Yuletide Proposal

“How are you?” he asked.

“I’d be better if you hadn’t called me out of a session with one of my clients,” Brianna grumbled. She’d been back home in Hope, New Mexico, for two months. She’d been the psychologist at Whispering Hope Clinic where the high school referred their students for counseling for almost that long. So why had Zac waited until today, at ten past eleven, to renew their acquaintance?

He leaned back on his heels, studying her. “You look great.”

“Thanks. You’re director of education, huh?” Brianna’s nerves skittered at the way he studied her. Why was Zac back in Hope? More important, why was she reacting to him like some teen with a crush? “I didn’t realize you’d given up teaching.”

“I haven’t given up teaching. Just changed my focus to administration.” His unblinking stare rattled her. “It’s been a long time.” He said it as if they’d parted the best of friends when actually she’d run away from him on the morning of their wedding.

She raised one eyebrow. The only defense she could summon to battle the emotions he raised was disdain. “That’s why I’m here, Zac? To reminisce?”

“No.” His head gave a quick negative shake. “Of course not.”

Frustrated that her traitorous pulse was doing double time, that her palms still tingled though she’d released his hand, that yet again she couldn’t control something in her messed up world, Brianna sighed.

“So would you please tell me what is so important that I had to leave work on my busiest clinic day to come here?” she asked, except she really didn’t need him to tell her because she knew with heart-sinking certainty that it was Cory. It had to be. She’d expected returning to Hope would give her troubled son the fresh start he needed to turn his world around.

“Let’s discuss this in private. My office is this way.” Zac stood back, waiting for her to precede him.

The warmth stinging Brianna’s face had nothing to do with the late-September heat outside and everything to do with the curious eyes of the office staff now fixed on her. She walked past Zac toward the office at the rear of the hall. As she passed, her nose twitched at the familiar pine scent of his aftershave. Some things never changed.

“Have a seat.” He sat down behind his large, austere desk only after she was seated. That was Zac, manners all the way. His mother’s influence. If only her mother had been like that—caring instead of trying to force her daughter to give up her dream for a business she detested.

You can do anything, Brianna. You just have to believe in yourself.

Zac’s words echoed from those halcyon days. But there wasn’t much else to remind her of the shy, geeky boy who’d tutored her through junior and senior year so she could win a scholarship to college. Even his bottle-bottom glasses were gone, revealing the hard straight lines of his face. This mature Zac was confident and completely at ease.

“I don’t want to say this, Brianna,” he began, tenting his fingers on his desktop.

Her fingers tightened on the arm of her chair.

“Your son, er, Cory.” He paused.

“Zac, I know who my son is.” She steeled herself. “Get on with it, please.” Her heart cried at the thought of Cory messing up this last opportunity.

“He was on drugs in school today.”

“What?” Brianna gaped at him in disbelief. This was the very last thing she’d expected.

“Yes. In fact, Cory was so wound up, he hit another student in the hallway. Or tried to. Fortunately he missed and passed out on the floor.” Zac’s voice dropped forcing her to lean forward to hear. “I was really hoping drugs would not be one of the issues here.”

What had she brought her son home to?

“Cory doesn’t do drugs.”

“He took something today.” A touch of irritation dimmed Zac’s dark brown eyes.

“Is he all right?” She breathed a little easier at his nod and began summoning the courage to go to battle for her son—again—when Zac continued.

“He’s a little groggy, but the school nurse assures me the drug has almost completely worn off.”

“Cory doesn’t use drugs. I mean it, Zac.” Brianna held up a hand when he would have spoken. “You’ve seen his record. He’s made a lot of mistakes, but drugs are not one of them.”

“Yes, Cory said that, too.” Zac leaned back, face inscrutable.

“He did?” She narrowed her gaze. “When?”

“When I talked to him a little while ago.”

“Without me present?” she asked sharply.

“I was acting as guardian for the child, Brianna,” Zac defended. “Not as an enforcer, or policeman—to give him a penalty. I need to get to the bottom of this, and Cory provided some perspective.” He paused. “What I’m going to tell you now is off the record.”

“Okay.” Brianna nodded, confused.

“I believe Cory was tricked into taking something. He said someone gave him a drink. I discussed his symptoms with a doctor friend who works with emergency-room overdoses in Santa Fe. He suggested Cory may have been given a powerful psychotic.” The name of the drug made her gasp.

“That’s a prescribed substance!”

He nodded. “The police tell me they haven’t seen it in town before.”

In spite of the word police, something about Zac’s attitude reassured her, though Brianna wasn’t sure why. “What happens now?”

Zac was silent for several moments. His steady brown gaze never left her face.

“Are you suspending Cory?” she demanded.

“Not at the moment.”

“Then—” She arched her eyebrow, awaiting an explanation.

“I’ve been through this before, Brianna.”

“Through what?” She’d expected anger from Zac. Loathing. Disgust. Something different than this—understanding. “You mean you’ve seen drugs in school before?”

“Yes.” Zac nodded. His jaw visibly tensed. The words emerged in short clipped sentences. “Several years ago I taught a student who was also given drugs without his knowledge.”

“Oh.” She waited.

“Jeffrey had a lot of difficulties at home and at school. The high he got from that one time made him feel he’d escaped his problems, I guess.” Zac shook his head, his voice tight with emotion. “It wasn’t long before he became addicted.”

“I’m sorry,” she said to break the silence. Zac clearly struggled to tell her his story.

“Jeffrey called me the night before he died.” Zac licked his lips. Beads of moisture popped out on his forehead. “I think he was looking for a reason to live, but I couldn’t talk him out of committing suicide.” His ragged voice showed the pain of that failure lingered.

“How sad.” She ached for the anguish reflected in Zac’s dark gaze. He’d always been determined to help students achieve. This tragedy would have decimated him.

“Jeffrey was the brightest kid in the school.” Zac’s mouth tightened. “He’d already been accepted at Yale. He had his life before him, but because someone slipped him that drug, his potential was wasted.”