Always for You:Jack(7)

So why hadn't they told her all of this beforehand? She hesitated before  entering the house. "I understood that I would be reporting to Mrs.  Lukash directly."

His grin spread. "What's the matter, Ms. Curtis? Afraid I'll bite?"

She met his smile with one of her own. "No, but you should be warned that I do."

His laughter rolled over her, making her only that much more aware of  him. God, what was she thinking? She had no business flirting with a  client. Did she accept the job or walk away?

It was no contest, not when she knew there was a student involved who  needed her specialized help. All of which meant it was time to focus on  the job at hand.

"Why don't we sit down and talk about your concerns, Mr. McShane? I'm  sure you'd rather ask your questions before Ricky gets back home."

"Call me Jack, and you're right. We should get started."

At least he stepped back out of the way to let her pass. She did her  best to concentrate on her surroundings rather than how well the knit  shirt Jack wore showed off that impressive set of muscles. The interior  of the house had a warm, old-fashioned feel to it that matched the  outside perfectly. After following Jack into the living room, she paused  to look around. The overstuffed furniture was designed for comfort, and  the family pictures scattered around only added to the room's appeal.

"Have a seat, Ms. Curtis. Can I get you anything?"

"Nothing right now, thank you." Someone had obviously taught Jack some  good manners. After settling in the closest chair, she took out her  laptop. "Why don't I explain how I work, and then you can ask your  questions?"

He settled on the couch. "I'm listening."

Caitlyn started off by summarizing her credentials, which made her  particularly suited to working with kids like Ricky. "From what I  understand, you don't yet have his previous school records for us to use  as a baseline."

"That's true."

"Then I would suggest we start by doing a full assessment to see where  Ricky is in all of the major academic subjects. Once we have that data, I  will be better able to put together a plan of action for him."

She noticed Jack was frowning. "Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. But if he is way behind, will you be able to get him caught up to grade level before the fall semester starts?"

She'd long ago learned to err on the side of caution rather than make  promises she might not be able to keep. There were just too many  variables that came into play, like how hard Ricky was willing to work.  "Unfortunately, I can't guarantee that, but I will promise to do my best  to help him succeed. I do work closely with the local school district,  though, so I'm very familiar with their programs. If Ricky isn't caught  up and ready for high school in the fall, there is an alternative  program that is geared toward students who've gotten behind and need  extra help before reintegrating into the regular classes."

"I want him to get whatever help he needs."

She offered him her best professional smile. "Then we're on the same page."

Before they could continue the conversation, the front door opened.  First to join them was an attractive woman who looked to be in her late  fifties or early sixties. She had to be Marlene Lukash, Jack's mother,  although there was no family resemblance at all. Her straight hair was  dark and going gray, nothing at all like the reddish glints and hint of a  wave in Jack's. There was also no similarity in the shape or color of  their eyes. Hers were dark brown while her son's were a bright green.  Interesting.

A teenage boy came in right on her heels, but he froze as soon as he  spotted Caitlyn. She set her laptop aside and rose to her feet. "Mrs.  Lukash, I'm Caitlyn Curtis."

"Welcome to our home." Marlene crossed to where Caitlyn stood and shook  her hand. "And may I introduce you to our foster son, Ricky?"

The boy was already taller than she was, but he had a long way to go to  fill out that gawky, teenage frame. He reminded her of her brother at  that age, all arms and long legs. Caitlyn smiled at him and offered him  her hand as well. Ricky gave her hand an awkward shake but then  retreated to stand by Jack, who had also come to his feet. As she  watched, Jack gave the boy a quick bump with his shoulder, telling him  without words that he was there for him. One more thing she liked about  the man.                       
       
           



       

"Ricky, Ms. Curtis is the tutor we talked to you about. She's looking forward to working with you."

The boy's jaw clenched just enough to warn Caitlyn that he wasn't all  that excited about the prospect of working with her. That was all right.  Given enough time, she'd win him over. "It's nice to meet you, Ricky.  There's no time like the present to get started. Why don't you and I go  find a quiet spot and get to work?"

Jack put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Kid, I've got a couple of  appointments this afternoon about new jobs, but Mom will be here if you  need her." He glanced at his watch. "I should be back by five."

He turned his attention back to Caitlyn. "When can we discuss the results of your assessment, Ms. Curtis?"

"If all goes well, I should have a plan put together by tomorrow  afternoon. I can meet with all of you back here at whatever time is  convenient."

He checked his schedule. "Let's aim for four thirty if that's not too late for you."

"That should be fine."

"Okay, then I'm outta here. Ricky, don't eat more than your fair share  of those cookies Mom baked this morning. I counted them, so I'll know."

The boy laughed, for the first time looking his real age, which Caitlyn  estimated to be somewhere in the neighborhood of fourteen, maybe  fifteen. He watched until Jack walked out the door and climbed into the  SUV. Yeah, she would've guessed that one was his. She also noticed the  room felt much bigger now that he was gone.

Ricky finally turned back to face her. "What do I have to do?"

"Nothing too painful. There's no pass and no fail in these tests, Ricky.  They're designed to let me know where we should start work. That way,  we don't repeat stuff you've already mastered."

Mrs. Lukash pointed toward the doorway on the opposite side of the room.  "Why don't you use the dining room table? I'll be upstairs in my sewing  room if you're looking for me."

"We'll be fine."

Ricky followed after her, moving slowly and clearly in no hurry to get  started. "I'm going to get a drink first. Want something?"

"I wouldn't say no to a glass of ice water."

She spent the time he was in the kitchen laying out all of her  materials. Knowing a positive attitude was a big part of a student's  success, she'd give him all the time he needed to get ready rather than  rush him right into the tests. And if while she waited, her thoughts  were filled with images of Jack McShane, well, that was her own little  secret.





Chapter 4


Jack braced himself for what he suspected would be a tough conversation.  He poured a glass of milk and carried it along with a plate containing  two fresh brownies into the dining room, figuring Marlene's homemade  chocolaty goodness might help smooth the way. As he walked into the  room, he asked, "Hey, kid, what time is your lesson today?"

Ricky looked up from the math problem he was working on, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Three thirty. Why?"

After setting the milk down in front of the teenager, Jack took a seat  on the other side of the table to avoid crowding the kid. He offered  Ricky a brownie and then took the other one for himself.

"I don't want to interfere with your session with Ms. Curtis, but I need  to take you shopping for some more clothes and maybe some new shoes."

Actually, definitely some new shoes, considering Ricky's sneakers looked  like something he'd fished out of a dumpster somewhere. However, it was  important not to do too much too fast. Even after living with Jack and  Marlene for the better part of two weeks now, Ricky was still as  skittish as a feral cat. It would take a lot of coaxing to get him to  accept what he was likely to view as charity. Ricky already wasn't happy  about Jack paying Caitlyn to help him get caught up on his studies. Of  course, he would be equally unhappy if Jack pointed out that they could  contact one of the organizations that provided clothing for foster kids.  At least this way he would have some choice in what he got to wear.

Ricky washed down the brownie with a drink of milk before answering. "I don't need any more clothes."

Then he immediately went back to working on his math problem as if it  were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. If his face hadn't  turned an interesting shade of red, Jack might have bought the act. He  took a second to enjoy his own brownie and then waded back into the  discussion.

"Yeah, Ricky, you do. My brother Tino won't mind that you've been  wearing some of his things, but they don't really fit you. Besides, I'm  just talking about a couple pairs of jeans, a few T-shirts, and some  underwear. It's no big deal."