Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! Please remember that this story is set in the future of the Redemption universe; some things mentioned haven't been written yet (and they will be) but details will be provided when that particular topic is tackled. Just trust me; it's like when you first starting watching a show that's in it's second season and you don't know all the details but you jump in and watch anyway because you know it'll be told or figured out. Just hang in there; there will be bad moments, there will be good, there will be surprises, all will be revealed. Just trust me.
Chapter 5
On Tuesday afternoon, Castle stood outside the café, ignoring the curious stares of passersby as he waited on Johanna to appear. The air was cooler as had been predicted and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat to keep them from getting chilled as his gaze continued to search the sidewalk. He had thought that she'd be there early once again, just to prove the point that she could be punctual but it was 12:07 and his mother-in-law was nowhere in sight. Castle wondered if he should be worried as his hand curled around his phone in his pocket. He counted off another three minutes in his head as worry did begin to seep into his gut.
Castle pulled his phone from his pocket and found Johanna's number, his thumb touching the screen to connect the call. The line had only rang twice when she answered. "I just got out of the car, Rick; I'll be there in a minute."
"Is everything alright?" he asked.
"It's just been one of those days so far," Johanna answered. "I'll explain when I get there."
"Alright," he replied, ending the call and shoving his phone back into his pocket as he caught sight of her striding down the sidewalk towards him.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Johanna said as she neared him. "It wasn't intentional."
"I didn't think it was," he replied as he opened the door for her.
Johanna stepped inside the café and pulled off her sunglasses as she waited for her son-in-law to choose the table he wanted. Castle lightly pressed his fingertips against her back, nudging her toward the booth by the window. She went along without a word, grateful that most of the café's patrons seemed to prefer the tables toward the back opposed to the front where they'd be sitting.
Castle slid into the booth and caught the eye of his favored waiter as he did so, signaling him to come their way when he was finished with his customer. He stayed quiet, waiting patiently as Johanna laid her belongings on the table and then shrugged out of her black dress coat. She was dressed professionally today, he noted; navy blue silk blouse and grey skirt and blazer. "Did you work today?" he asked as she settled into her seat across from him, her hands busily shoving her sunglasses and phone into her bag.
"Not in the usual sense," she replied. "There was a faculty meeting this morning. I hate those."
He smiled. "How come?"
"Because for one thing, most of them bore me; and for another, half of them don't seem necessary. They could've emailed me today's nonsense."
The waiter appeared before he could comment, their menus being handed to them as they were asked what they wanted to drink.
"Would you like wine this time?" Castle asked.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say yes, the morning had been somewhat frustrating but she bit back the response as she always seemed to do. "No, thank you. I'll have a cup of tea to warm me up."
"Are you sure?"
Johanna worried her bottom lip for a moment in brief debate but then shook her head. "I'm sure."
Castle ordered a cup of coffee and gave a nod as the waiter told them that he'd be back in a few minutes to take their orders. When he was out of ear shot, Castle glanced at his mother-in-law. "You really could've had a glass of wine…I think you wanted it."
"Wanting it doesn't mean I need to have it," she replied.
He held her gaze. "Do you still have that issue of not wanting to drink because of Jim? Because Kate thought you were better about that; she mentioned that you had a glass with her the one day she managed to get you to come over for a visit…and you drank champagne at wedding."
"I took a sip of champagne at the wedding," Johanna corrected. "Katie handed me her glass and told me I could have a drink of it if I wanted. I took exactly one sip. As for being better about the issue; I'm better than I used to be. I have a glass of wine once in awhile; usually it's with Maggie…but I try not to indulge too often; and honestly that's more about me than it is about Jim."
"Maybe you should've discussed that in therapy."
Johanna shot him a look. "I discuss those feelings with my husband when I need to…and the number of those discussions has dwindled so I think I'm fine. I think we've discussed therapy enough. I don't want to get in the habit of needing a glass of wine when I have a bad day."
Castle gave a nod. "Noted. Does that mean the meeting went badly?"
"No; it was just mundane and stupid in my opinion; they didn't tell me anything I don't already know; and if I have to be at an 8am meeting, the least they could do is provide doughnuts."
He couldn't help but laugh. "That would be the polite thing to do."
"I think so," she commented as the waiter delivered their drinks and asked if they were ready to order.
Johanna ordered her usual salad and then gave in to Castle's gentle coaxing to get a sandwich to go along with it. She did so to keep the peace, he seemed concerned about her lunch habits and she didn't want that to be added to his list of topics to be discussed. After all, she wasn't sure she had much to say on the topic of salads other than the fact that she had always favored them…that it seemed to be some oddity that she'd had for as long as she could remember. She stayed quiet as he placed his order for a sandwich and the mini potatoes that he seemed to favor at the establishment.
"What else made your morning difficult?" Castle asked after the waiter left the table.
