Yuletide Proposal Read online

  progress.

  “Zac Ender called twice,” RaeAnn announced. “He said he’d supply lunch if you could get over there now.”

  “Call and tell him I’m on my way, please.” But as she drove over, Brianna felt utterly unprepared to meet with Zac so soon after that evening in the park. No one was in the main office so she walked directly to his door and stepped inside. “What is so urgent?” she demanded, sinking into an armchair.

  “This.” Zac pointed to the television mounted on the wall. He pressed a button on the remote in his hand and a picture of the globe board at the school appeared.

  “You had a camera installed?” she asked.

  “The school board had a security system put in,” Zac confirmed. “Yesterday afternoon the last camera was installed. Watch.”

  For what seemed ages the picture never changed. Then three shadowed figures appeared. After some whispering, one stepped forward and scrawled something across a corner of the white board in huge black letters.

  “‘Your World sucks,’” Brianna read. She frowned as the figure turned away, but in that moment she glimpsed the insignia on one corner of his jacket. “I think I know that crest from somewhere,” she murmured, trying to remember.

  “Yes, you do,” Zac agreed in a grim tone. He backed up, zoomed in and replayed the footage, honing in on the figure.

  “Cory!” Brianna gasped.

  “And his two friends.” Zac played the video once more, but there was no doubt who was responsible for the graffiti. “He’s ruined Your World.”

  “But—when?” she asked, gutted by the knowledge that her child had deliberately sabotaged her. “How?”

  “This tape is from last night. It’s time stamped around the time we were talking in the park.” Zac’s bleak expression spoke volumes.

  In that moment Brianna understood how deep his disappointment went. He’d invested Your World with his hopes for that state job and now it seemed all was lost. She knew why. In the present apathetic climate, other kids would pick up on Cory’s negativity and ruin whatever chance there had been. Her anger toward her son flared. To deliberately do this when Zac had been nothing but kindness—this time Cory had gone too far.

  “What should we do?” he asked.

  “Call him in,” she said, her voice hard. She checked her watch. “Lunch should be over. Phone the school and get him in here. Have the principal drive him if you have to, but get Cory here now to explain himself.”

  “Just Cory?” Zac’s wide brown eyes expressed his surprise.

  “He was the one who wrote on the board. He pays the price.” Brianna was done with pussyfooting around her son’s issues. Maybe if she acted now, she could stop this from reaching the judge in Chicago. “Do it, Zac.” She waited till he finally picked up the phone and dialed, though her knees were quaking at the stare he set on her.

  “What is the price Cory is going to pay?” he asked in a tentative tone when he’d completed his call.

  “You’re the educator, you decide. I’ll go along with your judgment.” She sat down to wait. “But you should know that I am way past giving Cory another second chance without insisting on stiff repercussions for his actions.”

  “Be sure, Brianna, because we have to present a united front to him.”

  As if he were their child. The words hung unspoken in the room.

  “Whatever you decide is fine. Clearly what I’ve tried hasn’t worked. You’d better come up with something before he gets here.” Because Zac kept giving her funny sideways glances, Brianna pulled out a file she’d shoved in her handbag before she left her office and pretended to peruse it.

  At last Zac broke his stare and worked on resetting the video.

  Less than five minutes later Cory sauntered into the room and asked, “What’s up?”

  “You are,” Zac said. “Sit down.”

  Brianna found no anger in Zac’s tone, saw nothing on his face to give away his thoughts. Only deep disappointment darkened his eyes, though no one but she would recognize that because she’d seen it before, the morning of his botched presentation.

  “What are you doing here, Mom?”

  “I asked her to come, Cory. I thought she should see what you were up to last night.”

  At Zac’s words, a deep rich red suffused Cory’s face. He looked away from her, shuffling his feet against the carpet.

  “Just another reason to be ashamed of me, huh, Mom?” Cory’s head lifted. He glared at her, his blue eyes icy with anger and frustration.

