Laura debated calling ahead to warn the Dawsons she was on her way over but opted instead for just showing up on their doorstep. She didn’t want to risk being put off by excuses. Of course, what she couldn’t have anticipated was the situation she found.
Misty opened the front door, dismay crossing her face when she saw Laura. “Ms. Reed,” she whispered, stepping outside and closing the door firmly behind her. “What are you doing here? If it’s because I wasn’t in school most of this week, I was sick. I’ll have a note on Monday. I promise.”
Laura impulsively gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay, Misty. I know everything now. I understand all of it.”
Misty’s eyes widened with alarm. “I don’t understand. What do you know?”
“I know about Annabelle and the posts online and the pictures,” Laura said gently. “Why don’t we go inside and have a talk about it? Are your parents home? We should all sit down and discuss the best way to correct this terrible situation you’ve been put in since school started.”
“No, please,” Misty said urgently. “You can’t say anything to my mom. She’s not well. And my dad’s not home.”
“You need to call him and ask him to come home,” Laura said firmly. “Continuing to ignore this isn’t an option, Misty. Once everything is set in motion to punish Annabelle, it will come out. You won’t be able to keep it from them. Wouldn’t it be better to fill them in now, prepare them? You are not to blame for any of this. You’re the victim of a relentless bully.”
Tears welled up in Misty’s eyes. “What if my mom and dad don’t believe that? What if they think I did all those things Annabelle posted? You don’t understand, Ms. Reed. They’ll hate me, and things are already such a mess here. I don’t know how much more my mom can take.”
She sounded so scared that for a fleeting instant, Laura wondered if she was doing the right thing. But she knew in her heart she had no choice. The Dawsons had a right to know about something so serious, something that affected their daughter right now, to say nothing of how it might impact her future if she kept missing school to avoid the bullying and taunts of her classmates.
“Misty, I know you want to protect them, but you can’t. It’s not possible. This will come out.” Heaven knew, she’d tried every way she could think of to keep her pregnancy from her parents, but it had been impossible. It simply wasn’t something that could be hidden. Neither was this.
“It won’t come out,” Misty insisted, “Not if you let it go. I’ll come back to school on Monday. I’ll stay away from Annabelle. We’ll just pretend it never happened. Kids say awful stuff about other kids all the time. We’re just supposed to deal with it, right? That’s the mature thing to do.”
“Misty, this whole situation is so far from right, I don’t even know where to begin,” Laura said, wondering what messages adults were sending to kids to have them draw such a conclusion. “First of all, what Annabelle’s been doing to you is wrong. It’s a violation of school policy, if not criminal. I imagine a lot of these posts rise to the level of libel, but an attorney will have to sort that out. I certainly can’t ignore it. Second, bullies don’t quit unless they’re forced to. You shouldn’t have to suffer one single second longer.”
“But I will,” Misty pleaded. “It’s okay. I can take it, if it means my mom and dad never have to find out. You don’t get how bad things are for them right now.”
Laura really needed to understand exactly what was behind Misty’s obvious panic. “Let’s sit here on the porch for a minute. Why don’t you tell me why you think it would be okay to let Annabelle off the hook? What’s going on here that makes it so hard for you to go to your parents about this?”
“I told you,” Misty said. “My parents can’t deal with this. They’re gonna get a divorce pretty soon, and my mom’s freaking out about it. My dad’s not even around most of the time. This will give them one more thing to fight about.”
“They’re still your parents. They’ll want to help you,” Laura insisted, praying that was true. Surely they couldn’t be so self-absorbed that Misty’s problems would seem unimportant?
“But I don’t want them to help,” Misty repeated. “I can get through this. I’ll find a way.”
“So far, your way of coping has been to skip school,” Laura reminded her. “That’s no longer an option.”
“Then I’ll figure out something else,” the teen said with pure bravado. “Annabelle’s done her worst.”
“If you believe that, let me assure you I think you’re mistaken. Here’s what I know about bullies. If they think what they’re doing is no longer having the desired impact, then they go to another level. Just look at what happened this week. You bravely came back to class. You tried to show Annabelle she couldn’t hurt you anymore, and then she posted these pictures.”
