Thank you everyone for all the kind words. I'd forgotten how nice and enthusiastic Jate readers can be. Here's the next installment. I'm hoping to keep this a combination of a little angst, a little fun/cute/fuzzy and of course since it's Jate, a little sexy.
Kate watched the man and the little girl in the doorway, him trying to give the child a hug and her pulling away, angry with him and apparently punishing him. He straightened, shoved his hands into the pockets of his dress slacks and watched his daughter walk away from him, his body language telling her that the girl's punishment was working, all the knives precisely placed and twisted to perfection. She stood and walked toward him and gestured for him to follow her out into the hallway.
"I'm so sorry about yesterday and you'll never know how grateful I am that you didn't leave her sitting outside by herself." Jack apologized.
"It's fine Mr. Shephard, things happen." Kate offered.
"It's Jack and no it's not fine. She's 12. Anything could've happened to her. It was stupid of me to forget about what she'd been hounding me about all summer long." Jack continued to beat himself up.
"Is she okay? She looks a little…..I don't know…angry. Is she still upset about yesterday?" Kate asked.
"No, Carly knows that I can't always be where I say I'm going to be, that sometimes patients have to come first. She's mad at me for breaking our deal and making her go back to the daycare with her sisters. I'm just not ready to not know my little girl is safe and being take care of. Maybe next year." Jack said.
"They still take them in daycares on a daily basis at 12?" Kate asked.
"Yes they do and there are plenty of kids Carly's age there and having all three of my daughters in the same place every afternoon is for the best. It's one less thing I have to keep track of." Jack admitted.
"I'm sure she'll be fine. Kids this age tend to move on to the next drama fairly quickly." Kate offered.
Jack relaxed and looked at the woman, actually noticing her and how strikingly beautiful she was for the first time.
"Yeah, um….anyway, thank you again for giving Carly a ride." Jack said, smiling nervously at her before turning and walking away.
Kate sat at her desk, putting the finishing touches on her lesson plans. She heard footsteps and looked up to find Stacy Barrett entering the room.
"Time to lock up the building." Stacy said.
"Yeah, I know, I was just trying to get things done in the quiet of my classroom that I know I can't get done once I leave here. Just give me a minute to grab my things." Kate said.
"I appreciate your letting me borrow Carly today. Jordan is really having a hard time." Stacy said.
"It's not a problem, but hopefully it won't go on too much longer or Carly will start to miss out and fall behind." Kate said.
"It won't. If she's still struggling tomorrow I'll have a conference with her father and we'll figure out what we need to do. What did you think of him?" Stacy asked.
"Him?" Kate asked.
"Jack, Carly's father." Stacy said.
"He seems nice, stressed to the limit and entirely too busy, but he appears to be a very doting dad. I take it there is no mother in picture at all?" Kate asked.
"No, but Carly can be quite the little mother when it comes to her little sisters. The baby, Kendall, was in our Pre-K program last year and we finally had to have a conference with Jack and have him convince Carly that it was better for Kendall if she didn't come to check on her every single day." Stacy explained with a light laugh.
"Does she maybe have too much responsibility put on her at home?" Kate asked.
"No I don't think that's the problem. I think it's just a matter of her being the oldest and seeing how difficult things are for Jack and feeling like she's supposed to take care of him and her younger siblings. Jack tries to steer her attention in other directions because he feels like she's not allowing herself to just be a kid. We've had lengthy discussions about Carly. You're right. He's a very doting dad." Stacy said.
"Can I ask you something Stacy?" Kate asked.
"Sure." Stacy answered.
"You're like the fourth faculty member in two days to come talk to me about Jack. Are you trying to make a love connection or something?" Kate asked more annoyed than amused.
"Are we that obvious?" Stacy asked.
"Yeah, having him bring me a note yesterday and now all this stuff about what a tragic, doting father he is. I'm here to teach Stacy, not date my student's parents and I kind of resent that I'm being viewed by my colleagues in that manner." Kate told her.
