River's End (River's End Series, #1)(67)
She finally muttered, “I’ll think about it.”
****
Jack stood silent for a moment next to Allison’s car. “Sorry, about this. Honestly, Charlie didn’t tell me he did this until an hour before you showed up, and nothing about Erin being involved.”
She grinned. “I only came because I thought he was trying to set us up and I thought we should have a conversation about that. To find he was trying so in earnest to help Erin, well, you’re a lucky man, Jack Rydell.”
He smiled back. “Yeah. He’s a great kid. But what about Erin? Why wouldn’t she learn to read? Why is she so sure she can’t do it.”
Allison ran a hand through her hair. “Best guess? This is without once working with her or even discussing her circumstances, I’d guess she actually is dyslexic. She might not know it. The range of what dyslexia means to each individual is huge. Sometimes it’s not the classic signs of seeing letters backwards or upside down. It encompasses a lot of different learning challenges.”
He blew out a breath. “I had no idea.”
“Neither does she.”
“What can I do? How do I get her to take you up on your help? Which is so kind of you by the way. That isn’t lost on me.”
She shook her head. “Don’t. I like doing it. There is a particularly high illiteracy rate for adults in this area due to so many who English is a second language. But you’d be surprised at the number of adults who are, Jack. And what can you do? Make her feel safe. Secure. Convince her she can do it. She’s so obviously not ready. I can tell you nothing will work until she feels safe to try it again.”
“But why wouldn’t she jump at your offer?”
Allison shrugged. “Studies show dyslexia for children is as shameful as molestation. Consider that, Jack. Consider the shame she feels. It’s so obvious. She’s isn’t looking for compliments and us to reassure her when she says she’s stupid. She believes it with a truth you or I can’t talk out of her.”
He blew out a breath. “Holy crap. This is… a lot.”
She nodded. “It is. Make her feel safe. Make her feel smart and confident in other ways. Maybe, with time, it will convince her to risk trying it again.”
He opened her car door for her. “Thank you, Allison. This has been the most enlightening conversation of my life. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Good luck, Jack. I hope it works. She is a really lovely person.”
Jack’s face scrunched up. Damn. Allison was right. Erin was a sweet, kind, shy person so wrapped in her own shame that she hid it through things like being with Joey. And he had missed that all. He cleared his throat. “She’s not my girlfriend or anything. She’s just… my friend.”
Allison touched his hand as she slid past him and into her car. “That’s really good. You should be a good friend to her. If anyone in the world could use a friend it’s Erin Poletti.”
****
Jack came back in from telling Allison Gray goodbye. The silence grew thick after Jack shut the door. Ben went to his bedroom to do homework, and Jack’s gaze was on her before he glanced at Charlie.
“Charlie, we need to talk.”
She looked up in surprise and started to rise and leave. Jack shook his head. To Charlie, he said, “You asked Ms. Gray here to help Erin, didn’t you?”
Charlie stood up and smiled sheepishly at her and then at his dad. “Yeah. Ms. Gray’s so nice, I figured Erin might like her.”
“So you asked Erin to dinner?”
He shrugged. “It seems kind of silly for her to eat out there all alone anyways. I mean, she lives here, doesn’t she? Plus, I thought Ms. Gray could help her.”
Jack put a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Look, Charlie, I approve of the thoughts you had. I like knowing you thought to help Erin, but you have to ask people first. You can’t just spring it onto adults. Do you understand?”
Charlie nodded and looked at Erin apologetically. “I was just trying to help.”
Her heart flipped and she stepped closer to Charlie. “Thank you, Charlie. For thinking of me.”
He looked up at her, and his eyes grew big and eager. “So you will let Ms. Gray help you? You’re going to learn to read?”
What could she say? How could she snatch away the look of hope and excitement on Charlie’s face? But they didn’t understand why she simply couldn’t do it. She would prove that to them all soon enough. She nodded finally to get them off her back. “Yes, I’ll try it, Charlie.”
He suddenly came forward and flung his arms around her middle. His head came up to her shoulders and she was almost knocked over by the force of his unexpected embrace. She caught her footing. Charlie was hugging her. Her heart did a back flip for the motherless, little boy. She could not look at Jack. Somehow, she knew she was not the woman whom he wanted his son hugging.
Charlie suddenly let her go and turned to his dad. “I won’t do it again, Dad, but see? It worked out. I’m going to go get ready for bed now.”
He skipped off. She was all alone with Jack who turned finally, and looked down at her. The silence between them was uncomfortably thick. He walked to the door where she watched him wearily take his brown jacket off the rack and put it on. “I’ll walk you back to the trailer.”