Christel slid into the corner booth at Charley’s next to her brother, Aiden. “Sorry I’m late everyone.”
“No worries. I was late, too. Just not as late as you,” Katie teased.
Christel grabbed one of the plastic menus off the table. “I’m starving.” She quickly perused the selections, then glanced around. “Where’s Shane?”
Aiden tilted his head in the direction of a nearby table where Aimee was passing out glasses of water. “Aimee’s working, so he has baby duty today.”
Christel’s eyebrows lifted. “I thought they’d lined up childcare.”
Katie grabbed a napkin and wiped the moisture from the outside her water glass. “Apparently, the little guy isn’t feeling well. He was sniffling last night and Shane thought it best that he stayed home with Carson today.”
Christel nodded. “Ah…makes sense.” She closed her menu and placed it on the table. “Seems it’s getting harder and harder to get us all here each week.” Here was a popular bar and restaurant named Charley’s, where graybeard bikers and young surfers lined up for the best food and fun around. The Briscoe siblings had been gathering at Charley’s for over three years. The regular lunch dates were their time to connect…just the four of them.
Katie shrugged. “Well, I get it. I’ve been a parent for years, and I still struggle to make time for myself. It’s especially hard when they are babies.”
“Yeah, Shane is new to this. He’ll get it all figured out,” Aiden offered in support of his younger brother. “It’s not like Shane ever passes up a good time intentionally.”
“True,” Katie agreed.
Aimee spotted them from across the room and waved. Minutes later, she made her way over to their table. “Hey, how’s it going?”
Katie gave her future sister-in-law a wide smile. “Looks like they’re keeping you busy.” She glanced around at the crowded tables. “It’s really packed today.”
Aimee pulled her order pad from her pocket and shrugged. “That means lots of tips. Shane and I can use every extra dollar right now. What with buying the house and all.”
“How’s the real estate deal coming along?” Aiden asked her.
“Shane says we close in two weeks, just before the wedding.”
Katie couldn’t hide her excitement. “If you need any help, just let me know. I’d love to assist in the decorating. I know from experience that there are a lot of details with weddings, and you may find yourself running short on time. I could even help with the wedding, if you need. You don’t want anything to slip through the cracks and cause stress. I mean, it’s your special day and you’ll want everything to go perfectly.”
Aimee pulled a pen from behind her ear and clicked it open. “I think we’re good. We’re keeping everything really simple.”
“Oh, yeah…sure,” Katie said. “But, if you change your mind, just holler. We’d all love to help in any way possible.” She looked around the table. “Right?”
Christel and Aiden nodded in agreement before turning their attention to their menus. Poor Katie. She seemed lost now that her house was built and they’d moved in. It wouldn’t be long before she landed on another project. That was her sister’s modus operandi.
Aimee took their orders, noting Katie’s request to hold the pickles from her hamburger and Aiden’s quick offer to have his sister’s pickles dumped on his plate.
“What?” he said when all of them looked his way. “I like pickles.”
Christel gathered the menus and handed them off to Aimee. “We were just talking about you and Shane and about how difficult it must be to juggle the parenting duties.”
“Yeah, about that. Sorry your brother had to stay home with Carson. I told him he should just bring the baby with him. He’s no trouble, really. I mean, we can’t just put our lives on hold because we’ve got a kid.”
Christel reached for her water glass. “They say ninety percent of parenting is just thinking about when you can lay down again.”
A wistful look crossed Aimee’s face. “Yeah, true. Parenting changes everything.”
Katie nodded in agreement. “The biggest thing I remember about the early weeks is that there was no transition. Both Jon and I had to hit the ground diapering.”
They all laughed.
“Well, I’ll get these orders in. Peace out.” Aimee turned and headed for the kitchen.
“Peace out?” Christel said, her voice lowered.
“I think Aimee’s been spending too much time at the Banana Patch with Halia,” Katie offered. “If she starts wearing long skirts and smelling like patchouli, we may have to do an intervention before we allow her in the family.”
Aiden leaned back against the red vinyl banquette. “Like you could ever stop Shane from marrying her. I mean, that boy is crazy in love.”
“I know, right?” Christel asked. “The way he ogles Aimee is right out of that scene in Bambi. That cute little skunk has nothing on Shane when it comes to being twitterpated.”
Katie picked up the salt shaker and wiped it with her napkin. “I think it’s sweet.” She turned to Aiden. “One brother down. One to go.”
Their brother swallowed a groan and held up his hands in protest. “Whoa. Let’s not go there. I’m married to my job right now. That’s about all I can handle at the moment.”
“Yeah, about that. How’s everything going?” Christel asked him. “What’s happening at the station?”
