why instead of attempting to ignore how you feel when that’s not
working.”

“I’m not sure knowing why matters.”

“But don’t you think it’s possible that something might be
there, something special between the two of you? Why else would you be having
such a physical reaction to the man?”

Something between her and Will? It took Kenzie a moment to wrap
her brain around what Geri suggested.

“No,” Kenzie finally said. Then repeated more decidedly. “No,
Geri.
No
. There can’t be anything between me and
Will, special or otherwise. Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s not the kind of man I want a future with.”

“I didn’t say you had to marry him.”

Kenzie shook her head. “What are you saying then?”

“Um, you date, right?”

“The man’s been divorced twice.”

“And?”

“The man’s been divorced
twice.”

“Oh, you have criteria. Got it. Will Russell is unsuitable.”
Geri chuckled. “Does that mean you found out what the deal was with his son? Why
did he get primary physical custody? I’d be interested in hearing.”

“I have no idea.” Kenzie realized that she didn’t mind sharing
revelations about Sam with Geri. “My guess is that it has something to do with
his son’s special needs.”

“That makes the situation tough. What’s he dealing with?”

“Autism.”

“What a shame. The mother involved at all?”

Kenzie turned to stare out the picture window into the darkness
beyond, shadowed by the bright interior light. She might not be able to see
them, but her gardenia bushes were there, scenting the night with their heavenly
fragrance.

“I think so, but I’m not sure how much,” Kenzie said. “Will
mentioned his son on moving day. Got the impression he was with his mother for
Mother’s Day.”

“That’s good. Can’t be easy taking care of his son alone.”

“No, I imagine not.” She remembered their ball game in the
park. Their dinner at Kenzie’s. Putting the big dance studio to use so Sam could
get the wiggles out, as Will had called it.

“I have to be honest, Kenzie. I’m not hearing too much
unsuitable about Will yet. Two divorces. Is that all you have?”

“Two divorces means we have a man with some relationship
issues. I don’t have any idea what they are, of course, but I promise you he has
them. He could be choosing his partners poorly, but I don’t think that’s the
case because I’ve met one of his ex-wives.” Of course, she’d lost custody of her
son, so maybe Kenzie was the one who shouldn’t be forming opinions.

She
definitely
shouldn’t be forming
opinions.

“You mentioned that. So what do you think it is? Dealing with
an autistic child is tough, Kenzie. Couldn’t stress have played a big
factor?”

“I’d imagine it could. But what about the first divorce? No
autism there to my knowledge. My guess is inadequate relationship skills.”

“Speculation.”

“Agreed,” Kenzie said. “But enough circumstantial evidence to
suggest he has some issues.”

“We don’t convict on circumstantial evidence, and you won’t
have hard facts unless you get to know the man personally.”

“Point taken. But I’m not interested in his issues, Geri. I
don’t have time to date at the moment, and he’s not the sort of man I’d consider
a future with.”

“Then you’re back to square one with your reactions.” Before
Kenzie got a chance to reply, Geri said impatiently, “Okay, okay. So what sort
of man do you want a future with?”

Kenzie glanced at the credenza that housed a flat-screen
television, on so seldom she couldn’t be sure it still worked. Beside it sat a
framed photo of Nathanial and her, arms raised, faces contorted with laughing
shrieks as they plunged into the spray of Thunder Mountain Railroad, a roller
coaster at Disney World. In the dual frame was another photo. Nathanial wore a
crown in this one and she wore a pink princess hat.

Mementos from their trip to Florida two years ago. Right before
she started the agency. The answer was easy.

“Nathanial.”

A snort. “I swear you two give me whiplash. I didn’t know you
were dating right now. You’re always together. Always. But I never know if
you’re
together
together.”

“We’re not.”

“You’re killing me here, Kenzie. You do know you’re
not
together together more than you’re together,
right?”

She chuckled. “Oh, my. I’m not even going to try to wrap my
brain around that. It’s really not all that complicated, Geri. Nathanial and I
weren’t interested in getting married right out of high school. Both our parents
gave us the same advice: live a little. There’ll be plenty of time for mortgages
and responsibilities. Don’t skip steps, otherwise, down the road we’ll wake up
and wonder what we missed.”

“Sound advice. But you’re almost thirty. If you still haven’t
gotten all the pieces in place yet with Nathanial, then your problem with Will
is solved. Get together with Will for a while. Stop engaging in a power struggle
with your feelings.”

Get together?
Geri hadn’t actually
said to sleep with the man, had she?

Of course
not.

