Enticed (12 page)

“I’m sorry Alex offended you, Rachel,” he said softly. “He’s a pill on his best day. I guess I’m just used to it by now.”

“I can’t promise I’ll ever be used to it,” I said.

“If
it helps, I wouldn’t have hired you if I didn’t think you were strong enough to handle it.”

I smiled. That was
a much better compliment than some empty flattery about my looks. I didn’t aspire to be pretty; I had zero interest in it. There were so many other important things to be, like smart, kind, considerate, and strong.

Pretty had attracted Zach, which ultimately cost me Jason. Pretty could bite me.

“Thank you, Drew,” I said.

And like that, we were back on a first-name basis
, unintentional comrades fighting the same war. Even more oddly, I was comforted by the thought.

I turned out the lamp beside the bed and settled in to sleep, willing away any weird dreams that might complicate this new relationship with my only ally.

For the next week, I mentally prepared myself to square off against Alex Fullerton from the very second I opened my eyes each morning. Each day ended without that inevitable confrontation, which somehow tied me even further into a knot. By the time I took Jonathan to his second supervised visit the following Saturday, I was a neurotic mess. I finally decided it was much better to confront Alex and just get it over with rather than wait day after day for him to jump out of the shadows.

But he was playing a new game now. He didn’t show up
to bug me during Elise’s visitation with Jonathan, which meant I was verklempt over nothing. I spent the entire morning looking over my shoulder, just to make sure he couldn’t catch me unawares. I expected to hear his sardonic voice behind me as I played innocently on the swings. I could just imagine what condescending remark he would make that further shaded me as this inept, gold-digging hick from the sticks. I had any number of comebacks prepared for him, cocked and loaded in my overloaded psyche.

When he didn’t show up, it was a bit of a disappointment. I had all the adrenaline pumping but no place to expend it. I assumed that Drew had intervened.
That night I finally brought the matter up to him during our nightly chat. “Did you speak to him?”

“I haven’t spoken to Alex since before I left,” he assured. “Looks like I didn’t need to. You seem to have scared him away all by yourself.”

“One of my superpowers,” I replied. “I charge extra for that service,” I teased, something I had grown used to doing over the past week. I found that Drew Fullerton was a lot less intimidating five thousand miles away.

“Worth every penny,” he teased right back.
“In fact, you may be due for a raise.”

I laughed. “
Don’t you dare. You pay me way too much already.”

“Then I suppose I’ll have to find more tasks for you to do, just so you feel you earn your keep.”

I grinned. “You’ll have to check with Jonathan first for any openings in the schedule.”

He chuckled softly. “Keeping you busy?”

“I think I’ve seen more of Los Angeles than people who were born here. And we’re only halfway down the list of things he wants to do.”

“Save a few things for when I get back
on Wednesday,” he said. “I’m feeling a little left out.”

“You’ll have to take that up with the boss,” I said with a smile I could easily hear mirrored on the other end of the phone.

“Even superheroes need a day of rest. You tell Jonathan that
his
boss has ordered a lazy Sunday.”

“We wouldn’t know how to be lazy if we tried.”

“I’m beginning to see that,” he murmured softly. “You sure you don’t want that raise?”

“Drew…” I started but he was quick to chuckle.

“Fine, fine. It must be late there. Get some sleep. I’ll see you soon.”

“Goodnight, Drew,” I said.

“Goodnight, Rachel,” he responded.

It was a comfortable habit we had formed, speaking every single night about the things that Jonathan was learning or how I had managed to run off his pesky younger brother.

I was earning Drew’s respect little by little. It made me feel more confident in my unorthodox approach to teaching my only student.

Like I had told his father, Jonathan had a long list of places he wanted to go, to learn something in a brand new way. Unlike the confines of a traditional classroom, he was far easier to teach and keep engaged as he participated in the world around him, as opposed to simply reading and remembering facts and figures.

We managed to create a nice balance between the two methods of teaching and learning, since we had the unusual liberty to find what process worked best. I would give him classwork prior to and immediately following these carefully planned field trips, which made his education way more three-dimensional than some boring old textbook.