"Well, I knew I'd have to go to this boring meeting so I put out the word that I'd be in my office for a few hours this morning," Johanna remarked. "I have to show up in my office at least once a week and I figured I could get it out of the way today."
"When do you usually do it?"
"I usually go in for two hours on Thursday mornings…then if Katie calls or stops by, she'll think I'm in therapy," she told him; "But she doesn't need to know that. Like I said; I figured I'd just go in today instead since I had to be on campus anyway. My office hours are usually spent doing paperwork and being there for students complaints or questions or to accept their late assignments…if I'm of a mind to do so."
"So what happened?"
Johanna sighed. "I must've picked national complaint day to be in my office, because just about everyone through the door had something to bitch about. My personal favorites were the student who came in to complain that I assigned too much work yesterday and they just don't have time to get it done because they have a busy social life and other classes…"
"That takes nerve," Castle said, halting her flow of words.
"Doesn't it though? And let me just tell you that yesterday, I assigned one chapter to be read and gave out the corresponding work packet for the chapter…which isn't due until Friday; and I asked them to start thinking about the topic of the paper I'll be assigning next week; because I have to approve the topic."
"So basically, reading, answering work sheets and thinking?"
"Yes; aren't I terrible?"
Castle laughed. "They might start calling you the warden, Johanna."
"Oh I'm pretty sure I heard the word 'bitch' as that student exited my office when I told him that he better adjust his social calendar and get to work because the assignment wasn't being changed. I've been called worse so if he hoped to wound me, he failed miserably. Apparently he doesn't know that in my family, that's one of our badges of honor."
"Is that kind of like a Girl Scout badge?" he asked lightly.
"I'd like to think it's better; the only person in my family who was ever a girl scout was my sister…and she only lasted a year."
"I would've thought that you would've been one; it seems like something you would've done as a kid."
Johanna shook her head. "I didn't like the uniform; it was ugly."
"So if it had been a better looking uniform you would've considered joining?"
"Yes…but I have this aversion to wearing ugly things so it just wasn't possible for me to get past the ugly uniform. I took dance classes."
His brow rose. "What kind of dance? Because dance costumes are sometimes questionable fashion wise."
She smirked at him. "I'll have you know that my costumes were very cute."
"You didn't answer about the type of dance class though."
"I took ballet," Johanna answered. "I think I was about five when my mother enrolled me and I stayed with it until I was thirteen I think."
"Why did you quit?"
"My sister was making it out to be a competition; she was in ballet too. I decided to move on to gymnastics and she moved on to tap…and annoyed the hell out of us for two years with her tapping on the kitchen floor."
"Gymnastics?" Castle said in surprise.
"Yes; but only for a year; my father didn't like it."
"How come?"
"Honestly, I don't really know. He told me to find a new hobby so I started doing school plays and became a cheerleader."
"What about your sister?"
"She eventually tapped too many times and he told her to select a new dance class or find a new hobby; she found a different dance class."
"Interesting," he said with a nod. "Any other student stories to share?"
Johanna took a sip of her tea. "Well there was the over achiever who came in to tell me that he thinks it's unfair that he has a 98 in my class…I'm ruining his average. I doesn't matter that he's gotten a few questions wrong on quizzes; he should still have a hundred in his opinion and I'm just totally wrong about the whole thing. He believes they were trick questions and that I graded his answers unfairly."
"What did you tell him?"
"I went over the answers with him; backed up the correct answers with proof from the text book and a law book and he still argued with me about it until I told him to get the hell out of my office before I knocked his grade down another few points because I allowed one answer to slide on one of the papers in question and really, I could've marked it wrong for the way he worded his response. I understood what he was saying so I let it go…I told him I wish I hadn't and that I still had time to change it. He decided to concede the battle and leave…and once again, I'm pretty sure I heard the word 'bitch' being muttered."
"So you're really popular today," Castle laughed.
"Oh yes; I'm pretty sure I'm the queen of bitches today. You know the comic strip Peanuts?"
"Of course."
"My favorite character in that comic has always been Lucy Van Pelt; and as you know, she has her little psychiatric booth and it says 'The doctor is in'."
"Yeah, that's pretty much a staple of pop culture."
"I'd like to have a sign to hang on the front of my desk that says 'the bitch is in' so my students will know from the get go that I'm aware of my status and that I'm okay with it," Johanna replied. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could get one of those signs, would you?"
"No," he grinned; "But I can ask around."
