Catching Fireflies(9)

“I agree. Katie would never let something like that slide. Annie’s near miss scared all of us,” Maddie said. “Which leaves what?”

“An unexpected bad grade, problems at home, boy troubles. It’s hard to say. At that age, everything turns into high drama, doesn’t it?” He sighed. “Remember when the toughest thing in a kid’s life was catching fireflies on a summer night?”

“Those were the sweetly innocent days,” Maddie confirmed, then added, “There are problems at home, by the way. I know because Misty’s mom dropped her spa membership the other day. She said she couldn’t afford any unnecessary expenses right now. Word around town is that her husband wants a divorce and she’s fighting it. I don’t know if that means money’s at the root of their problems, or whether she’s trying to sock away money in case of an eventual divorce or she needs it to pay an attorney.”

“I suppose that could explain it,” Cal said. He shook his head. “Somehow it doesn’t feel right, though. Most of the time when things like that are happening at home, school becomes a refuge. It’s the opposite with Misty.”

Maddie nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Besides,” Cal said, sorting through his thoughts, trying to get a handle on what might be happening, “a lot of people go through divorces. Would Katie feel a need to keep quiet about that, especially if the news is all over town already anyway?”

“Good point,” Maddie said. “That’s one of the reasons I love you. You’re so sensitive.” She kissed his cheek. “And smart.” The next kiss landed on his forehead. “And insightful.” The final, lingering kiss was on his lips.

Cal grinned, then gave her a slow once-over that brought a blush to her cheeks. “Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to seduce me, Mrs. Maddox?”

She gave him an innocent look. “And I thought I was being so subtle.” Her expression turned hopeful. “The little ones are down for the night. Katie’s locked in her room, either on the phone or hopefully doing homework and listening to her iPod. The timing seems excellent for a little alone time for you and me.”

Cal grinned. “Well, why didn’t you say so the minute you walked in here? We’ve already wasted a good fifteen minutes.”

“Talking to you is never a waste of time,” she replied. “It counts as foreplay.”

Cal laughed. “And that is why I love you.”

Marrying this woman, despite all the controversy it had stirred up all over town, was the smartest thing he’d ever done.



Misty had just finished her homework—all of it, even English and math—when Katie called.

“I just got the third degree from Cal,” Katie announced. “I think he was only minutes away from using torture to get the truth out of me.”

Misty’s breath caught in her throat. “The truth about what?”

“You skipping class,” Katie said impatiently. “What else? I told you it wasn’t going to stay a secret for long.”

“Who’d he hear it from?”

“Ms. Reed, of course. Like you said, Mr. Jamison is clueless. At least Cal never mentioned him.”

Panic immediately set in. “What am I going to do now?”

“Go to class, for starters,” Katie said as if it would be a breeze to walk in and face down Annabelle after all the nasty innuendoes she’d posted online and the sly little threats she’d muttered whenever she and Misty crossed paths. “I’ll be there, too. If Annabelle so much as looks at you cross-eyed, we can punch her lights out.”

Despite her dismay, Misty managed a faint chuckle. “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.”

“I’m telling you, we could do it,” Katie said. “Ty’s taught me a couple of self-defense moves. He said I might need ’em if some guy gets out of line when I’m on a date. Taking Annabelle down would be a piece of cake. I’ve seen her in gym class. She’s a wuss.”

“I’m not sure getting kicked out of school for fighting would be much better than getting kicked out for skipping class,” Misty told her. “And you can’t afford to get suspended again at all.”

“If we told the truth about why we did it, I’ll bet it would be okay,” Katie said.

“But then even more people would find out what Annabelle is saying about me,” Misty protested.

“The kids at school already know,” Katie reminded her. “It’s online, Misty, remember? Everyone who knows you knows not a word of it is true.”

Misty heaved a sigh. “I know, but there are plenty of kids who believe her filthy lies. I hear them whispering behind my back when they see me. Why do you think I stay out of the cafeteria? Walking in there just gives them a chance to spout all that stuff right to my face. At least in my classes there’s a teacher around. That usually shuts them up, except for Annabelle, anyway. She doesn’t care who’s around. I wish just once Ms. Reed or Mr. Jamison had heard what she said to me.”