“He was great.”
She sat up and yawned, covering her mouth with one hand. Her hair had come loose from its ponytail, and it looked silky and tousled and sexy as hell.
He had to clench his hands into fists to keep from touching it.
“He doesn’t have Asperger’s,” Kate went on. “You’ve just been using the wrong approach with him.”
He was so distracted by his physical response to her that it took a moment to register what she’d said.
He frowned. “What do you mean, the ‘wrong approach’?”
“You’ve been pushing him to do all this sports stuff, and he hates sports. He’s afraid you don’t like him because he’s not athletic. You need to back off all that and talk to him about things he’s actually interested in.”
As her words sank in, his hackles rose. “How would he know if he hates sports? He won’t even try them.”
Kate shook her head. “Of course he’s tried them. There’s not an eleven-year-old boy in America who hasn’t been forced to try sports at some point. His mom put him in Little League and peewee soccer when he was five, and he stuck with it for two years. But he hated it so much that she finally let him quit.”
Defensiveness made his voice sharp. “Exercise is important. Childhood obesity is a huge problem in this country. I want Jacob to be fit and healthy.”
“Well, sure. But team sports aren’t the only way to get exercise. Jacob really loves to swim, for example. And swimming is one of the best forms of exercise there is. Problem solved.”
“Just like that, huh?”
Kate stared at him. He knew he sounded sarcastic, but he didn’t apologize.
“It’s not only about exercise,” he said. “Team sports teach you about sportsmanship and discipline. And they’re a way to make friends.”
“There are other ways to accomplish those goals. Jacob likes chess. He could join a chess club, and—”
“A chess club? Jesus. Maybe he should join the math team and the A/V club, too.”
Kate’s eyebrows drew together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t want Jacob to be a social outcast. I don’t want him to get bullied or teased. Is there something wrong with that?”
He heard the edge in his voice, but he didn’t try to soften it. Who the hell did Kate think she was? She’d waltzed in here and spent a few hours with Jacob, and now she thought she knew what was best for him?
Ian had gone through a lot of different phases as a kid. He’d been the boy who didn’t fit in and the boy who did. And when he was older, he’d been a teenager who got into all kinds of trouble.
It didn’t seem likely that Jacob would go down that third path, and Ian would do everything in his power to make sure he didn’t. But between the first two choices, Ian knew which one would be easier on his nephew.
Kate, on the other hand, had grown up soft. She didn’t have a clue what it was like to be a boy who didn’t play sports. A boy who was perceived as weak.
She was still frowning at him. “Letting Jacob do the things he enjoys doesn’t automatically mean he’ll be bullied. What you’re doing is giving him the message that there’s something wrong with who he actually is. You’re trying to make him into someone he’s not.”
“I’m just trying to teach him how to survive. Of course, I’m not surprised you don’t understand that. You’ve never had to survive, have you? You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, and I’m sure you’ve been Mommy and Daddy’s spoiled princess your whole life. You never had to struggle to put a roof over your head or food on the table. But life’s a little harsher for the rest of us, Kate. Most people have to figure out how to adapt to their surroundings. They don’t expect everyone else to adapt to them.”
Kate sprang to her feet. “Are you saying I expect that? That’s ridiculous. And points for the hypocrisy, by the way. I love that you’re accusing me of being spoiled while you’re standing in your soulless palace of luxury—and after I spent the night babysitting for you.”
She folded her arms. “I’m not a spoiled brat, in spite of your charming description of me. Is that why you cancelled my show, Hart? Because you think I’m some kind of diva? I know you never liked me, but—”
“Of course you would say that. You refuse to pay attention to ratings and financials, and then you accuse me of cancelling your show for personal reasons.” He took a breath. “First of all, it wasn’t only my decision. Everyone in upper management has to sign off on schedule changes. Your show got cancelled because it was losing market share and ad revenue, as you would know if you paid any attention in weekly meetings. This isn’t public television and we’re not running a charity. We have to answer to our shareholders and our—”