Aiden shrugged. “Being captain isn’t so different than my old job. I still do all the same things, only now I make all the critical decisions and have everybody coming to me with their complaints.” He let out a chuckle. “Last week, a guy who transferred in from Honolulu took issue with the number of urinals in the bathroom. Apparently, he can’t hold it until one of the two becomes available.”
Christel shoulder bumped her brother. “The bane of becoming the boss, eh?”
“You worked hard to get there,” Katie gently reminded. “You know what Dad used to pound into us…leadership comes with responsibility. They are lucky to have you at the helm.”
They all sat silent for several seconds. It wasn’t often any of them made mention of their father. The memories were still too fresh…too painful.
Finally, Aiden broke the silence. “Thanks, Sis,” he muttered a bit sarcastically. “I hope I can live up to everyone’s expectations.”
Ignoring the tone in her brother’s voice, Christel folded her hands on the table and decided to change the subject. “What about that girl who was giving you a hard time?”
Aiden hesitated a moment before replying. “You mean Meghan McCord?”
“Yeah, the girl with the tiger tattoo. What’s going on with her these days?”
Aiden’s returning laugh lacked humor. “She’s started dating some guy. He stops by the station on occasion. Can’t say I care for him much.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?” Katie asked.
“He’s what I call a globehead,” Aiden told his sisters. “Ron Culvane thinks the whole world revolves around him, know what I mean? The other day, the guy stopped by the station to pick Meghan up and drive her home—her car was in the shop for a tune-up—and he got all out of sorts when he discovered she wasn’t there to meet him like they’d planned. I mean, search and rescue workers can’t exactly schedule how long they’re out on a call. So, this guy walks around the station muttering about how inconsiderate she’s being. He keeps checking his watch and his expression becomes more and more sour with every passing minute.” Aiden rubbed at his chin. “We offer the guy a seat and a cup of coffee while he waits. He barely responds. Finally, he huffs out of the station.” Aiden shook his head. “Less than ten minutes later, Meghan shows back up at the station and doesn’t have a ride home. So, I take her. When we pull up to her house, he’s there waiting in his car, which is parked in her driveway. I mean, weird.”
Katie frowned. “Goodness! Where did she meet him?”
“At the gym. Apparently, Meghan signed up for a weightlifting class and he’s the instructor.”
Christel’s face sobered and she stated the obvious. “She’d better be careful. He sounds like a creep.”
Aiden fingered his fork. “Well, Meghan’s tough. She can hold her own. I doubt she’ll put up with him long if he keeps this act up.”
Aimee returned to the table, juggling plates of food on her arms. “Here you go,” she said as she placed the orders in front of them. “Katie, here’s your hamburger, sans pickles. Aiden, your turkey sandwich, extra pickles.”
“Extra pickles?” Christel exclaimed. “That’s a small mountain on that plate.”
Aimee winked. “Perks of being almost family.” She placed Christel’s salad before her, then grabbed a ketchup bottle from her apron pocket and set it on the table. “Well, let me know if you need anything else.”
When their future sister-in-law had retreated back to the kitchen, Aiden poked a pickle slice in his mouth and looked across the table as he reached for another. “So, Katie. How’s Willa?”
“My girl’s still hurting,” she admitted. “I know it’s only been a couple of days, but I’d hoped meeting with the counselor and all would help move our daughter past this incident. Especially when she learned the threat is over.”
“Over?” Aiden asked.
“Amanda Cooper’s mother is engaged again and they are leaving the island.”
Christel stabbed some lettuce with her fork. “Good riddance!” Well aware her response was a bit harsh, she quickly added, “These things take time, I suppose.”
Katie readily agreed. “Especially for young teenagers. Truthfully, I’ve never felt so inept at helping my daughter. Nothing we say or do seems to help. She can’t seem to shake the shame of it all.”
Aiden’s eyes grew serious. “Maybe you should take a family vacation. A change of scenery might do her good.”
“I wish we could,” Katie said. “Jon’s sous chef just informed him he was going to be needing some minor surgery and will be away from work for a while. Jon will be shouldering more duties than normal in the coming weeks.” She shook her head. “We simply need a fix. Unfortunately, none of us seems to know what that might be.”
Katie walked into her front door still thinking about Willa and how she might help her daughter move past the cyberbullying. She couldn’t argue and tell her heartbroken daughter that the entire school hadn’t seen those photos. Likely, they had. So had the teachers. No amount of explaining that the photographs were digitally manufactured, that the images were not authentic, could erase the damage those images had created.
Frankly, it was surprising that anyone who knew her daughter really believed those images were Willa. She would never strike those poses, and in so few clothes.
Katie blamed social media…and television. The lack of appropriate boundaries in current entertainment venues, and the influence those salacious acts had on young people’s minds, created a surreal belief that all of America had slipped into a pit of debauchery.
Katie pulled a deep breath. There were still kids who would not succumb to that garbage…namely her daughter, Willa. And, her friend, Kina. Hopefully, there were others.
