The Parent Trap(59)

Of course he was sad; why wouldn’t he be? His wife had left him, his rebellious daughter had tried to run away.

You shouldn’t be making this about you, she told herself. Let it go and cut the poor man some slack.





CHAPTER THIRTEEN

JON LOOSENED HIS grip on the steering wheel when he noticed his knuckles were white. His thoughts darted from what he should say to Kate when he saw her, to the things Georgette said when he called to tell her their daughter was safe, to this beautiful woman next to him who had, moments ago, kissed him senseless. There had been more to that kiss than relief. He’d felt the heat, and he knew she’d felt it, too, and then his brief conversation with Georgette had hit him like an icy blast from a fire hose.

“Would it help to talk about your conversation with Kate’s mom?” Sarah’s eerily pertinent question caught him off guard and had him wondering if he had inadvertently blurted one of his scattered thoughts out loud.

“Not really.”

“I’m a good listener,” she said, apparently unfazed by his abrupt response.

He exhaled a sigh. “I know you are.”

“But I’m also annoying.”

He gave her a quick sideways glance. “Why would you say that?”

“Because you’re annoyed with me.”

“No, I’m not.” If he’d given her that impression, he owed her an apology. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I’m upset with Kate and I’m furious with Georgette, but I am not annoyed with you.”

“That’s good to know, but...”

“But...?”

He could feel her steady gaze on him. “At the risk of annoying you now, would you mind my being honest with you?”

“I don’t mind.” He hoped.

“I think you need to lighten up with Kate.”

He hadn’t known what to expect, but he sure hadn’t expected that. Where to even begin? “She’s only two weeks into the school term and she’s already falling behind.”

“I know, but that means it shouldn’t be too hard for her to catch up. Maybe, instead of grounding her, you should sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk with her. Ask her how she’s feeling about the situation with her mother, about her new home, about her new school.”

“Has she said something to you about those things?”

“It’s not what she says, it’s more what she doesn’t say. She seems a little lost.”

It killed him to think his daughter was hurting and he hadn’t been there for her, but Sarah was right. That’s exactly what happened. He’d been focused on her negative attitude and rebellious spirit instead of trying to find out what was behind them.

“She’s been through a lot.” They both had. “Her mother calls her every day, but it’s not enough. Kate wants to spend time with her and Georgette promises she will, but then she always has a reason for putting it off. She has a busy life, I understand that. And I get that she’s happy to finally have the life she always wanted, gadding about Europe, rubbing shoulders with royals and millionaires and Hollywood film stars, but she’s still a mother. Yes, she calls Kate almost every day, but she isn’t really there for her.”

“And Kate knows that,” Sarah said. “She’s a smart kid.”

“She is.” But when was the last time he’d acknowledged that, even to himself, let alone told her? “She deserves more credit than I’ve been giving her.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. I’m a single parent, too. I know how hard it is.”

“You make it look easy.”

Sarah’s light laugh eased some of the tension that had his gut tied in knots. “I’ve had a lot more practice than you have, and Casey was a lot younger than Kate when she lost her other parent.”

“Thank you for that. Kate didn’t lose a parent, though. She just has a mother who doesn’t make time to be with her.”

“It’s still a loss, and she’s grieving.”

Grief. Until now, he hadn’t thought of it in those terms. Maybe because his own ego had taken a major hit when Georgette told him she was leaving, and she wasn’t leaving alone.

“You’re right. How did I not see that?”

“Because you were grieving, too.”

He pondered that for a few moments. “It’d be nice if it was that simple. Our marriage was over long before Georgette left.”

“And now it’s up to you to be the parent Kate can count on, the one she can turn to when life gets overwhelming, and the parent who helps her forge a better relationship with her mother.” The matter-of-factness of her statement hit its intended target, but her gentle tone of voice softened the blow.