  “I have never ever been ashamed of you, Cory. I always thought you were God’s gift to me. But today—” She glanced at the television. “Today I’m very ashamed. Of myself. I thought I’d done a better job raising you.”

  Cory frowned, as if he hadn’t expected her to shoulder the blame for his misdeeds. “But—”

  “The proof is right here.” Zac flicked the remote and they all watched as Cory defaced school property.

  Brianna felt sick. How had it come to this? How could God be in this?

  “Your tests show you have a high IQ, Cory, but I’m beginning to think they’re wrong. I’m beginning to wonder if you’re actually very stupid.”

  Brianna’s head jerked upward at Zac’s strong words. But she remained silent as his eyes chided her to remember her promise.

  “Thanks a lot,” Cory said.

  “I’m serious. What kind of bright person, who is supposed to be making an effort to change themselves so they don’t have to go into detention, damages school property? That’s a criminal offense,” Zac reminded. “Do you want to be locked up?”

  “That’s not going to happen.” But Cory’s bravado slipped just a little.

  “Really? If I call the police now, you will be charged and put in jail. That will be the last straw as far as the judge in Chicago is concerned. I doubt he’ll wait till Christmas to rule on your case.” Zac shut off the television. “So I guess you’ve just run out of options.”

  “Mom?” Cory pleaded, staring at her with those doe-soft eyes that sent a dart straight through her heart.

  “This isn’t on your mom, Cory. This is on you and you alone. Your two friends were there, but they didn’t deface the board. You did. And I have the video to prove it.” Zac stared straight at Brianna, challenging her. “Your mother and I have agreed that I must decide your punishment. Brianna, go back to work. I’ll talk to you later.”

  She rose hesitantly, but knew there was no other choice. It had to be done.

  “Straight home after school,” she said to Cory. “No friends, no television, no phone. Clean up your room and get your homework done before I get home. You may not go to the nursing home with your grandfather. You may not go anywhere.”

  “But, Mom!”

  Brianna turned her back and left Cory sitting there, the hardest thing she’d ever done.

  Zac stood by the door, holding it open. She paused long enough to study his implacable expression. His fingers touched hers for an instant, transmitting warmth and something else—hope? Then she walked away, leaving her son in her former fiancé’s hands.

  Jaclyn met her at the doorway of Whispering Hope Clinic. She took one look at her face, grabbed her arm and drew Brianna into her office. She quickly closed the door and said, “Something’s wrong. Spill it.”

  So Brianna told her the whole awful story.

  “I’m failing everyone,” she muttered, bitterly ashamed of her uncontrollable world. “Cory, my clients, the clinic, my mother. Especially God.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Jaclyn poured a cup of strong black coffee and set it before her. “Listen to me, Bri, and hear me well. You haven’t failed anyone. You’re doing your job here at the clinic and doing so well, you have more clients than you can see. The kids love you.”

  “Because they t
hink I go against their parents.” As she’d always rebelled against her mother, Brianna mused.

  “Because you really listen when they speak,” Jaclyn corrected. “Because in talking to you they find hope for the future. Because you care. Kids can spot a fake a mile off. They wouldn’t be here if they thought that was you.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate the encouragement.” Brianna blinked when Jaclyn pushed her back into her chair.

  “Stay. I’m not finished.” Jaclyn sat down across from her, her lovely face serious. “You never failed your mother, Bri. Not ever. You tried to do as she wanted, but your heart lay elsewhere. You followed it and that’s a good thing. Look how God is using you here at Whispering Hope. I’m no psychologist,” she said with a funny grin. “But I’m going to hazard a guess that your mother is being so miserable to you now because she realizes all the years with you that she’s lost. And as far as Cory is concerned—don’t get me started. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, could have done a better job of loving that child. But sooner or later, his choices are his own.”

  “I guess you’re right. It just hurts that he’d deliberately sabotage me that way.”

