Frowning as he walked out of the office, Zach refused to let his mind wander down the familiar paths of guilt and blame. His marriage was dead, and rehashing unresolved issues between him and Rosie would do no good.
Fifteen minutes later, Zach drove into the garage at 311 Pelican Court, the custom-built house he’d helped design. Together he and Rosie had pored over house plans for months on end. Despite this inconvenient arrangement, he felt grateful to the judge for her unconventional edict, since it meant he didn’t have to completely give up a place he loved.
To Zach’s surprise, the house was quiet when he came in through the kitchen door.
“Where is everyone?” he called as he set his briefcase on the counter.
“Here, Dad,” Eddie shouted from the family room. He was lying in front of the television on his stomach, manipulating the joystick to his video game. “Allison’s got a visitor in her bedroom,” he said, looking up at Zach. “It’s a boy.”
“What?” The word exploded out of Zach before he could stop it. He’d see about this. Allison knew the rules, and Rule Number One was no kids at the house without an adult present. No boys in her room, either. Ever.
Eddie nodded in the direction of the hallway. “Check it out.”
Zach didn’t need a second invitation. He practically ran to Allison’s bedroom; it was the fastest he’d moved in weeks. He pounded on the closed door, then flung it open. His daughter sat on the edge of her bed with her arms entwined around the neck of a skinny boy with long stringy hair badly in need of washing. He wore a black leather jacket and motorcycle boots that laced up to his knees. A studded leather dog collar circled his neck.
“Dad.” Allison’s eyes grew huge. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here three days a week. Who’s this?” He narrowed his gaze on the pimply-faced youth.
“This is Ryan Wilson. Ryan, this is my dad.”
“Ryan,” Zach said. He reached for the boy’s arm and jerked him to an upright position. “Nice to meet you.” Without taking a breath, he continued. “However, we have rules in this house and that includes no boys in my daughter’s bedroom.” He loomed over the teenager, who blinked up at him, face paling.
“Daddy,” Allison cried.
Zach ignored her. “If you want to see my daughter again, I suggest you abide by my rules. Do we understand each other, Ryan?” he asked pointedly.
Ryan nodded.
“Good.” He held out his hand. “Well, goodbye, Ryan. I assume you know your way to the front door?”
Ryan made a beeline out of the bedroom.
Allison was on her feet now, too, her expression one of outrage. “How dare you!”
“Oh, I dare, Allison, and I’ll dare a whole lot more. What the hell do you think you’re doing bringing a boy into this house without an adult present?”
“I’m an adult.”
Zach nearly laughed out loud. “When you’re living on your own, paying your own expenses, we’ll revisit that issue. As it stands now, you live in my house.” He paused, because technically this wasn’t his house. It belonged to Rosie and him jointly and to the kids.
“I can invite anyone I want into my room.”
Zach glared at her. “Don’t go there, little girl.”
“Little girl?” Indignation shone from her eyes, and her cheeks reddened as she clenched her fists at her sides.
Zach could see this argument was getting out of hand. He was angry and so was Allison. Difficult as it was, they both needed to step back and take a deep breath. “We’ll talk about this after dinner.” He turned and left the room, and heard the door slam a couple of seconds later.
By the time Zach entered the kitchen, he was shaking. He dragged several calming breaths into his lungs and forced his heart to settle down to a normal beat.
“What’s for dinner?” Eddie asked, following him inside.
“Hot dogs,” Zach said. It was convenient, quick and he was in no mood to mess with a casserole. He’d discovered he was quite good at tossing a few ingredients together. He had his failures—notably the ground turkey baked with peas and rice—and his successes. Eddie didn’t seem to care one way or the other. Of the two, Allison was the picky eater.
“We had hot dogs last night.”
Leave it to Rosie to beat him to the punch. “What would you like?” he asked.
Without hesitation, Eddie said, “Spaghetti.”
“Okay.” He searched the refrigerator’s freezer section for hamburger and realized there was none. It was his week to buy groceries, which he should’ve done before he got home. More than likely, that was why Allison had Ryan in her room. She’d expected him to arrive later than normal, but he’d forgotten it was his turn to do the shopping.
“Has Ryan been here before?” he asked. He hated to use his son as a snitch, but he was beginning to think Ryan might be a routine visitor. If so, that was about to stop right now.
Eddie glanced over his shoulder and then nodded.
“Does your mother know?”
Eddie shook his head. “No one did until now.”
Zach patted his son on the back. “What about macaroni and cheese?”
Eddie shrugged. “Are you going to cook the real kind or the kind that comes out of a box?”
“What do we have?” Zach asked, examining the contents of various cupboards. He needed something easy while he decided what to do about Allison. It was clear he’d have to talk to her, and much as he dreaded the idea of calling Rosie, he should probably get her advice before he initiated the big discussion.
“We’ve got grated mozzarella cheese,” Eddie said, peering inside the refrigerator. “That makes the best kind ’cause it melts in the macaroni.”