Okay, that was a lie.
But considering she'd just pulled up in front of Jack's house, she needed to redirect her focus on her student. She could do this. But wouldn't her mom be thrilled to learn that there was at least one man in this world who could break through the walls Caitlyn had carefully erected around her heart since the disaster of her marriage had gone into full meltdown?
When she reached the front porch, it came as no surprise that someone was standing there to let her in. She was relieved to see that it was Marlene, and not her son. Really, she was.
"Hi, Marlene! Did you have a nice weekend?"
"Nice enough. Come on in. Ricky isn't here right now. He went to a job site with Jack this morning to help out for a while. He just called to say he was on his way and should be here any minute."
Interesting. "Is he able to do much with his arm still in a cast?"
The older woman shrugged. "Probably not, but he asked to go. I think he needed to get out of the house for a while, and Jack doesn't mind the company."
"So the two of them are getting along all right again?"
Marlene didn't pretend not to understand. "Ricky took off for a while Saturday afternoon, but he hung out with Jack watching baseball in the annex when he got back. Jack thought something was bothering Ricky, but I doubt whatever it was had anything to do with you or even Jack, for that matter. Evidently one of Ricky's friends shared some bad news that had upset him."
Caitlyn followed Marlene into the dining room to set up for Ricky's lesson. "Did he say what kind of news?"
"No, and Jack suspects that whatever it was had to do more with Ricky than it did his friend. We both wish he'd open up to us, but so far that hasn't happened. On a positive note, he is choosing to spend more time with Jack. Yesterday, the two of them worked out together in the gym over there for quite a while and watched another ball game while Ricky finished his assignments."
"That sounds promising or at least like progress."
"It does. I know Jack was pleased when Ricky asked if he needed any help on the job today." Marlene pulled out a chair and sat down. "Evidently the two of them made a deal where Ricky will work off the cost of his new clothes and shoes by helping out on the construction jobs."
That didn't sound right. "Seriously? And Jack was all right with that?"
Marlene stared out the window for a few seconds before answering. "Hearing that sure brought back memories of when our three boys first came to live with us. None of them were comfortable with being given even the simplest of things. Tino, especially, acted as if he had to earn everything he needed, even things the rest of us take for granted."
She finally turned to face Caitlyn again. "So while I don't think Jack is actually okay with the arrangement, he probably understands the situation better than either of us would. Kids like Ricky have good reason to be mistrustful. With luck, eventually he will come to believe that Jack only has his best interest at heart, but it's going to take time and a lot of patience."
The front door banged open, and Ricky buzzed through the room. "Sorry I'm late, Caitlyn. I need to wash up and grab a bottle of water. Back in a sec."
The two women laughed. "His relationship with you helps, too, you know. I like that you encourage him with honest praise, but you also don't go easy on him."
Marlene's comment pleased Caitlyn. Helping a boy like Ricky, who excelled in one subject but struggled in others, was a little like walking a tightrope. If she made things too hard for him, he might get frustrated and give up. But if she let him stick just to what came easy to him, he'd never get caught up.
Ricky was back. The front of his shirt was covered in wet splotches, probably from his rush to get washed up and ready to work. "Jack dropped me off for my lesson. I'm supposed to call him when we're done here, so I can go back and finish helping him."
All of that came on one long breath. He'd obviously enjoyed his morning on the job. "Oops, I forgot my homework. I'll be right back."
He was off and running again. Marlene shook her head and smiled. "I wish I had just one tenth of his energy."
Caitlyn laughed. "Me, too."
"Well, I'll get out of your way. I have a couple of errands to run. If I don't get back before you leave, I'll see you next time."
As she left in one direction, Ricky came flying back in from the other. He set his homework down in front of Caitlyn. "There. I finished it yesterday watching baseball with Jack."
"That's what Marlene told me." Caitlyn glanced over the first page. "Looks like you did a good job. Why don't you start on the math while I go through this? Then we'll make any corrections and move on."
"Great."
It didn't take her long to go through his homework. All in all, he'd done a good job with only a couple of minor mistakes. Just as she suspected, he was more than capable of holding his own with high school level curriculum.
She waited until he finished the problem he was working on before showing him how he'd done. "This is terrific, Ricky! You got forty-eight out of fifty right. That's an A in anybody's book. You're going to do so well in school this year. I'm really impressed with how you're handling the assignments you've done for me. I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that you'll be back up to grade level in all of your subjects, and maybe even ahead in some, especially math. Staying in one place for an entire year will make a huge difference in how well you do."
She'd been about to point out his two errors when she realized that Ricky wasn't nearly as happy about his work as she was. "What's wrong? Didn't you hear what I said? You did a bang-up job on your language arts assignment."
He stared at the paper as if it would bite him. "Yeah, I heard."
Then what had him so upset? "Did I say something wrong?"
Rather than answer her, he shoved back from the table and stood up. "Look, I forgot I have somewhere I have to be this afternoon. Can you lock up when you leave?"
She hurried after him and tried to plant herself between him and the door. "Ricky, what's wrong?"
He tried to do an end run around her. "Nothing. Like I said, I have somewhere to be."
"Are you going to catch up with Jack at the job site?"
The bleak expression on his face answered that. "Please, Ricky, don't take off. I'll leave if you want me to, but please stay here. Or at least call Jack to come get you."
This time he succeeded in getting past her, and he was out the door heading down the street as fast as he could go. She could run after him, but she'd never be able to keep up. Instead, she did the next best thing and headed back into the house to find her cellphone. She dialed Jack's number and went back outside to wait for him to answer.
As soon as he picked up, she said, "Jack, Ricky has taken off, and I'm scared he won't come back."
His first response was short, simple, and obscene, not that she blamed him for using those particular words under the circumstances. She could tell he was moving as he spoke. "I've got to pack up my tools before I can leave, but I'm only about three miles from the house. It won't take long."
The sound of things being tossed in a toolbox or maybe the back of the truck came through loud and clear. "I'm going to hang up now in case Ricky tries to call. After I tell the client why I'm leaving, I'll be right there."
Her knees were shaking to the point that she sat down on the front step. "Should I wait here or what?"
There was no hesitation. "Wait."
"Okay." That was good because she wasn't sure she should be driving quite yet.
"I'm hanging up now. Call me if he shows up before I get there."
"I will."
"And, Caitlyn, regardless of what happened, don't blame yourself. I've been expecting something like this for a couple of days now."
The line went dead before she could respond. While she waited, she canceled her next appointment, which thankfully was the last one of the day. Even if Jack didn't want her help looking for Ricky, she was too shaken to be of much use to anyone. Besides, she wouldn't be able to concentrate until she knew the boy was back home and safe.
For now, she needed to be ready to leave as soon as Jack came. That meant grabbing her purse in case he wanted her to drive her own car and double the area they searched. Also, she should leave Marlene a quick note about what was going on, and then make sure the house was locked up.