"Please do. There were a few other complaints about due dates and pestering to accept late assignments, and if it's a first time offense I'm fine with that, or if there's a good excuse like illness or family emergency; but by the third and fourth time with lame excuses, I'm not as obliging and that doesn't go well. After two hours I had more than enough and I go get in my car and it wouldn't start. I had to call Jim and I couldn't get a hold of him the first two calls; finally got him on the third, he had just finished taking a deposition. He and Jeff came to see what the issue was; he thinks I need a new battery and possibly a new battery cable because he said it looks like it could stand to be replaced. They got it started but he told me to take his car and he took mine; he's going to take it over to his brother's after work, he's got some kind of tester thing…I don't know what the hell he was talking about, I just tend to nod when he gets technical about car repair. I then had to convince him to stay at his brother's for dinner if he's invited to do so; it'll be compensation for Michael having to help him with my car. So that's why I was late; we had to trade cars and I have to give the standard; it doesn't matter that they don't invite me to dinner; stay and visit your brother talk. So once again, I'm sorry for being late."
"Things happen," her son-in-law replied; "It's okay. I was starting to worry though."
"Sorry," she said once again as their meal was brought to the table. "I should've called but honestly, I was just very frustrated and didn't think about it."
"I understand; it's fine. But if you'd ever have that problem again and you can't get a hold of Jim, please call me and I'll come and pick you up; doesn't matter if it's Tuesday or not; you can call, I'll come."
Johanna nodded. "Okay…I thought I was going to have to call Katie when I couldn't get Jim the first two times. I really didn't want to take a cab…I hate taking a cab."
"She's in court today," he answered; "You probably wouldn't have gotten her."
"Court?"
"For one of her cases."
"Oh," Johanna said with a shake of her head; "See what 8am meetings and office hours do to me; they scatter my brain cells."
He laughed quietly. "It's probably because they didn't serve doughnuts….ruined your whole day."
"Pretty much. Is Katie mad at me? She seemed a little off the other day when I talked to her."
"Why would she be mad at you?"
She shrugged. "I don't know…I thought maybe you told her about how I don't go to therapy and she's just holding it in so I don't quit showing up for lunch."
Castle had to suppress the urge to shift in his seat; he had told…and Kate hadn't been happy…but he couldn't tell Johanna that. "Nothing like that," he said; "She just wasn't feeling good the other day."
Concern spread across her features. "She didn't mention that; what's wrong? Is she sick?"
"No; there's nothing to worry about," he replied; knowing he had to be careful with his words or he'd reveal the secret that Kate wanted to tell her herself…the one he was asking her to hold on to for a little while longer. "She just had a little bit of an upset stomach and a headache...it's that season, you know?"
"She's okay now?"
He nodded. "She's fine, I promise."
Johanna eyed him. "You wouldn't ever lie to me about that, would you?"
"No; I promise I wouldn't do that to you. She's fine. If Jim happens to have dinner with his brother, you could come over and have dinner with us and see for yourself."
She picked up a bite of her salad; her gaze suddenly on her plate. "I take your word for it."
"That doesn't mean you can't come over anyway."
"Not today," Johanna replied.
"Why not?"
"Because so far I've had the morning from hell and I'm just looking forward to going home…I wish Jim would be there but I'll settle for my cat until he gets home."
"What if I said you could bring Scarlett with you?"
"I don't think Katie would like that; she's not fond of my kitten."
"That's not true."
Johanna's brow rose. "She calls her a fur ball."
"But she says it with affection," he replied. "Scarlett is more than welcome in our home."
"I think I'll just stay home with her."
"Come on, you haven't been over for awhile…and I don't think you've ever come to dinner without Jim," Castle remarked.
She shrugged as she swallowed a bite of her salad. "I don't recall you being at my house lately either."
"I'm not sure I recall any recent invitations," he replied.
"I haven't issued any the last few weeks. I get tired of hearing 'sorry, we have other plans' and no, I'm not begrudging anyone a busy life. I just wish Katie would rotate her excuses so they'll wear evenly."
Castle took a sip of his coffee, knowing that what he was about to confess wouldn't score him any points. "Some of them are my fault…I know the last one was for sure."
Johanna shot him a puzzled look. "Why? Did you have some work event that she went to with you; because I get that you do have things to do; it's just hard to catch the two of you on a week when you're available."
"No; it wasn't that…I…well…I just didn't want to come; so she said we had other plans."
Her fork paused over her plate, her expression unreadable as she seemed to weigh whether she should take the bite or put the fork down until she had waded through the topic at hand. "I'm getting the idea that it's been that case more than once," she remarked.
He nodded. "Yeah; it has been."
Johanna's gaze flicked to his. "So why didn't she just say so? There's no need to lie about it. She could've come without you."
"Kate's not like that…I guess she gets that loyalty from her father."
Her eyes narrowed. "So I guess that's a subtle hint that I have no loyalty?"
"I didn't say that…I just mean that Kate wasn't going to come without me and lie about my whereabouts…just like Jim won't eat at his brother's without you."
"There's a difference…"
"There always is when it comes to you," he said before he could stop himself.