“But maybe if Annabelle knows how much trouble she could have been in and that I let her off the hook, she’ll quit,” Misty suggested hopefully. “She could be grateful, you know.”
“Do you honestly believe that?” Laura asked.
Misty sat back, clearly unable to defend her position. “Probably not,” she admitted reluctantly. “But if she gets kicked out of school because of me, all her friends are going to hate me. They’ll all go after me online. They’ll corner me in the restroom or in the halls between classes just to torment me. I don’t know if I can face any more of that.”
“Or they’ll realize that nobody in Serenity is allowed to get away with what Annabelle’s been doing to you. You’ll have helped to send a very clear message to them about bullying.”
Misty shook her head. “I don’t think it’s going to work that way,” she said, sounding defeated.
“Trust me,” Laura said.
“I do, but…” Her voice trailed off.
“But you’re scared,” Laura filled in for her.
Misty nodded.
“I don’t blame you. But there are a lot of people already on your side, Misty. You have backup now. We’re going to put a stop to this. I promise.”
Though Misty still didn’t look entirely convinced, Laura once again asked to speak to her mother. “Let’s get this over with. No matter what else is going on in her life, I know how important you are to her. I think she’s going to surprise you.”
Misty heaved a huge sigh. “Whatever,” she said, but she did lead the way into the kitchen.
Diana Dawson blinked when she saw Laura with Misty. “Ms. Reed, what are you doing here? Is Misty in some kind of trouble in school?” she asked, her expression alarmed.
Laura tried to hide her shock at Diana’s disheveled appearance. She’d never seen her looking anything other than her best. Today she looked worn out. She was wearing wrinkled clothes, her expensively styled hair had been left uncombed, her face was devoid of makeup. It was little wonder Misty was worried sick about her.
“Misty’s not in trouble,” Laura reassured her as she sat across from her at the table. “But there is a problem at school. I thought you and your husband should hear about it from me before things get out of hand.”
“It’s Annabelle Litchfield, isn’t it?” Diana said, surprising Laura and even Misty apparently, given her faint gasp.
“Mom, do you already know something?” Misty asked worriedly. “What have you heard?”
“I know that those calls from Mariah weren’t about ‘nothing,’ the way you wanted me to believe,” Diana said. She appeared to brace herself as she met Laura’s gaze. “Tell me.”
Laura filled her in without divulging the full extent of Annabelle’s online lies and nastiness. Even so, Diana showed the first hint of real animation since Laura had arrived.
“That low-down little twit,” she said heatedly, then turned to Misty. “Sweetheart, why didn’t you tell me?”
“The stuff she was saying was too awful,” Misty said. “You already had enough going on with Dad.”
“I will never have too much going on to defend you,” Diana said, clearly stirred from her earlier apathy. “What’s next?” she asked Laura.
“I’m going to take the evidence I have to Betty Donovan. She’ll follow whatever procedures she must to see that Annabelle is held accountable and stopped.”
“Mariah will never take this lying down,” Diana predicted. “We can assume that. It will get ugly.”
“We could let it go,” Misty once again pleaded.
Her mother reached over and covered her hand. “No way. This will not get swept under the carpet.”
“But I’m going to be even more humiliated if everybody in town is talking about this. And what about the pictures?” she asked plaintively. “Now everybody will see them.”
“I’m going to make a call as soon as I get home to see what we’d need to do to have them taken down at once,” Laura said. “I’ll start with Helen Decatur-Whitney, and if she can’t handle it, I’ll speak to Carter Rollins.”
“Carrie’s dad?” Misty said, her eyes wide with dismay. “You’ll tell the police chief?”
Laura nodded. “I imagine between him and Helen, they’ll know what to do legally to put an end to these vicious posts and have the old ones deleted.”
“Thank you,” Diana said. “And you’ll let us know what’s going on and what we need to do next?”
“Absolutely.” Laura hesitated, then asked, “What about Mr. Dawson? Will you fill him in or should I?”
Diana drew herself up, squaring her shoulders. “I’ll tell him. He may not listen to me about much these days, but he cares about Misty and Jake. He’ll step up.”