  “Of course it hurts, but you trust Zac, don’t you?” Jaclyn’s stare was intense.

  “With Cory, you mean? Yes, of course.” The certainty was there in her heart. Zac would do what was right for her son. He couldn’t help himself because that’s who Zac was.

  “Then you have to trust that somehow he’ll reach Cory. Zac has a way with kids—you’ve always known that.” Jaclyn waited for Brianna’s nod. “Relax. Let him handle this. Support him in whatever he decides and stop stewing over it.”

  “I’ll try.” Brianna chewed her bottom lip. “I still feel like I’ve failed God, though.”

  Jaclyn was silent for a long time.

  “I should get back to work.” Brianna set her cup on the desk. “Thanks for the pep talk.”

  “I want to say something else.” Jaclyn cleared her throat as her eyes grew moist. “You won’t know this, but when I first came back to Hope I had a terrible time trying to accept that I couldn’t work my way into God’s favor.” A wry smile lifted her lips. “I tried hard, believe me. Worked myself flat out.”

  Brianna waited, wondering where this was leading.

  “One day I was reading in Psalms and I found this verse. It’s been very precious to me ever since.” She slid a tiny Bible out of her pocket, thumbed through the pages and paused. Her eyes met Brianna’s. “It’s the fourth chapter. Just listen,” she whispered. She inhaled then read, “‘O God, You have declared me perfect in Your eyes.’”

  You have declared me perfect. Brianna couldn’t wrap her mind around those words. She was perfect in God’s eyes?

  “Amazing, isn’t it? God loves us so much He wipes out our sin,” Jaclyn said quietly. “To Him we are perfect.”

  The phone buzzed. RaeAnn announced Jaclyn’s patients were waiting. So were Brianna’s.

  “You always amaze me, Jaclyn. Thank you. But now I’ve really got to get to work,” Brianna said. She smiled. “Some kids need my help.”

  “So do your mom and Cory, and even Zac,” Jaclyn said softly as she hugged her. “And Zac might be the neediest of all. See ya.”

  Having mulled over the verse in every spare moment throughout the afternoon, Brianna considered Jaclyn’s last words as she walked home that evening.

  Zac needed her? Really?

  She picked up her pace, anxious to get home and prepare for another parents’ assembly at the school this evening. Zac had been there for her today. She didn’t know what he’d said to Cory, but she’d been at her wits’ end and he’d offered to help. She’d accepted his help because she didn’t know what else to do.

  Tonight she’d help Zac however she could, because she owed him. But that was as involved as she could get with him. There could be nothing between them and it was time she stopped leaning on him.

  Her heart had tricked her into believing it was possible to build a relationship with this man again, but her brain kept repeating that Zac hadn’t trusted her once. He might not again.

  As she fingered the ring lying against her collarbone, the one Zac had given her so long ago on a very special Christmas Eve, Brianna knew she had to suppress her longing to regain his lost love.

  Because she wouldn’t survive losing it a second time.

  Chapter Ten

  “Good evening everyone. Uh, welcome.” Zac gripped the edges of the high-school podium and gazed at the assembled group of parents, his mouth as dry as the desert. All the public-speaking courses he’d taken were worthless. He still felt like a guppy out of water when he stood in front of people.

  “Uh.” He gulped, feeling his palms sweat. “We, er, I promised you that after implementing Your World we’d gather again to discuss any questions you might have.

  Th-that is the purpose of our meeting tonight.”

  Mentally wincing at his poor presentation, Zac explained the steps he hoped to take over the next few weeks as the program continued to unfold. He chose to read primarily from his notes, desperate not to look a fool in front of all these people. But the more he read, the more nervous he became and the more he lost his concentration and began making silly errors.

  “So, in effect, we’ve maximated—er—” As muffled laughter broke out in the group, Zac’s whole body went tense and he could not get the next word out. Everyone was staring now—gawking at him, the spectacle in their midst.

