In Your Dreams (Blue Heron #4)(78)

She came up to the house a few hours after the funeral to say goodbye and tell him she’d pay him back for the stay at the inn. Her face was white, her eyes too big and utterly terrified.

He almost wanted to take her in his arms and tell her it would be all right, that she could stay with him for a while.

Almost. It was disturbingly hard not to say the words.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“SO HOW WAS the wedding, Officer Em?” Tamara asked as Emmaline walked into the basement of Trinity Lutheran Church.

“We’re not going to talk about it,” Emmaline said, smiling firmly at her at-risk teenagers.

“Sucked that bad, did it?” Dalton said.

“Pretty much, yes. Sarge, look! It’s the kids! The kids are here to see you!” She unclipped her wagging, crooning pup and watched with a smile as the dog bolted for the teenagers, Squeaky Chicken firmly in his mouth.

One of the reasons Emmaline had gotten Sarge was for the kids. Also, because she was single and liked having someone to come home to, and also because she was a cop and could make little Sarge here into a police dog (or not, because he definitely lacked the I’m a big scary dog gene).

But for this purpose—for making four tough, bored, cynical potential dropouts tolerate her—her dog was perfect.

“So Cory, you got suspended again, huh?” she said, setting down the box of cookies she’d picked up at Lorelei’s earlier that day.

“He told Dr. Didier that—”

“I already heard, Tamara. Cory? You were already in trouble with Mrs. Greenley. Did you feel things getting to that snapping point?”

Cory shrugged. He’d been suspended today after suggesting that the principal of Manningsport High was, in fact, a man. An ugly man at that, using some colorful words to describe just how ugly and just what evidence indicated Dr. Didier’s masculinity, then threw Dr. Didier’s paperweight in the trash—but he threw it hard. Like a baseball. The result was suspension.

“I’m guessing you did,” Em said. “And we all have those moments, Cory, when we’d like to break something. But that’s not acceptable.”

“Unless you’re an idiot,” Tamara said, peeling blue nail polish from her thumb and eyeing the cookies.

“Bite me,” Cory said. He took another cookie, put it in his teeth and let Sarge eat half of it, then chewed and swallowed the other half. Boys were so gross. Then again, Em had done the same thing the other night, so she was in no position to judge.

“So, Cory, what about your suspension?” she asked, trying to refocus them.

“Dude, you’re gonna get expelled,” said Dalton.

“You’re the one who stole a car,” Cory said.

“Yeah, but you’re smart,” said the other boy. “You could get a scholarship and everything. All I got is a life of crime to look forward to. Right, Officer Em?”

“Wrong, Dalton. Cory, he does have a point. You could. But if you don’t find a way to cope with your temper, it’ll haunt you all your life.”

“I know,” Cory muttered. “But it’s like I can’t help it.” He paused. “I was gonna throw that thing through the window, and at the last minute, I threw it in the trash instead.”

Ah, progress. “Okay, so that was a step in the right direction. You made a less destructive choice.”

“Maybe you’ll get a sticker,” Kelsey Byrd said.

Em kept talking. “Even little things like taking a deep, slow breath can help. Eat right, get enough fresh air. Those are clichés because they’re true. Maybe you could join the boxing club.”

“Or, like, listen to music?” Tamara suggested. “When my mom had my brother and he cried all the time, she’d go into the cellar and play Nine Inch Nails really loud and, like, dance. Badly, I might add. But she always felt better.”

Cory gave a little smile.

“Four months till graduation, kids,” Emmaline added. “You’re almost there.”

“Ooh, graduation,” said Kelsey. “Like that makes a difference.” She folded her arms and rested them on her pregnant belly. She had good reason to be bitter, Em guessed. Single motherhood was hard enough; single teenage motherhood was harder.

“Well, the thing is, it does make a difference,” Emmaline said. “If you don’t graduate or get a GED, chances are you’ll have to work longer and earn less. And by longer, I mean longer hours and more years. You want a nice car? A decent place to live? A job you like? It’s going to be a lot easier if you stay in school.”

“I wanna be on TV,” Tamara said. “Like Ellen.” She took a cookie and bit into it.

“Ellen graduated from high school, dumbass,” Cory said. “How many days have you missed?”

“None of your business.”

“It’s my turn to hold Sarge,” Kelsey said. “Come here, puppy.” Her face softened beneath the harsh makeup.

Out of these four kids, Em was pretty sure that Tamara, Cory and Dalton had a decent chance. Cory’s parents were doing all the right things for his temper issues, and they adored the kid. Tamara, too, had nice parents and average intelligence; she was just a late bloomer who liked getting attention by acting up. She’d probably go to a community college and figure out what she wanted to do a year or three down the road. Dalton was from a long line of petty criminals; both parents had served time. The kid had a good heart and charm, though, and was as cute as they came. If he could find something that interested him, he might do okay... She could see him in sales or advertising. Or as a grifter. Same thing, really.