Kenzie was the one who made the leap from Geri’s suggestion to
date into bed. Because her inner child was out of control and they were locked
in a power struggle.

Geri was right about that.

Kenzie knew full well that no one ever won a power struggle.
She wasn’t going to be able to bully or muscle her inner child into giving up.
She had to be much smarter than that. She downed the last of the wine in her
glass. “I should be practicing what I preach.”

“But you are, my friend. Sounds to me as though you’ve analyzed
your reaction to death.”

“But it’s not going away.” It was getting
worse.

The laughter on the other end of the line annoyed Kenzie enough
to propel her from the chair. Action as distraction. She headed straight into
the kitchen to refill her glass.

“Your reaction is only getting worse because you’re not dealing
with it. You’re acknowledging that your attraction to this man exists and that’s
it. Is it really so hard to grasp? You teach this stuff.”

Kenzie poured the fragrant wine. Only a quarter of a glass.
Then, on second thought, she added another healthy splash. “Even if I was
inclined to give in to my petulant inner child, which I’m not, I don’t see that
involving myself with a man when neither of us has the time will solve anything.
Will has a child who needs him even more than a normal six-year-old needs his
parents. Plural. There are supposed to be two.”

There was a thoughtful silence on the other end.

Kenzie returned to the living room and sat in her chair
again.

“You know, Kenzie,” Geri finally said. “I recognize you have
issues with Will because of his divorces, but it seems to me that there’s more
to the man that might be worth taking another look at. I mean, he seems to be
moving heaven and earth to help his son. The city council. Family
Foundations.”

She paused, and Kenzie took another fortifying sip before Geri
continued.

“Sally deals with all kinds of folks as mayor, and she thinks
highly of Will. If she didn’t, I would have never passed along your name. Seems
to me you might want to step back and take a look at the forest instead of
looking at only one tree.”

Kenzie understood what Geri was saying, but her choice of
metaphor raised another question.

How was Kenzie supposed to handle the forest when she could
barely handle one tree?

CHAPTER EIGHT

M
ELINDA
P
ATTERSON
.

Will frowned at the nameplate outside the office door. Although
why he should be surprised was a mystery. He’d known Melinda had gone back to
her maiden name, the one she’d used professionally throughout their marriage.
The legality had actually been ruled on by the judge in the divorce.

Maybe seeing her name brought up the memory of the years they’d
dated, before marriage and kids.

The
good times,
as it turned
out.

Or maybe seeing her maiden name emphasized the separation
between mother and son.

He hadn’t been to Melinda’s office since before she’d decided
to work from home to accommodate all of Sam’s doctor’s appointments and therapy
sessions. She hadn’t been willing to give up her job entirely, and the company
had been more than willing to take what they could get from her.

She’d worked for Blue Ridge Productions, LLC, since an
internship in college and had branded the company so they’d earned a
recognizable and reliable name among the directors and producers who wanted to
film in the region. Her company scouted locations all over the Blue Ridge and
Smokey Mountains and the surrounding areas, pulled permits and generally took
care of all the accommodations so a production company could come to town and
shoot without wasting time and money.

The job was a perfect fit for Melinda, who was both motivated
and social. Lots of parties. Lots of travel. Right up her alley. His once, too,
when they’d been together. He wasn’t surprised Blue Ridge Productions had moved
heaven and earth to keep her. Will himself had learned an awful lot about his
own business from her. She was
that
good.

The administrative assistant motioned him forward with a
polite, “She’s expecting you, Mr. Russell.”

Will was glad that they’d given Melinda the corner office she’d
always loved, with windows on two walls that overlooked a conservation lot with
a pond and against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains that featured so
prominently in her work.

He rapped on the door, then entered. He’d only come here today
because she’d been pressed for time, and he didn’t want to address the issue
about dropping in on Sam over the phone. She obviously didn’t get the importance
of giving Guadalupe a heads-up. A face-to-face conversation would help Will read
her, so he could figure out how to get her to understand. He needed her
cooperation, not an argument. And Sam didn’t deserve to have a simple, but
important, direction ignored.

Funny how the sight of her behind her desk, reading glasses on
her head, pushing the sleek blond hair back from her face, seemed so familiar,
reminiscent of the years before their marriage when they’d been a solid couple,
enjoying life, laying a strong foundation for the future.

So he’d thought. Melinda, too, by all accounts.

“Hey, Will,” she said. “Come on in. Give me two seconds. Just
let me send this email.”

“No problem.” He sat in a chair in front of the desk, resisted
the urge to grab his own phone and check his messages. Always business with
them. Instead, he glanced out the windows at the view and took in the peace of
the scene.