"Oh no Kate we didn't mean to give you the impression that we see you as all beauty and no brains, it's just that we've all known Jack and his family since Carly was in Pre-K and we're very fond of him and well you're very beautiful and…..okay, bad idea. I'm sorry. I'll tell the rest of them to back off too." Stacy said.
"Thank you." Kate said as she grabbed her purse and gestured toward the door.
Jack stood outside the classroom door and knocked. After a few moments the door opened and Kate stepped out into the hallway.
"She's down here." Kate said and started to walk away, stopped by him gently grabbing her arm.
"Wait, what's going on? Why has my daughter locked herself in a stall in the bathroom?" Jack asked.
"She's embarrassed Jack, too embarrassed to come out." Kate answered.
"Why? What happ…..oh." Jack said.
"No, it's not that, but I suspect that can't be too far off. Have you looked at your daughter Jack, I mean really looked at her?" Kate asked.
"What do you mean really looked at her? Would you please just tell me what happened." Jack asked starting to become impatient.
"Carly's body is changing Jack and apparently not right before your eyes or you wouldn't send her to school without the bra that she so desperately needs." Kate told him, her tone more critical than she meant it to be.
"Look, I appreciate that you feel like I've somehow neglected the needs of my child and are speaking up for her, but the last time I checked my daughter didn't have breasts." Jack objected not the least bit embarrassed or uncomfortable with the conversation, just offended by the accusation.
"No, she's not exactly a c-cup, but there are parts of her that are developing Jack and need to be covered up especially when she's wearing a white cotton button up shirt. Girls are ruthless and the moment they spotted her uncovered breast buds they teased her relentlessly. When I realized what was happening I stopped it, but then she ran into the bathroom and locked herself in one of the stalls and refused to come out." Kate explained.
"Great." Jack huffed.
"She's in here." Kate said and entered the bathroom behind him.
Jack was tall enough to peek over the locked door of the bathroom stall and was met with anger and humiliation when he did.
"Go away dad. I don't want you to look at me." Carly growled.
"Okay, I'm not looking, we're just talking." Jack said.
"There's nothing to talk about. I can't ever go back to class again. I have to change schools." Carly told him.
"Sweetheart that's a little dramatic don't you think? I know you're embarrassed and I'm sorry. I screwed up. I should've been paying attention." Jack apologized.
"Dad that's so gross. You paying attention to THAT." Carly complained.
"No, honey, I don't mean paying attention as in actually checking out my daughter, just that I should've paid closer attention to how old you are and what that means." Jack pressed forward carefully, not wanting to add to her embarrassment.
"Dad! Stop! I don't want to have this conversation with you!" Carly demanded.
"I know you don't baby, but you can. You know you can talk to me about anything, anytime. How about you come out of there and we'll go shopping for what you need." Jack suggested.
"Please just leave me alone daddy." She pleaded sadly and began to cry.
He could hear her crying and could feel the desperation creeping in because he knew he couldn't make her feel better this time and couldn't give her what she needed. Kate tugged at his sleeve until he followed her toward the other end of the bathroom.
"Look Jack, I don't know, I mean I have no idea what the situation with you and your daughters is, but I can see that you care very much about them and that this is hurting you as much as it is her so will you let me help you out?" Kate asked.
"Help me out how?" Jack asked.
"Let me take Carly shopping for what she needs." Kate offered.
"No. Thanks, but no." Jack refused his tone indicating that he was offended again.
"Jack it's not a reflection on you as a parent. She's 12 and she needs someone that understands what it's like." Kate pushed.
"I don't understand what my daughter is feeling, but you do?" He snapped.
"No, you do understand very well what she is feeling and why she is crying which is why you're on the verge of tears yourself and I can't do anything to make that better, but I can help make this little moment in her life a little less traumatic and embarrassing so that maybe what she is feeling right now won't hurt either one of you so badly." Kate explained and watched his face and eyes soften immediately.
He was visibly moved that even though she had no idea what his situation was, she intuitively knew it was painful and honestly just wanted to help.