Katie did not necessarily view herself as a prude, but did celebrities really need to undulate in a sexual manner on stage…even during a televised football halftime? That kind of dancing was better kept behind closed doors, perhaps in Vegas, where children would not be exposed to suggestive things they were not ready to see.
Those influences, together with a lack of parental supervision and training, opened doors to what Amanda Cooper had done. She had no filter, no empathy. She believed posting those soul-crushing photos was funny.
It wasn’t.
Katie turned to find Jon walking in the door. “Hi, babe.” He greeted her with a kiss to the cheek.
She pointed to the apron he was still wearing. “Busy day?”
“And then some. I just came home to check on Willa, and then I have to return to the restaurant. We have a wedding party coming in later tonight.”
Katie sighed. “Well, I guess we’ll eat without you then.” Unfortunately, Jon was missing from their dinner table more and more lately. She made note to take Aiden up on his suggestion and plan a getaway for their family as soon as Jon’s workload lightened up. A vacation would do all of them good.
Her husband picked up Noelle. He playfully rubbed his nose with hers. “Where’s sissy?” he asked her.
She pointed to the stairs. “Willa up ’dare.”
He kissed the top of the little girl’s head and set her down. “You stay here, Noelle. I’m going to go check on her.”
Katie watched him climb the stairs, a father with a mission. He was as distraught as she over Willa’s heartbreak. They’d both been worried sick and were beginning to wonder if their daughter would ever fully recover. Oh, they knew she would eventually. Still, the event had marred Willa’s spirit. She’d no doubt carry a memory of this hurt with her always.
Katie checked her watch, deciding to pull a frozen lasagna out of the freezer…Willa’s favorite. After pulling back the aluminum cover to vent the steam, Katie slid the container onto a baking sheet and placed it into her new oven. She set the timer.
Unfortunately, when it was time to sit down and eat, her daughter claimed she wasn’t hungry, leaving most of the lasagna left over. Katie wrapped the pan with aluminum foil and placed it in the refrigerator.
Willa looked up from the table where she was leaning over an open math book. “Mom?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Ms. Graeber at school says Amanda and those girls were feeling inadequate and were seeking out attention. She says I’m only a victim if I choose to be.”
Katie hoped none of her apprehension showed in her voice. “I think Ms. Graeber gave wise counsel.” There was more she wanted to say, but inside she knew this time less was more. What her daughter really needed right now was a safe place to share her feelings.
“Did you know that Ms. Graeber lost her daughter in a car accident?”
“Yes, she shared that with your dad and me.”
“Yeah, Ms. Graeber knows how it feels to hurt inside. She understands a lot. I really like her.”
“I’m really glad, sweetheart.” This was what Katie had been counting on, that a well-trained counselor would gain her daughter’s trust and give her hope that this incident would not wreck her life.
“Mom?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“Do you think the kids at school will ever like me again?”
The question caused Katie’s heart to fold in on itself. The thing paramount in her daughter’s mind was the shake-up in her social status at school. Kids that age cared immensely how their peers viewed them. They wanted to be popular more than eat.
Katie folded her daughter into her arms and kissed the top of her hair. “Yes, baby. I truly believe you’ll have all the friends you want.” She stopped at reminding Willa the students who stooped to Amanda’s level were not her friends anyway.
Over the next minutes, Katie held her daughter, admittedly tickled her daughter allowed her to do so. How long had it been? When Willa was Noelle’s age, she would climb onto Katie’s lap and say, “Mommy, hold me a little bit of time.”
Back then, she loved cuddles and being held. As the years passed, so had her daughter’s tolerance for physical affection…especially from her parents. In Willa’s mind, she was far too old for any of that.
Outside, Katie could see it was getting dark. She brushed another kiss on top of Willa’s head. “Why don’t you go take a hot bath, baby. I’ll even let you use my tub and some of those fancy bath bombs we now carry in the gift shop. Use one of the lavender-scented ones.”
Willa closed her math book. “Can I fix a snack first?”
Katie wanted to remind her daughter she hadn’t eaten any dinner, yet quickly made the decision to let the matter go. “Sure, honey. There’s a stash of peanut butter cups hidden behind the cereal boxes in the pantry.” She winked, delighted at the smile that brought to Willa’s face.
Her phone rang and Katie headed for the counter and picked it up. “Hi, Mom. What’s up?”
“You may want to look outside,” her mother advised. “And Willa, too.”
Puzzled, Katie motioned to Willa. “Nana says we need to go to the window.” She motioned for her daughter to follow. She moved for the windows. It didn’t take a lot of effort, given the whole front of their new home was glass.
Suddenly, Katie’s breath caught. “Willa, hurry. Come see.”
Outside, a large crowd of kids had assembled. They held lit candles in the air.