  “Actually, Zac, I don’t think we’ve quite maximated yet.” Suddenly Brianna was there at his side, grinning at him as if they’d planned this interruption. “In fact, I don’t think we’ve even come close to tapping the potential our teens have hidden inside.” She winked at him. “Can I have a turn now?”

  Relief swamped him but he didn’t let it show.

  “I suppose. But only if you follow my notes,” he managed, pointing to the sheaf of papers atop the podium.

  Brianna glanced at the stack of notes, rolled her eyes and gave her head the tiniest shake. She leaned into the microphone and whispered, “Not a chance. Those notes are maximated.”

  The room erupted in laughter. The tension broken, parents smiled as she went on to detail the next phase. Zac would have preferred to leave her to it but Brianna prevented that by deferring to him on several points and including him in a question and answer session, which could have become nasty given the Larsens’ and other parents’ outbursts. Zac staunchly defended Brianna, glad when she coaxed them to admit that their children were benefitting from the goals of Your World. By the conclusion of the meeting, the situation had grown almost jovial as parents sampled the coffee and cookies Brianna had thoughtfully provided. Zac knew the evening was a success because of her.

  “Thanks for bailing me out,” he said when everyone had left them to tidy.

  “I didn’t bail you out.” Brianna stopped what she was doing and frowned at him. “Weren’t you watching? Didn’t you see those faces when you began to talk about the goals and dreams that have gone up on the Your World board? Those people ate up your words of encouragement, Zac. Hope was visible here tonight. Because of you.” Then she squinted at him. “By the way, when did the kids start writing their dreams on the board?”

  “I saw it on the tape after I sent Cory home.” Zac grinned. “They wrote right over Cory’s graffiti. I phoned to tell you but you weren’t taking any calls. Come on. You can see the board for yourself.” He held open the door, waited till she’d exited the auditorium then switched off the lights. “I’ll tell you, when the video showed Eve take the pen and actually write on that board, my heart was in my mouth. That took a lot of courage in the face of her parents’ objections. Look.” He motioned to the board and held his breath.

  “I came in the staff entrance so I never saw—” Brianna moved closer to him to take a
second look. She read off several of the comments. “Isn’t it fantastic, Zac?” she whispered, touching his arm as she stared at him, her eyes filled with awe.

  “Yes, it is.” Zac bent and kissed her on the lips. “It certainly is,” he repeated, stunned by emotions that swamped him.

  For one infinitesimal second Brianna had kissed him back. Now she stepped away.

  “Why did you do that?” she demanded, her voice choked.

  “I don’t know. Excitement, I guess.” Zac shrugged, pretending nonchalance. “No big deal. Sorry.”

  Now he was lying. Because kissing Brianna was a big deal to him. He’d wanted to kiss her even before that night in the park. And now that he had, he wanted to repeat it.

  But Zac had seen that glint of green fill Brianna’s eyes before. He knew she was suspicious of him. He was going to have to tread carefully if he wanted to find out exactly why she’d left Hope the way she had.

  “Aren’t you excited?” he asked. “There’s your client’s dream.” He pointed to Eve’s signature.

  I want to be a doctor.

  “I s-see it.”

  “Are you crying?” He frowned at the stream of tears flowing down Brianna’s cheeks and caught one on a fingertip. Something about it did funny things to his heart—squeezed it so tight it hurt. He’d wanted her to be happy, not weeping. “Brianna?” He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted it so he could see into her eyes.

  “Tears of joy,” she whispered. “Eve struck a chord in my heart the first time I saw her high on drugs and miserable. Maybe because she’s in the same sort of situation I was. She carries so much guilt for wanting to be free of her parents’ demands, for not being what they want. She was afraid to dream of anything for herself. But now, she’s taken the first step toward independence.” Brianna accepted the tissue Zac handed her, and smiled at him through her tears. “It’s amazing.”