is there a place for Bay in New York?” Tracy asked. “Will his mother take him?”
Marsh’s frown deepened. “I don’t think this is the right—”
She waved him to silence. “Bay needs to hear the truth loud and clear, and witnesses won’t hurt. If his mother can’t take him—” she very carefully did not say “won’t” “—then he needs to understand that. Infuriating me or Joan won’t buy him a ticket to Manhattan. And running away won’t help, because his mother will just send him back. If I understand things, Bay has two choices. Being here, where he can enjoy himself for the summer, or stuck at home with a sitter.”
Marsh did not look grateful, but he gave a curt nod. “Bay already knows New York is out of the question. His mom is going to be traveling on business for most of the summer.”
“I could go with her!”
“She is not going to leave you in hotels by yourself, Bay. It’s just not going to happen. She’s told me, and she’s told you.”
“Now look,” Tracy said, leaning down so she and Bay were eye-to-eye again, “I get what you’re doing. And really, you get an A for effort. I can see a lot of planning went into this. But can you see this is just not going to work? Causing all this uproar isn’t going to get you anything except eight hours of Nickelodeon every single day. This is your last chance to turn things around.”
He was blinking back tears. “Why do you care?”
She considered. “I have no idea. Really, my life will be a lot easier if you don’t come.”
He appeared to consider that. “So…what do I have to do?”
“Grovel.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Say you’re sorry and really, really mean it. Then tell us you’ll try to be on your best behavior. Because, you know, if you’re not, you’re out of here. And make no mistake, kiddo, it will be my call. I don’t feel sorry for you, and I can evict you from this program without breaking a sweat.”
“I just wanted to go to New York.”
She had the oddest desire to put her arms around him, an inclination so foreign that she almost didn’t recognize it. “Yeah, I know. But let’s put your talent for planning to better use, okay?”
He was silent for so long that she thought he wasn’t going to apologize; then his shoulders drooped. “I guess I’m sorry.”
“You guess?”
“Yeah,” he said without looking at her. “I’m sorry. And I will, you know, be nicer.”
She straightened and looked at Joan, pushing strands of wet hair off her cheeks as she did. “Will you give Bay one more chance?”
Joan sighed. “I was sort of counting on him for the butterfly at our next meet.”
“He’s that good, huh?”
“He’ll be good if he gets his act together.”
“Gladys, what do you think?” Tracy halfway expected Gladys to say she thought Tracy ought to clean off her desk.
“I think Bay can stay.” She crooked a finger at Tracy, and while Marsh went to his son and put his arm around Bay’s shoulders, Tracy joined Gladys, who was walking back toward the courts. With relief, she saw that the old men had disappeared.
“I think you can stay, too,” Gladys said quietly, “but now the shuffle board is gunning for you. They have clout. Find a way to keep them happy. You understand?”
Tracy wondered how her life had come to this.
chapter fifteen
By the time a bedraggled Tracy drove home, showered and dressed, then drove back into town to buy what she needed to entertain Lee, she wasn’t even sure she wanted company. But explaining how she had ended up in the rec center pool fully clothed sounded ridiculous. So she shopped for brie and fresh fruit, chilled white wine and the ingredients for vodka martinis. The supplies put a hole in her budget, but she reminded herself that she had a job now. Until the next catastrophe.
There was just enough time to finish making herself and the house presentable before Lee tapped on her door. She let him in, admiring a patterned blue silk shirt that brought out the mesmerizing blue of his eyes.
“I couldn’t resist,” he said, holding out a grocery bag. “These just came out of the water, and the sauce is my favorite. It’s made locally.”
She kissed him on the cheek and took the bag. Inside she saw steamed shrimp and a jar of cocktail sauce. “What a treat. I just realized I’m starving.”
“Were you planning to sit outside? I can take everything