“Mom, don’t use me to try to drag Dad back home,” Misty pleaded.
“It’s not about me and what I want this time,” her mother assured her. “He’ll do whatever it takes to support you. I’m sorry if everything that’s been happening here made you doubt that for a single second. Your dad adores you. I only wish you’d told us yourself much sooner. You shouldn’t have been facing this alone.”
“Jake’s kinda helped,” she admitted. “He stood up for me at school.”
Diana looked startled. “That’s how he got the black eye?”
Misty nodded. “It made me sick when I found out he’d seen the pictures, Mom. It was so twisted. That’s how I feel about Dad seeing all this. He’s going to be totally disillusioned.”
“Never about you,” Diana soothed her. “Your dad will understand that it’s all lies. It reflects badly on Annabelle far more than it does on you.”
Though Misty didn’t look entirely convinced by her mother’s words, Laura thought she detected the faintest hint of hope in her eyes for the first time in a long while.
* * *
By the time she’d left Misty’s, it was too late for Laura to reach Helen at her office. She knew the attorney often stopped by Sullivan’s to see her husband, the restaurant’s sous-chef, on her way home. Helen had even been there when Laura had dined there with J.C. the other night.
Sure enough, she found her in a corner booth toward the back, papers spread out around her and a half-eaten sandwich pushed aside.
“Helen, I’m so sorry to interrupt you, but do you have a minute?” Laura asked.
Helen glanced up, blinked as if to bring herself back to reality, then smiled. “Laura, of course. Have a seat. I’m afraid I was so absorbed by the extent to which my client’s husband has been hiding his assets from her that I didn’t even see you.”
“Are you sure you can spare the time? It’s important or I wouldn’t bother you.”
“I’m just killing time till Erik can take a break. My mother has my daughter for a couple of hours this evening, so it’s supposed to be my date night with my husband. Unfortunately, the place is swamped, and he can’t seem to tear himself away from the kitchen. Trust me, if you want to spend time with a man on a weekend, don’t ever get involved with a chef.”
Laura grinned. “At least your loss is the customer’s gain. Erik’s desserts are pretty decadent.”
“Believe me, I am all too aware of that,” she said ruefully. “I think I’ve gained ten pounds since we got married just by sampling all his experiments.” She grinned at Laura. “I hear there was a mini margarita night at your place last night. Sorry I missed it, but I gather Raylene has nailed the margaritas.”
“They were lethal, if that’s what you mean,” Laura said. “It was fun, and it was exactly what I needed after a really awful day.”
“That’s the goal,” Helen said, her expression sobering. “I heard a little about what’s been going on with Misty Dawson. Anything I can do to help?”
Laura smiled. “That’s exactly what I’m hoping you can tell me.” She spelled out the situation and showed her the printouts Paula Vreeland had given her. “I understand this is just the tip of the iceberg. The person who brought them to me didn’t print out even half of what’s online.”
Helen’s eyes widened as she read through the papers. She actually gasped when she saw the pictures. “You’re kidding me! Anyone can see that these pictures have been doctored.”
“Of course, but in the meantime, they’re a huge embarrassment to Misty, as you can imagine. What can we do to get them taken down as quickly as possible?”
“This is a little out of my area of expertise, but I’ll make some calls and see what I can do. I assume you plan to handle this situation at school?”
“I’ll call Betty, and I’m sure she’ll be all over it first thing on Monday morning,” Laura confirmed.
“What about the Dawsons? They should file a lawsuit of their own.”
“I think Diana is still reeling, and I’m not sure she’s even had a chance to fill her husband in yet. I just left there a little while ago.”
Helen nodded. “I’ll give her a call and explain her options. How’s Misty?”
“Terrified,” Laura said frankly. “She thinks going after Annabelle is going to make things even worse for her at school. She’s been skipping a couple of classes practically since the beginning of the year because of this. Once the pictures went online, she just stayed home. Unless this is handled well, I’m really worried about the impact it will have on her. So far she’s managed to keep her grades up, but not coming to class will take a toll, even on someone as bright as she is.”
“She’s a junior, right?”
Laura nodded. “And counting on getting into a premier school.”
