and rested her head on her arms. How was she supposed to get through day after day of having him around, deliberately goading her, trying to get under her skin, reminding her of what had once been between them?
There was only one sure way to get rid of him. She would have to turn over Kendra. But that was not an option. Molly had made a promise and she intended to keep it, even if she lost her own sanity in the process.
She lifted her head as Kendra quietly slipped onto the stool next to her. Her dark eyes studied Molly intently.
Molly sighed. “I thought you were with Leslie Sue.”
“I was, but it’s late. I came back. Seems to me like I got here just in the nick of time.”
“Why would you say that?”
“The guy was getting to you.”
Molly frowned at her, refusing to admit what was obvious not only to her, but apparently even to a thirteen-year-old. “Daniel can’t get to me,” she insisted.
“Yeah, right,” Kendra said, then fell silent.
The silence stretched out for what seemed like an eternity before Kendra said, “Tell me about this Daniel Devaney.”
Molly knew what she was really asking, but she said only, “He’s a child advocate for the state. That’s all you need to know.”
“He’s not hanging around here just because of me,” Kendra said with confidence. “He’s got the hots for you. And it goes both ways, doesn’t it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
“Not that I’m any expert,” Kendra said, ignoring her denial, “but it sure looked that way to me. You get all flushed when he’s around. And I saw that picture you were holding in your room the other night. It was him, wasn’t it? He’s the guy who hurt you, the one you never talked things out with.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Sure it does,” Kendra insisted. “If you two had a thing once, it’s no wonder he gets you all worked up.”
“He gets me worked up because he makes me furious,” Molly retorted. “He think he knows everything. Have you forgotten that he’s looking for you? He wants to send you home.”
Kendra paled, and Molly immediately felt guilty for reminding the girl of the threat that Daniel posed, when Kendra was thinking only of his effect on Molly.
“Sweetie, do you want to talk to him?” she asked Kendra. “Maybe you could explain why you ran away. Tell him that your parents intend to send you away. Daniel would help. He wouldn’t make you go back, especially if your parents were about to abandon you. Believe me, he has some history that would make him very sympathetic to you.”
Kendra’s expression set stubbornly. “He doesn’t look as if he’d be all that sympathetic. Besides, you just said he’s here to send me home. I’m not going, not ever.”
“He’d only insist on it if it’s the right thing to do.” She met Kendra’s gaze. “Do you trust me?”
Kendra nodded.
“Okay, then. Here’s the honest truth,” she began, reassured by Alice’s expressed belief that this was the truth in her view, too. “Daniel Devaney and I have our issues, but when it comes to helping kids with their problems, he’s one of the best. No one’s better at defending a kid if the parents are being neglectful or mean. He knows what that’s like.”
Kendra regarded her with shock. “His parents sent him away?”
“No, that’s not exactly what happened, and it’s something he should tell you about, not me. But he will understand—I can promise you that.” She didn’t like giving Daniel credit for anything, but she’d seen him spend too many sleepless nights worrying about his cases not to believe that. That’s why his persistence now, as annoying as she found it, was both predictable and reassuring.
Kendra nodded slowly. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
“You could tell me the rest of the story, and I could talk to him, if that would be easier.”
Kendra shook her head. “You’ve been great. You’ve let me stay here and you haven’t asked any questions. Not too many, anyway.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I know you think I’m too young to be off on my own, but it’s better this way, believe me.” She swiped impatiently at the tears that spilled down her cheeks. “If I’m too much trouble, I can go. It’s just that this is the first place I’ve felt really safe since I left home. You and Retta and Leslie Sue, you’ve been like family.”
“Oh, sweetie, you could never be too much trouble. I just want to do what’s right.