Distrust clouded TJ’s expression. “You’d do that after I …” He gestured toward the cottage wall. “Why?”
“You should be able to speak with your dad. I think being able to talk to one’s parents is up near the top of any kid’s list of important things. If my parents were still alive, I’d want to talk to them. I’d give just about anything for that.”
TJ seemed to consider this carefully. “You’re not going to try to bribe me into acting … different?”
“Nope.”
“You’re not going to make me bow and scrape and apologize?”
“Oh, I expect an apology, and we will deal with that. You need to apologize to your aunt, and to me, and to Celeste, too. But the issue with your dad is a separate matter. I’ll make some calls and we’ll figure out a way for you to talk to him. That is a no-strings-attached offer.”
Savannah’s gaze shifted between man and boy. Zach was good. He had found just the right approach to get through to the boy.
Her mind was spinning, haunted by his use of the word pervs. Was this simply a case of exaggeration, or could her nephew have been abused in a foster home? She needed to find out the answer, but how? Asking him outright wouldn’t work. If she’d learned anything about TJ during the past three weeks, it was that they still had a ways to go before he’d talk to her about anything of importance.
Yet she would need to get him to talk to someone. Who? A doctor? Maybe the school counselor? She assumed the school did have a counselor, but she honestly didn’t know. The question had never been an issue with her. She’d have to get to work on that.
In the meantime, she had an idea. “I have an offer to make that does come with strings, TJ.”
His scowl couldn’t hide the apprehension her comment had caused.
“I’ll make a deal with you. If you don’t give me any more trouble, if you’ll help around the house and the shop and behave respectfully to me, to my friends, and to yourself for the rest of the summer, during fall break I’ll take you to see your father.”
TJ’s eyes widened. Zach’s mouth gaped. “You’ll go back to Georgia?”
“Yes, I will. For a visit. If TJ makes an effort to get along and works with me instead of against me.”
Zach leveled a look on TJ. “You should probably understand that going back to Georgia would be a huge deal for your aunt. She’s told me dozens of times that she’d never go back. That she would do that for you, after … everything”—this time Zach was the one who gestured toward the wall—“that’s an offer you need to appreciate.”
Savannah wouldn’t deny Zach’s claim, but she thought enough had been said. She set down her paintbrush and picked up a rag. Wiping paint from her fingers, she asked, “So, what will it be, Teej? Do we have a deal?”
She didn’t miss the leap of excitement in his brown eyes. Oh, Gary. Do you know how much your son loves you?
“Yes, ma’am.” He wiped his hand on his jeans, then stuck out his hand for a handshake. “We have a deal.”
Ma’am. Smiling, she took a risk. Stepping forward, she wrapped him in her arms for a hug instead.
NINETEEN
For Zach, Boy Scout summer camp had been the highlight of every summer during his youth. That’s where he first enjoyed the activities he continued to love today. Hiking, fishing, orienteering. And, during the later years, sex.
The Girl Scout camp had been right next door.
Yet, despite all the fun he’d had, he’d never been as excited about a week of summer camp as he was about this one. In twenty minutes, TJ would board a school bus to take the short trip up to Jack Davenport’s camp on Murphy Mountain. It was the local kids’ week for fishing, hiking, and orienteering.
Zach got to stay home and have sex.
To say that TJ’s presence in Savannah’s household had put a crimp in his style was the understatement of the century. It impressed him that she tried to do the responsible thing in front of her nephew, but still …
“Man, I love summer camp,” he said to no one in particular at the sheriff’s office. Gabi and Ginger shared an amused look, then Gabi observed, “As grumpy as you’ve been lately, I’ve decided that I love summer camp, too—despite the fact that my boss