"You're very kind, but this is just the first of many of these little moments so we have to figure out a way to get through them together." Jack said softly.
"True, but perhaps getting through them together means accepting that maybe sometimes the two of you should accept some outside assistance once in awhile." Kate said.
"You really don't mind?" Jack asked, his eyes hopeful.
"I wouldn't offer if I did." She said and smiled at him.
"If it will get her to stop crying and get her out of that stall how can I say no." He agreed.
Kate walked back over to the stall and knocked lightly.
"Carly, it's Kate, Ms. Austen." Kate said.
"Go away Ms. Austen. I'll come out once all the kids go home for the day." Carly said.
"Honey, you haven't even had lunch yet. How about you let your dad take you home and I'll come pick you up after school and we'll go shopping." Kate offered.
"No, then all the kids will know." Carly objected.
"They'll only know if you tell them because I won't tell anyone and you know what sweetie, by the time you come back to school on Monday this will all be forgotten." Kate said.
"Do you really think so?" Carly asked.
"I do." Kate said.
They heard the door being unlatched and then watched the girl slowly exit the stall, trying to tough it out at first but losing the battle as soon as she saw her father, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his shirt. He placed a comforting hand on her back and gave Kate a quick nod as she exited the bathroom.
"Do you have to go back to work?" She asked as she began to settle down.
"Not right away. Want to go have lunch together before I take you home?" He asked.
"You're going to let me stay home by myself?" She asked.
"I think it would be okay for few hours don't you?" He asked.
Jack and Carly sat across from one another in a booth eating their lunch and avoiding talking about what had happened at school. He didn't like that Carly wouldn't talk to him about this because he and Carly talked about everything and also because he was all she had and they had to be able to talk about anything. He watched her poke at her burger with her fingers awhile longer and finally spoke.
"Carly why don't you want to talk to me about what happened today?" He asked.
"It's embarrassing dad." Carly said softly and continued to pick at her burger.
"I'm sorry you're embarrassed honey. Is there really nothing I can do to make you feel more comfortable?" He offered gently.
"I don't know. I feel really stupid." She said.
"Why do you feel stupid?" He asked.
"Because I didn't know I was doing something wrong and I should've." She said.
"Sweetheart you didn't do anything wrong." He said.
"Dad what's a boner?" She asked making him choke on his food for a moment before taking a long drink of water.
"Never mind, that's what I thought it was." She said.
"Carly where did you hear that?" He asked, calm and completely recovered from the surprise she'd managed to catch him in with the question.
"Tommy Baxter said I needed to put a bra on because I was giving him a boner. I feel so gross dad." She said sadly.
"Sometimes boys are going to be tacky and inconsiderate like that and I'm sorry it made you feel dirty or shameful, but you shouldn't be ashamed of or embarrassed about what's happening to your body and if you have questions you can always ask me and I promise you won't self-destruct. Also Carly, if you need things you don't want me to go with you to buy we'll figure that out too." He told her.
"Okay." She mumbled.
"Want me to let you in on a little secret?" He asked.
"Sure." She said.
"Tommy Baxter probably hasn't ever experienced an erection or "boner" he didn't bring on by touching himself because if he had, if he'd ever had that happen to him just by looking at a pretty girl, he'd be too busy trying to hide it to brag about it. Girls aren't the only ones who experience embarrassing moments you know." Jack told her making her smile for the first time that day.
"Sometimes you're pretty funny dad." She told him and began to giggle.
"What's so funny?" He asked.
"Jason Thomas stares at Ms. Austen all day and he keeps his jacket over his lap." She told him and began laughing harder.
Jack didn't want to laugh, didn't want to encourage his daughter to find the struggles of a turned on 12 year old boy funny, but she was no longer destroyed and actually relaxing so he laughed along with her while sympathizing with poor Jason.
"Now remember Carly this is our secret and don't make fun of Jason because he really can't help it." Jack told her.
"I won't. Thanks dad. I feel better." She said.