“So what’s up that we need to discuss but I don’t need to worry
about?” she asked on one long breath, repeating almost verbatim what he’d told
her when he’d suggested they get together to talk.

She’d turned away from the computer, folding her hands in front
of her and giving him her undivided attention.

He’d considered how to begin this conversation, mentally tried
out several approaches to sidestep a bad start because the minute Melinda felt
cornered, she got defensive and the conversation was over. The productive part,
anyway.

Then he got annoyed. Never a good thing.

“Sam’s still dragging around your latest gift everywhere he
goes. Rafael, too, from what Guadalupe says. She takes them outside and tells
them to go annihilate the universe.”

Melinda flashed her trademark high-beam smile. “I knew he’d
like it the minute I saw it. I had my fingers crossed about Rafael, because he’s
a little older.”

“Guadalupe appreciated you thinking of him.”

“Of course. He and Sam are like brothers. I wouldn’t ever show
up with something for one and not the other.”

There it was. The opening he’d been hoping for. “Speaking of, I
wanted to mention that it works out best for Sam if you call before you drop
by.”

There was a beat of silence. “I know that, Will.”

He went the stupid route. “Oh, I didn’t realize you’d called
that day.”

Her smile faded, replaced by the first hint of ice in her
expression. “Did Guadalupe complain because I dropped by?”

Melinda didn’t admit to not calling which confirmed everything
Will already knew. “No, of course not. She would never. You know that. She knows
how much Sam enjoys spending time with you.”

“That’s good, because I’m his mother.”

Will leaned back in the chair, affected a casual posture that
he didn’t come close to feeling. Tired more accurately described how he felt.
Unhappy that he was here once again having a discussion with his ex-wife that
they’d already had—several times. “I know that, Melinda.”

“Then what’s the problem? What did you want to discuss?”

“The importance of giving whoever’s caring for Sam a chance to
prepare him for visits.”

She exhaled heavily, obviously as tired as he was—with this
conversation, anyway. “I know I should have called, but I was in the area
scouting a site. I wound up getting done early and had to choose whether or not
to miss an unexpected chance to visit. I wanted him to have his gift since he’s
been spending so much time at Guadalupe’s while you’ve been working on the new
building.”

Which might be acceptable if exactly the same thing hadn’t
happened before. Often. Whenever it suited Melinda, in fact. He didn’t point
that out. He knew these situations arose whenever she started feeling guilty
because Sam didn’t live with her and would only resent Will calling her out on
her lack of consideration. “By the time I got there to pick Sam up, he was
having a meltdown.”

Shaking her head, she said firmly, “Not from seeing his mother,
he wasn’t.”

“Melinda, he gets stressed. When Guadalupe doesn’t let him know
you’re coming until you’re there, he doesn’t get the time he needs to anticipate
your visit. By the time he wraps his head around it, you’re leaving, then he’s
disappointed because he doesn’t want you to go. All those feelings happening
that fast stress him out. Then he acts out. You know all this.”

Exactly the wrong thing to say because her expression suddenly
seemed sculpted from ice.

“Yes, Will. I do.” Her tone was equally frigid. “So I don’t
need you telling me what I already know. Are you trying to make me feel bad
because I chose not to miss visiting my son so I could take the time to make a
phone call? If that’s the case, you didn’t need to make a special trip over here
because you can make me feel like a crummy mother quite well over the
phone.”

The throbbing in his temples kicked up a notch. Great. And he
still had a good eight hours left of this day. “Melinda, why would I do that? I
don’t think you’re a crummy mother, and I certainly never said that I did.”

Rising in a smooth motion, she turned her back to him. He
recognized the move for exactly what it was—buying herself time to get her
emotions under control so she could restrategize.

“I know you love Sam,” he said. “I know you want what’s best
for him. Sam loves spending time with you. You’re his mother, for God’s sake,
Melinda. Of course he wants to be with you. I just thought maybe you didn’t
realize—”

“Oh, I realize all right. I realize exactly what you’re doing.
The same thing you always do.” She spun on him, gaze teary and voice
tremulous.

Now he was stressing her out. Exactly what he hadn’t
wanted.

“I appreciate you dropping by to upset me before I have to walk
into a really important meeting. Thank you so much. I know you’re the superhero
daddy, Will. Mr. Custody Councilman, fighting for his son’s right for a good
school. And I know I pale by comparison—”

“This isn’t about me. Or you, for that matter. It’s about Sam,
and what’s best for him.” And Will resented the fact that he was dancing around
on eggshells only to wind up exactly where he didn’t want to be—arguing with
her.