The next day we were off to the zoo, but only after Jonathan had logged some time with his biology book to learn about the different animals. I also tossed some relevant vocabulary words his direction, including migratory, preservation and research, so he could do double duty with spelling and science as he wandered around the Los Angeles Zoo.

We got there when the gates opened, prepared to spend an entire day exploring the 133-acre facility in depth. We trudged up and down the hilly terrain, occasionally taking the Safari Shuttle, a tram that made navigating the huge park a little easier.

Sometimes Jonathan would
park himself in front of an exhibit and study the animals. He had brought a sketchpad at my insistence, and carefully drew details I, as a casual observer, might have missed.

Drew had
never mentioned his son’s burgeoning talent as an artist. No doubt he couldn’t really see any long-term value in it for the future CEO of Fullerton Enterprises International, but I was continually impressed by what Jonathan could recreate on a blank page. He especially loved the intricate detailing of reptiles and birds. He sat for an hour straight at both exhibits to draw them, diligently capturing every single nuance.

I loved to watch his process over his shoulder, but I could tell that kind of thing made him nervous. He didn’t respond well to micro-managing. He was at his finest when I would give him directions he could follow independently. Even if he got stuck halfway through, he didn’t bother to ask for help. He took great pride in figuring things out for himself.

So while he sketched, I withdrew the e-reader I finally broke down and purchased and opened up a book to read.

We were by the Aviary when I heard that damn
able voice I had been expecting, right when I was least expecting it.

“Miss Dennehy,” Alex Fullerton said as he rolled a stroller up to where we sat.

“Uncle Alex!” Jonathan exclaimed as he hopped to his feet to hug his favorite relative.

I glared at
Alex icily before I powered down the e-reader and closed the flap on my case. “Mr. Fullerton,” I greeted calmly, though I was ready to light into him at the smallest hint of provocation. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Small world,” he shrugged with a smile far too proud of itself for my liking. I sensed that his presence here was no coincidence. It was another calculated move and I was once again the dispensable pawn within striking distance.

I glanced down at the stroller. “Who’s your friend?”

He grinned as he hoisted the sleepy boy from the horse-themed blanket. “This is Max. My son.”

My eyes widened. I had no idea he had a son. Why was this the first I was hearing about it? I glanced down at sleepy child, a toddler of approximately three, who had all the physical characteristics of Down’s syndrome. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Alex was watching me closely, to see how I’d react to his son.

I smiled at this precious child like I would smile at any toddler. I took his hand and said, “It’s very nice to meet you, Max.”
He rewarded me with a happy smile that melted my heart.

Alex gave him a noisy kiss on the cheek, which made the little boy giggle. He gently put him back into the stroller and secured him inside. “
Max loves the zoo,” Alex told me. “The birds, especially. We come here at least once a month.”

I glanced at Jonathan, who buried his face into his sketchpad. “I see,” I said.

“Can I treat you to a churro?” Alex asked.

Just as I was about to decline, Jonathan piped up. “That’d be great! Can we, Rachel?” he asked me with that imploring look on his face I usually couldn’t deny.

I forced a smile. “Of course.” I didn’t say much else as we walked as a group in search of that sweet, fried treat. As it turned out, I really didn’t need to say anything at all. Jonathan had plenty to tell Alex about our studies together. He chattered on and on and Alex listened to every detail. It was exactly the kind of attention he needed from a male authority figure.

No wonder he remained on Jonathan’s short list of favorite people, even despite the conflict with Drew.

Or maybe because of
, I thought to myself. He connected with Jonathan in a way a father simply couldn’t. The father had to be the disciplinarian, the authority figure, the one in control. The cool uncle got to do all the fun stuff and leave before things got too heavy.

Though I didn’t trust Alex as far as I could throw him, I didn’t find his interaction with Jonathan insincere. He was as authentic with Jonathan as he was with Max, showing the same patience and attentiveness. I had so many questions that I didn’t even know where to start.