“So her grades this year are crucial,” Helen concluded. “Could you arrange for a meeting with Betty Donovan first thing Monday morning for all of us? We’re going to want to coordinate what the school’s doing, what the Dawsons want and what I’m able to handle.”
“About your fee,” Laura began.
“There is no fee,” Helen said at once, her expression grim. “This one’s on me. There’s nothing I hate worse than a bully. My entire career has been built on going after men who bully their wives in one way or another. It’ll be a pleasure to stop this one.”
“Thank you,” Laura said with total sincerity. “You really are an angel.”
Helen laughed. “I imagine you could find a whole lot of people in this town who’d tell you otherwise.”
She began gathering up her papers. “I’m going to tell Erik I have to head home, and then I’ll start making those calls,” she promised Laura. “I’ll phone you as soon as I know anything, and I’ll see you at the high school first thing Monday morning. Let me know the time. I’ll cancel whatever might be on my calendar if there’s a conflict. This is too important to waste a single second.”
Laura was about to stand up and head out herself, but Dana Sue approached, her expression somber. “The whole Misty situation is about to come to a head, isn’t it? That’s why you were talking to Helen.”
Laura nodded.
“Anything I can do? We all want to help.”
“Just try to keep a lid on whatever gossip you might hear. The poor child’s been humiliated enough.”
“Will do,” Dana Sue promised. “Why don’t you stay? I’ll bring you the night’s special. It’s fried catfish, J.C.’s favorite, and I have it on good authority that he’s on his way over right now to have it.”
Laura lifted a brow. “Good authority?”
Dana Sue grinned. “Okay, I called and told him you were here and looked as if you needed company.”
“How did I manage to go so many years in this town flying under the meddling radar?” she asked with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
“None of us ever saw you with the right man before,” Dana Sue said.
“And the consensus is that J.C.’s the right one?” Laura asked. “Even though he works with Bill Townsend? I heard that was a huge strike against him in some circles.”
Dana Sue shrugged. “Hey, everybody has flaws. So far none of us have seen any evidence that he shares any of Bill’s less attractive traits.”
“Then you have thoroughly vetted him?” Laura inquired, only partially in jest.
“Thoroughly,” Dana Sue said without so much as a hint that she wasn’t dead serious.
“Astonishing.”
Just then J.C. appeared. He studied Laura worriedly, then turned to Dana Sue. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
“Anytime,” she assured him. “I’ll send over a bottle of wine. Red or white?”
He glanced at Laura. “White, I think.”
Laura nodded.
After Dana Sue had gone, she regarded him with amusement. “Prince wasn’t enough. Now you’re going for knight-in-shining-armor rushing to the rescue of the fair damsel?”
“I didn’t hear you needed rescuing,” he said. “At least not exactly. Just that you came in looking pretty intense, then hunkered down in a corner with Helen. It didn’t sound as if you were here for a fun rendezvous with a friend.”
“True,” she confessed. “It’s been another perfectly awful day.” She met his gaze. “Would you mind if we didn’t talk about it right this second? I need to put it aside for a little while before I charge into battle again.”
“I’d like to help.”
“And, believe me, I’m counting on that. Just an hour of inconsequential talk and good food and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Okay, then. Whatever you need,” he said. “How about those Panthers?”
She blinked and stared at him, uncomprehending. “Panthers?”
“Carolina Panthers,” he explained. “The pro football team in Charlotte.”
“I know this will probably change your impression of me, and not in a good way, but I don’t follow football beyond the games at the high school.”
He regarded her with apparent shock. “Now that is just wrong,” he declared.
She grinned. “Does it cut me out of the running?”
He reached for her hand and tucked it into his. “Sorry. Too late for that. You’re pretty much at the front of the line.” He shrugged. “The only one in it, for that matter.”
Despite the miserable day she’d had, she couldn’t help allowing herself just the tiniest smile of satisfaction at that revelation.
* * *
J.C. saw the faint smile that touched Laura’s lips and hid his own smile. It was good to see the shadows in her eyes finally disappear. She’d looked completely undone when he’d first arrived. He owed Dana Sue big-time for having called him. For once he hadn’t been appalled by the meddling tendencies of everyone in town.
