about to lock the front door. She debated a moment before she returned to the kitchen to answer it, but when you have children, you have to answer the phone. As she listened to the principal’s voice on the other end of the phone, her face registered horror. “I’ll be right there.”
An hour later, Carol left the school principal’s office and walked toward her car, where she immediately paged Donovan. Her breathing was ragged as she waited for him to call her. She was bordering on hysteria when the car phone finally rang. “Don’t ask questions, Donovan. Whatever you’re doing, stop and go home. You won’t believe what I have to tell you.”
Forty-five minutes later, Donovan careened into the drivewayand parked his pickup truck next to Carol’s Ford Mustang. “What the hell happened? Did one of the girls get hurt?” he bellowed.
“I’ll tell you what happened, Donovan,” Carol said between clenched teeth. “Our little Miss Mallory sits outside our bedroom door at night and listens to us. She told her teacher— Oh, God. What she said was … that last night I drank a whole bottle of wine and that when you came home we took off our clothes, rolled on the floor, and swung from the chandelier. She also told the teacher I was mean to her and that you and I did bad things to her.”
“Good God, no!”
Carol buried her face in her hands. “The principal warned me that such implications could be dangerous if the wrong people heard them.”
“Calm down, Carol. You’re going to have a coronary.”
“You’re goddamn right I’m going to have a coronary.” She flopped down on the sofa. “That’s it, Donovan. I can’t take another day of Mallory. Not another day. Do you hear me?”
“If you’ll just be patient, I’ll take care of it. But I’m not a magician. I can’t pull a rabbit out of my hat or make Mallory disappear.” He knelt in front of her. “I got the name of a special school in Atlanta. I was on my way home to give them a call when you paged me. Now, get your wits together and get that awful look off your face. We didn’t do anything wrong. It’s okay for you to drink wine, and it’s okay for us to take our clothes off and roll on the floor. For that matter, it’s okay if we want to swing from the chandelier—if we had one. We’re married for Christ’s sake.”
“Call that school right now, Donovan, and make an appointment to see whomever you need to see.”
Donovan reached across the coffee table for the phone.
Carol leaned back and closed her eyes. She was so physically drained she didn’t hear the conversation or realize he’d hung up until Donovan took her hand in his.
“We can take Mallory to Atlanta the day after New Year’s. They have one opening. We’ll get the tour, check things out and … and …”
“Walk away,” Carol said flatly.
“Why do I feel like we’re doing something evil and wrong?” Donovan asked, his eyes searching hers.
“Because we’re decent human beings. Things like this only happen to other people, not people like us.”
“I’ll take the next two weeks off so I can stay home with you and the girls. So I’ll be here, Carol, day and night. You won’t have to deal with Mallory alone.”
CHAPTER FOUR
1993
Abby raced up the stairs to her room, bellowing at the top of her lungs. “Carol! I’m home!”
Carol came out of her room and looked at the exuberant girl in front of her. “Do you have a date for the prom? I can hardly wait to pick out a dress for you.”
“Yes, I have a date, but that’s not the only reason I’m so excited. I got a letter today from Mallory. She sent it to the school. Do you believe that?”
Carol’s happiness faded, and she leaned against the wall for support. “No, I don’t believe it,” she said in a grudging voice. The nerve that girl had. The absolute nerve! “Has she sent you other letters at your school?”
“No. This is the first. She said she didn’t want to dredge up any old hard
An hour later, Carol left the school principal’s office and walked toward her car, where she immediately paged Donovan. Her breathing was ragged as she waited for him to call her. She was bordering on hysteria when the car phone finally rang. “Don’t ask questions, Donovan. Whatever you’re doing, stop and go home. You won’t believe what I have to tell you.”
Forty-five minutes later, Donovan careened into the drivewayand parked his pickup truck next to Carol’s Ford Mustang. “What the hell happened? Did one of the girls get hurt?” he bellowed.
“I’ll tell you what happened, Donovan,” Carol said between clenched teeth. “Our little Miss Mallory sits outside our bedroom door at night and listens to us. She told her teacher— Oh, God. What she said was … that last night I drank a whole bottle of wine and that when you came home we took off our clothes, rolled on the floor, and swung from the chandelier. She also told the teacher I was mean to her and that you and I did bad things to her.”
“Good God, no!”
Carol buried her face in her hands. “The principal warned me that such implications could be dangerous if the wrong people heard them.”
“Calm down, Carol. You’re going to have a coronary.”
“You’re goddamn right I’m going to have a coronary.” She flopped down on the sofa. “That’s it, Donovan. I can’t take another day of Mallory. Not another day. Do you hear me?”
“If you’ll just be patient, I’ll take care of it. But I’m not a magician. I can’t pull a rabbit out of my hat or make Mallory disappear.” He knelt in front of her. “I got the name of a special school in Atlanta. I was on my way home to give them a call when you paged me. Now, get your wits together and get that awful look off your face. We didn’t do anything wrong. It’s okay for you to drink wine, and it’s okay for us to take our clothes off and roll on the floor. For that matter, it’s okay if we want to swing from the chandelier—if we had one. We’re married for Christ’s sake.”
“Call that school right now, Donovan, and make an appointment to see whomever you need to see.”
Donovan reached across the coffee table for the phone.
Carol leaned back and closed her eyes. She was so physically drained she didn’t hear the conversation or realize he’d hung up until Donovan took her hand in his.
“We can take Mallory to Atlanta the day after New Year’s. They have one opening. We’ll get the tour, check things out and … and …”
“Walk away,” Carol said flatly.
“Why do I feel like we’re doing something evil and wrong?” Donovan asked, his eyes searching hers.
“Because we’re decent human beings. Things like this only happen to other people, not people like us.”
“I’ll take the next two weeks off so I can stay home with you and the girls. So I’ll be here, Carol, day and night. You won’t have to deal with Mallory alone.”
CHAPTER FOUR
1993
Abby raced up the stairs to her room, bellowing at the top of her lungs. “Carol! I’m home!”
Carol came out of her room and looked at the exuberant girl in front of her. “Do you have a date for the prom? I can hardly wait to pick out a dress for you.”
“Yes, I have a date, but that’s not the only reason I’m so excited. I got a letter today from Mallory. She sent it to the school. Do you believe that?”
Carol’s happiness faded, and she leaned against the wall for support. “No, I don’t believe it,” she said in a grudging voice. The nerve that girl had. The absolute nerve! “Has she sent you other letters at your school?”
“No. This is the first. She said she didn’t want to dredge up any old hard
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