When Jonathan offered to roll Max’s stroller to a nearby exhibit, I had my golden opportunity to grill Alex.

Worse, he knew it.

“All right. Let me have it.”

“What is it I’m supposed to be giving you?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.

“I’m using Drew’s kid, I’m using my kid. I’m a manipulative bastard trying to be the hero… come on, Rachel. I know what you think of me.”

“And I know what you think of me. Makes all this other stuff pointless, don’t you think?” He shrugged. “I am a little surprised that I hadn’t heard you had a son until today. My best friend, Nancy, had all the 4-1-1 on the Fullerton family, but she neglected to unearth that little piece of information.”

He glanced over to Jonathan and Max. “I had to protect him, didn’t I?”

“Is that why you left the family?” I asked quietly.

He shook his head. “Nah. I left way before Max. If anything, I came back because of him. It’s his legacy, too. I just want to give him something he can be proud of.”

“How’s that working for you?” I asked directly. He offered a lopsided smirk.

“I guess I need to find a Mary Poppins of my very own,” he chided, and I rolled my eyes.

“Please,” I said with a derisive chortle.
“Where is his mom?”

Again, Alex looked away. “She died,” he offered flatly, as if the words no longer stung.

Only I knew that couldn’t be further from the truth. “I’m sorry,” I said, and I meant it.

He shrugged again. “Life. Who knew?”

It suddenly made more sense why he’d fight so hard to make sure Jonathan knew his mom. Mothers didn’t seem to last long in the Fullerton clan, apparently to the detriment of the children. Maybe Alex felt that Elise was Jonathan’s only saving grace.

Before I could say anything, Alex turned back to me. His eyes were as bright blue as his brother’s, and his nephew
’s, though considerably more pained. “I need you to hear me when I say this, Rachel. Drew is getting involved with some very dangerous people. It’s not the first time, it won’t be the last. For Jonathan’s safety, and for yours, please reconsider what you’re doing.”

“
What exactly am I doing?” I challenged. “I’m teaching a child. That’s it.”

It was his turn to chuckle. “Please tell me you’re not this naïve.”

I sat up straighter.
Here we go
, I thought. “Alex…”

He cut me off. “Look. I know you don’t know me and you have no reason to trust what I’m saying. But you have to know that something is not
right. Listen to your gut. Don’t be like the rest of us. You’re not bound by blood or tangled up in the rotten roots of our family tree.” His voice caught, which took me by surprise. “Please don’t take Jonathan away from his mother.”

“I’m not trying to take him away from anyone,” I said. “You don’t know me and you have no reason to trust me either. But I’m not the enemy here, Alex. I’m trying to help.”

He bent closer and unexpectedly grabbed my hand. “As long as you’re here, he’ll never go back to his mother. Tell me you don’t know that.”

I pulled my hand free. “I don’t.”

His mouth thinned out into a grim line as he sat back. “I guess I gave you more credit than you deserved.” He rose from the table. “Goodbye, Rachel. And good luck.”

I watched, stupefied, as he strode towards Jonathan and Max. He gave Jonathan a hug so strong it lifted the boy right off the ground. When Alex turned the stroller back toward the entrance of the park, Jonathan sent me an impish smile as he walked, slowly, to where I sat.

I threw the napkin onto the decimated remains of our sundae, and then cleaned up the mess on our table.

Jonathan and I met over the garbage can. “Are you mad?” he asked.

“I’m not happy,” I replied. I crossed my arms and waited.

“I’m sorry, Rachel. I just wanted you to see that you have him all wrong. And that he has you all wrong. No one has to fight. We can be friends. We can get along. Please, Rachel,” he implored with those bright blue eyes. “
I want to have a family. A real one.”

I pulled him over to an empty table. “
Real families fight,” I said. “Real families don’t always get along. But they never stop being family.”

He shook his head and one lone tear rolled from the corner of his eye. “You stopped being family with Zach. Dad stopped being family with Mom. Alex stopped being family with everyone.
I just don’t want to lose anyone else.”