He’d just left the gym when she’d phoned. Thankfully he’d showered and changed back into street clothes after his workout, so he’d headed directly to the restaurant.
Since Laura seemed momentarily lost in thought, he took his time studying her. Despite the weariness he’d detected, she still had every hair in place, and her clothes were neat as a pin. How did anyone get through a workday and look that tidy? On some purely male level he wanted to spend a couple of hours mussing her up. As soon as the inappropriate thought occurred to him, he tried to squash it, but the damage had been done. His blood was humming, and it had nothing to do with his own earlier workout.
Whatever she was thinking about, it wasn’t the distraction he’d hoped to provide.
“You look a little grim,” he observed. “Obviously whatever happened earlier is still on your mind. Maybe you should just get it out in the open.”
“I suppose it’s going to be impossible for me to actually put it out of my head, even for a little while.” She met his gaze. “J.C., it’s so much uglier than anything I’d imagined.”
“So it does have something to do with Misty,” he guessed.
She nodded. “I’d already planned to give you a call later. I had to speak to Helen first, and then I intended to go home and call Betty Donovan and then you.”
He could see genuine distress in her eyes and immediately responded to that and not to the wildly unexpected instinct that made him want to pull her into his arms. “Tell me,” he said gently. “You know I want to help Misty any way I can.” He hesitated, then asked, “Would you rather not discuss this here? We could change our order to takeout and head over to my place. Or to yours. Wherever you’d feel more comfortable.”
She looked as if she were considering the suggestion, then nodded. “You know, I’m sure it would be fine to talk about this here. The booth’s pretty secluded, but I would feel a whole lot better someplace else. It may even have been a mistake to say as much as I did to Helen. Do you mind?”
“Of course not. Let me catch Dana Sue and let her know.” When he got back to the table, he said, “Our food will be ready in a couple of minutes. Now, let’s decide. Your apartment or my house?”
She smiled at him. “Your house? You really are taking a giant leap of faith with me, aren’t you? I thought maybe it was off-limits to all women. What if I start getting crazy ideas?”
J.C. laughed. “Your ideas can’t possibly be any crazier than mine have been lately. I think I’d like you to come to my place.”
“Want to see if I fit in with the leather furniture and giant-screen TV?” she teased.
“Laura, you’d fit in wherever you happen to be,” he said with total sincerity.
“Then you’re checking to see if my presence gives you a panic attack?” she concluded.
“The only thing I panic about these days is the fact that being with you doesn’t scare me,” he confessed. “That’s downright terrifying.”
She seemed startled by his revelation but clearly pleased. He looked up then, spotted Dana Sue heading their way and stood. He handed over enough cash for the food, then held out a hand to Laura. “Let’s go.”
They made the drive to his house in silence. While she wandered around, studying the Paula Vreeland originals on his walls with an awed expression, he put their food onto plates and poured the wine.
“Living room, I think,” he said, leading the way. “We’ll be more comfortable.”
She chuckled. “I got it exactly right. Oversize leather furniture and a giant flat-screen TV. You are so predictable, except for the Paula Vreeland pictures. Those are a total surprise. I’m so envious. I only have one print of hers.”
“You like her work, too?”
“Love it. The detail is exquisite.”
“Have you met her?”
“Just once,” she said. “You?”
“Hey, I’m in practice with her ex-son-in-law, who is not beloved by her. I try to steer clear of her. It’s a shame, too, because I’d love to tell her how much I admire her work.”
“Then you should. I’m sure she’d love to hear that, despite your unfortunate connection to a man she despises.”
J.C. handed her a glass of wine, then took a seat across from her. It wasn’t lost on him that, though she wasn’t the first woman to cross his threshold in this house, she was the only one who actually looked as if she belonged here. The disconcerting thought rattled his usual composure. One more chink in his defensive armor shot to blazes.
Time to get focused, he decided, hoping to reclaim some semblance of his usual careful distance between him and the sort of messy emotions that always led to disaster for Fullerton men.
“Okay, what have you learned about Misty?” he asked, knowing the change of topic would spoil any intimate mood at once.
