No Way Out by Fern Michaels (great books for teens .TXT) 📗

He knew he had to face the judge again at a hearing. His lawyer told him that if he would plead guilty, he wouldn’t have to go to trial and would probably get probation and community service. That could possibly blow any chance of joint custody. He knew he had messed up at the temporary custody hearing, so he had to play it cool. That was going to be a tough one. But he knew that he had to present himself as a model citizen. Otherwise, there was no way out of this. Maybe parking at the end of the block every day wasn’t such a good idea after all. He had to think on it.

Chapter Ten

Ellie watched Jackson and Buddy running around the yard. It gave her a sense of peace and calm. But she had to remind herself that she needed to be vigilant in her routine. One wrong move could be dangerous. She didn’t want to end up in a hospital again. Or the morgue.

She picked up a pair of binoculars and peered down the street. She couldn’t help but notice Mitchel’s car parked there every morning until just before Jackson and Colleen left for school. At least he didn’t try to violate the order of protection and break into the house or sit there long enough for them to come closer than a hundred yards. But his continued presence had been unnerving. The guy was sleazy. She worried for Colleen and Jackson, but was glad she could offer some relief to the little guy. Once again, she thought about inviting Colleen for tea. But she needed a little more time to get comfortable with the idea of having someone else in the house. If she did have her over, where would they sit? She would have to leave the door unlocked and have Colleen let herself in.

Her computer buzzed, signaling another person in techno-despair. This one turned out to be an easy fix. A woman had bought a new computer and could not get her built-in video camera to work. Ellie typed:

Ellie: Run your finger over the top of your monitor. There should be a very tiny button in the middle.

Customer: I don’t feel anything.

Ellie: If you can, take a look. It’s very small. Like a pinhead.

Customer: Oh yes. I see it now.

Ellie: Gently push down on the pinhead. The camera should pop up from the screen.

Customer: Oh, for heaven’s sake. I’m so stupid! I had no idea that’s what I had to do!

Ellie: No worries. Unless someone tells you or you read through a PDF file, it’s not easy to see or figure out. Is there anything else I can help you with?

Customer: No. I’m fine now. Thanks so much.

Ellie: My pleasure. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Ellie was often amused at the simple things that appeared so complicated to people. But then again, technology was changing every day. It was even hard for professionals to keep up.

She checked her watch. Almost time to make some dinner.

She heard the buzzer, indicating that Jackson was ready to go home. This time, when she buzzed him out, he looked up at her window and waved. That was a first. She smiled. She could tell that Jackson was starting to ease into the new routine.

Once Jackson was past the front fence, Ellie opened the laundry-room door. There were two doggie doors for Buddy. One went from the laundry room to the porch, the other from the porch to the yard. He came galloping in her direction, practically knocking her over. Meanwhile, Percy was rubbing against her legs. “I think you guys are trying to kill me!” Ellie laughed and snuggled Buddy. She scooped up Percy, and the three of them headed into the kitchen.

“So, what shall I serve for dinner?” She looked at Percy, then peered at the cans. “Do you want the salmon pâté, or do you prefer the shredded tuna?” Percy gave her an “I don’t care, just feed me” look.

“Well, then, it shall be salmon tonight.” Ellie took the can from the pantry cabinet.

Looking at Buddy, she said, “And you, sir? Chicken or duck?” She patted him on the head. “Did I hear you say ‘duck’?” Buddy gave her a soft woof. Ellie laughed out loud. It struck her that she had been laughing and smiling more than usual lately. Maybe she was finally relaxing in her own skin, finally feeling at ease with her surroundings and her cottage on Birchwood Lane. It had been two years. It was about time. But she caught herself again in doubt. Don’t get too comfortable. Things could change in an instant. Like the last time. She shook off the cloud that was about to surround her and focused on the task at hand. Feeding the three of them.

Ellie opened a bottle of a crisp white wine and poured herself a glass. She fixed Buddy and Percy’s plates and turned on the news. More bickering in Washington. What else was new? You would think that, after going through that horrible pandemic, people would just try to be nice to each other. It’s easy to be nice when things are going well. Only when people are nice during hard times is it a testament to their character. But times were better now. Weren’t we all supposed to be better people?

She felt like she was a better person. In some ways, that is. She was more compassionate, for sure. And she was grateful. Grateful that she hadn’t been in a major city during the outbreak, especially grateful she wasn’t in a hospital at the time. She was also grateful that her mom was OK. She missed her dearly. She hoped she would see her again, but it wouldn’t be until she was finished dealing with the trauma. Not until she was safe.

She jumped when the phone rang. She had forgotten again that she had designated that one for Colleen and Jackson.

“Hello?” Ellie said.

“Hi, Ellie. It’s Colleen.