“I wanted to see my son and bring him and his friend gifts. The
judge told me I could see Sam whenever I want. He encouraged me to drop by since
our son doesn’t live with his mother.”

“A phone call, Melinda. Is it really so difficult to make one
phone call?”

“I already explained but you don’t seem to be listening. If I’d
have taken the time to call and wait until Guadalupe gave me permission to see
my son, I would have missed the chance to see him. But there’s no reasoning with
you. You’re a total control freak. I tried collaborating with you, and you
turned around and fought me for custody. I try coparenting with you, and you’re
still not happy. What will make you happy? When I don’t have any contact with my
son at all? That’s not going to happen. Ever.”

There were so many things Will could have latched on to in that
little outburst.
Him
a control freak? Melinda
needing permission to see her son? But Will bypassed them all because he was too
busy latching on to one unexpected piece of information.

“I tried collaborating with
you.”

Suddenly Will remembered why Positive Partings had sounded so
familiar. Melinda had contacted the agency when their divorce proceedings
started.

And he suspected he now knew exactly why Kenzie hadn’t voted
for him.

* * *

W
ILL
HEARD
THE
tranquil sound of
Kenzie’s voice from a distance as he crouched on a catwalk in a crawl space in
the attic. He hadn’t been to this side of the building in weeks. Not since the
night before remembering Melinda had consulted with Kenzie. He simply hadn’t
wanted to deal with one more thing, not even something as simple as speculation
about Kenzie’s opinion of him. He shouldn’t be obsessing about what she thought
of him. Ceiling tiles and her list. That’s all he should be thinking about.

They didn’t build buildings like this anymore, meant to endure,
with space to access the electrical and plumbing. Construction to today’s specs,
with focus on efficiency of space and energy use, meant one burst pipe could
bring half the building to a standstill dealing with the damage.

He hadn’t expected Kenzie to be teaching upstairs tonight,
using the smaller of the two classrooms currently available. He didn’t want to
disturb her, but he couldn’t wait to deal with these ceiling tiles any longer,
either. He’d told her he’d replace them, then he’d dropped completely out of
sight as he and his crew gutted the hall and built Angel House’s new
classrooms.

Deanne had toured the redesigned space this morning. There was
still a ton of work to do with painting and carpet and fixtures before they
could install the classroom equipment, but she’d seen past what still needed to
be done as he’d known she would. She’d had tears in her eyes when she’d hugged
him.

Sometimes the most unexpected things kept him going. And he’d
needed those things, especially after confrontations like the last one he’d had
with Melinda.

Superhero Daddy.
How about
practical parent who was looking out for Sam? That worked. The kid deserved one
parent who would since his mother didn’t seem capable.

Just the thought angered him.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to concentrate on what he had
accomplished for his son. What had recently been seven thousand square feet of
open space and tiered seating had turned into seven separate classrooms uniquely
designed to meet the needs of Angel House’s students, from the air flow to the
lighting and everything in between.

Windows and observation panels had been constructed to minimize
distractions yet still give students things to learn from to engage their
attention and grow their skills. The room scale may be smaller than an average
classroom, but not one of the seven was a sterile environment.

No, each classroom possessed unique qualities of scale, light,
color and mood. The rooms served various functions, mimicking the variations of
a normal home. Kitchens differed from bedrooms, bathrooms from living rooms.

These variations of space were one of the ways Angel House
helped kids learn in a natural environment, teaching them to generalize and
transition from one setting to another. To teach things that most kids did
instinctively.

But not kids with autism.

Not Sam.

Crawling through the narrow space, Will pulled along a flat of
ceiling tiles behind him. Pushing the toolbox in front of him, he winced when
the corner nailed some old metal ductwork and rang a resounding echo.

Damn. He hoped Kenzie hadn’t heard that.

Oh, well. Wasn’t much he could do but try to keep the noise
down. He didn’t want her to think the work she needed done was being sacrificed
for the work on Angel House, which was exactly what had been happening. There
were only so many hours in a day, so he hadn’t crossed off one thing from her
never-ending list recently.

Of course, a lot of that had to do with the fact that he didn’t
want complications right now, didn’t need distractions. He’d enjoyed three weeks
Kenzie-free because she was a feminine, redheaded distraction, no matter how he
cut it.

But Will had pushed his luck to the furthest limit and needed
to accomplish something before Kenzie lost faith. With Sam away at summer camp
for a full seven days, the timing couldn’t be better. Will could work all day
and not have to worry about getting to Guadalupe’s house before Sam’s
bedtime.