“Which one?”
“You know which one, Jennifer.”
“He’s in the shower. If you want, I can go get him…”
“Leave him be. You’re the one I want to talk to.”
That was a bad sign, and I didn’t like being bum-rushed like this, with no time to prepare. I pointed down the hallway and said, “Fine, let me go get dressed and—”
He cut me off. “No. Sit down.”
Something about him—his forceful tone, the way he loomed over me, or the fact that he thought he could tell me what to do—gave me déjà vu, and I thought of Monty. He used to try to push me around like that, and the old Jenny had let him. The new one, though, wasn’t about to, so I just stood there sipping my coffee as if he didn’t exist.
He wanted to snap at me, I think, but he controlled himself, muttering, “I must admit, I was surprised when I learned you were back.”
The sound of his voice was disagreeable, and I was torn between wanting to know what he was up to and wishing he would just leave.
“I didn’t know I had to give you advanced notice,” I replied.
“We had a deal, Jennifer.”
“What deal?”
“You told me you loved my son. You remember that, right? You said you’d do anything for him, for his future. And yet here you are.”
“I agreed to leave so Jack wouldn’t sacrifice his opportunity in France, Mr. Ross. But he’s back now.”
“And I wish he weren’t. He’s not been right since he came home, and now you’re living with him, and you have a terrible effect on him. You must know that. Unless you’re blind or stupid.”
He was losing patience, but I was, too. “I’m not blind or stupid, Mr. Ross, and I’m perfectly aware that Jack isn’t well. But I’ve got to live somewhere while I finish my studies, they offered to let me stay here, and to be honest with you, I think your son needs me right now. God knows you haven’t been here for him.”
“Why can’t you live in the dorms?”
“I can go wherever I want. I’m choosing to be here.” I didn’t know where this rebellious streak of mine was coming from, but it was working. I wasn’t shaking, I wasn’t standing down, I wasn’t even ashamed or angry. I was just firm. I was finally standing up for myself, and it was satisfying.
“Of course,” Mr. Ross said. “I mean after all, here you’ve got everything paid for. Who would turn that down?”
I was starting to understand what he was doing. Jack acted the same way when he was drunk or angry, picking fights that would lead to arguments he thought he could win. I was willing to let Jack slide because of his condition, and because I loved him, but his father was no one to me, so I went on sipping my coffee, watching him turn redder and redder.
“Are you trying to make things worse for him, Jennifer?”
“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know perfectly!” he exploded. “And what do you think? That you’re going to come back into his life and solve his problems? That you understand him better than his own family? How long were you even together? A month? Two? I’ve had work trips that lasted longer than that, for God’s sake. You’re two children, you don’t even know a damn thing about yourselves, let alone each other.”
“I’m doing exactly one thing, Mr. Ross, and that’s trying to take care of Jack. And that’s what you should be doing, too, instead of trying to get rid of me. I mean, it’s obvious to every single person who knows Jack that he needs serious help, and as far as I know, you haven’t come around trying to offer it to him.”
That seemed to hit him where it hurt, and for a moment, I thought he’d turn around and leave. But instead, he pursed his lips, reached into his jacket, and took out a checkbook and pen.
“How much?” he asked.
“How much what?”
“Come on, Jennifer, don’t play dumb. How much to keep you away from him? Two thousand? Three thousand?”
I couldn’t believe this was happening. Was he really insinuating that I could ever value money over a person I loved? Did he really think I could put a price tag on Jack, that I could just lay him on one side of a scale and a measly check on the other?
“Get out!” I growled.