Laura described the information she’d been given, then handed over the online posts someone had passed along to her. J.C. read them, his disgust growing. He thought he knew Misty well enough to know that absolutely none of the nasty accusations were true.
“And there’s no question that Annabelle’s behind this?” he asked.
“From all reports her online identity is well-known to the other kids at school. They were actually passing those pictures around at school today. Why none of the teachers caught a glimpse is beyond me. I saw a few clusters of giggling kids in the halls. I’m still kicking myself for not checking to see what they found so hilarious.”
“Any idea why she targeted Misty?”
“It’s over a boy, of course. At that age, isn’t it always?”
“I guess I’d forgotten what it’s like to deal with all those raging hormones, though I certainly see evidence of it in my practice. I’m more likely to see an unplanned pregnancy than something like this, though.” He held Laura’s gaze. “What’s next?”
“I spoke to Helen earlier. She’s going to do everything she can to get the posts and pictures taken down. I have no idea how long that might take. I’ll go to Betty either later tonight or tomorrow and arrange some sort of meeting on Monday morning.” She shrugged. “I guess we’ll see where it goes from there.”
“I hate to sound harsh, but I have absolutely zero sympathy for Annabelle Litchfield. Whatever they do to her can’t possibly be enough.”
“That’s not the first time this has sounded personal to you,” she said, startling him with her perceptiveness.
J.C. tried to fend off more questions. “Okay, yes. I’ve seen the tragic outcome when something like this spirals out of control. There need to be serious consequences for bullies. I don’t care how young they are or how innocent their parents claim the behavior to be. It’s wrong.”
Laura nodded. “No question about it.”
He gave her a thoughtful look. “You sound equally fierce about this. Have you had your own experience with a bully?”
She avoided his gaze but eventually nodded. “Years ago,” she admitted.
“I can’t imagine anyone picking on you.”
She smiled at that. “I was a lot like Misty in some ways, a brainy kid and very shy. The only difference between us is that she’s a lot smarter than I was when it comes to getting involved with a jerk.”
“Meaning?”
“She knew enough to give Greg Bennett a wide berth. When the hotshot bad boy in school started paying attention to me, I fell for it. I thought I was in love. I thought he was, too.” She hesitated, then finally met his gaze. “And then I got pregnant, and he couldn’t leave me in the dust fast enough.”
J.C.’s anger stirred on behalf of the shy girl who must have been scared out of her wits by an unplanned pregnancy. “What happened?”
“My parents considered sending me to live with relatives out of town, but then they decided that keeping me in school would be a better punishment. They also insisted I give the baby up for adoption.” Her eyes shimmered with tears. “So, that’s what I did.”
“But the other kids made your life hell,” he guessed.
She nodded. “If I hadn’t had a teacher who stuck by me, I don’t know if I could have gotten through it, but she was determined I’d graduate and go on to college, so I couldn’t let her down. I figured if she was willing to stand up for me, then I had to stand up for myself.”
“And the baby?”
As she shook her head, the tears spilled over, rolled down her cheeks. “I don’t know where she is. It was a closed adoption. I pray every day that she’s with a loving family, one who’ll stand by her if she ever makes the kind of mistakes I did.”
“And in the meantime, you’re standing by Misty,” he said.
“How can I not?” she said simply.
J.C. felt her long-ago pain and sorrow, saw the strength it had created in her and fell just a little bit in love.
“I want to be there Monday,” he said decisively. “You’ll let me know the time?”
She blinked away her tears, then nodded. “Of course. As soon as it’s scheduled. I’m sure you’ll be busy with patients. Will that be a problem?”
“Bill will just have to pick up the slack,” he said. “This is too important for me not to be there. I want to make sure everyone understands just how serious a matter this is.”
“Surely you don’t think anyone will try to sweep it under the carpet, do you?” she asked, looking shocked. “Surely Serenity’s not the sort of town to rally around a bully, no matter who it is.”
“I hope not, but given who we’re dealing with, I think it’s best to be prepared for any eventuality.”
No matter what, he would not sit by while another child was tormented and the perpetrator was allowed to go free. Once, with its tragic and very personal consequences, had been more than enough. Just like Laura, for his own reasons, he couldn’t let it pass.