"The difference," she said sharply; "Is that Michael and Natalie don't invite me to their home. When I invite Katie, you are always invited with her. I've even invited your mother and daughter for special occasions but those invites are always declined, because your traditions and feelings are always more important than our family's but we don't complain; we just go on about our business. I definitely get it now though, my home isn't good enough for you and that's fine."
"It's not like that," Castle replied. "I just don't like to come because I don't like the way you act."
"You don't like the way I act but I'm supposed to come to your place every time an invitation is extended?"
"We want you to visit as often as you'd like…I just don't like how uptight you get; how reserved and quiet you are. I can tell that you get defensive and that you don't want to be there. When we come to your house, you're still uptight and somewhat defensive…and I know you'd prefer Kate to just come alone."
"If I wanted Kate to just come alone; I'd only invite her," she said sharply.
"And she would decline, so of course you don't do that."
"Apparently she declines either way most of the time so what's the difference?" Johanna asked. "I swear; I didn't realize what a horrible person I was until you were around to tell me on a weekly basis; I can't thank you enough. It really makes me wonder what the real reason for this little weekly 'let me read you your sins and make you a better mother-in-law' lunch is about. I just can not wait for the whole truth to come out…and mark my words, it will…and if you're waiting on me to lower my guard so I won't find out or I'll quit wondering and forget that there's some secret motive; you're sadly mistaken because I never drop my guard and I don't forget a damn thing."
"Yeah; I know all about how you don't forget anything," Castle remarked. "I told you; the lunches are so we can get past all this discord."
Johanna scoffed as she pulled her phone from her purse. "You're being so very successful at that."
"What are you doing?" he asked as he saw her rapidly typing something on her phone.
"None of your business," she replied, as her gaze scanned the text she had composed to her daughter. "The next time I ask you to come to dinner, don't give me that 'we have other plans' line; just be honest and say 'we're not coming because my husband doesn't like you'; and don't say that's not how it is, because he just set here and said it."
Seeing that the message was free of errors, she hit send and laid the phone back down on the table; ignoring her son-in-law's slightly worried look.
"Johanna," he said; his voice strained as he struggled with how to turn things around. "I was just trying to be honest and I knew that in doing so I wouldn't score myself any points with you…but I thought maybe if we discussed it, then it would make it easier for invitations on both sides to be accepted."
"What invitations?" Johanna asked. "I'm going to take your advice and only invite my daughter; you can stay home since I'm such a distasteful person to share dinner with."
"If I thought you were distasteful, would I have invited you to dinner tonight?"
"Oh I think you would; you want something from me…I don't know what it is yet but I'll figure it out."
Castle sighed as his phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket, seeing his wife's picture on the screen. "Hello," he said as he answered.
"Castle, what the hell are you doing?" Kate asked sharply.
"I'm having lunch with your lovely mother," he answered. "Why? Am I supposed to be somewhere else?"
"No; but do you care to explain to me why I just got a text from my lovely mother telling me that the next time she invites me to dinner that I shouldn't say we have other plans; that I should instead say 'no, we're not coming because my husband doesn't like her'."
Castle squeezed his eyes shut and then looked across the table at his mother-in-law. "I never said I didn't like her," he told his wife, his gaze pinned to the woman sitting across from him.
Johanna took a bite of her salad, ignoring his pointed gaze.
"Then what did you say?" Kate asked on the other end of the line; "Because if she texted me right in front of you, then it wasn't something nice…which I imagine isn't helping this cause of yours."
He sighed deeply; regretting the moment he had thought up this idea. "I was trying to appeal to that great appreciation of honesty that she claims to have."
"Meaning what?" his wife asked sharply.
"We were discussing dinner invitations and I confessed that sometimes you tell her that we have plans when we don't because I don't like to go…because of how she acts around me."
"Seriously?" Kate replied. "You seriously thought that was wise? What is wrong with you? Did you inhale something on the way to the restaurant?"
"No; but I'm starting to wish we had gone to a bar…because at least then I could have a stiff drink to help me through this one."
"You're going to need more than a drink," Kate retorted. "You should've never said those things, Castle. She'll never invite us over again and we'll never get her through our door now; so you may as well just go ahead and pull the plug on this little win her over campaign because I'm sure you just blew it. Is she still there?"
"Yeah; she's still here…eating her salad like she didn't text my wife and tattle right in front of me."
"Give her the phone."
Castle sighed and held the phone out to her. "It's for you, Queen Johanna."
She smirked at him as she accepted the phone. "I'll try not to contaminate your phone."
"That's the least of my worries," he replied.
"Hello, Katie," Johanna said.
"I'm sorry," her daughter stated.
"No need to be sorry; the truth is enlightening."
"Not the kind of enlightening that we all like," Kate replied; "And honestly; that's only happened maybe three times. He also has never said to me that he dislikes you."
"He might not say it but it's there, sweetheart. You married a man who hates your mother."
"Oh God," Castle muttered. "Why are you so hard headed?"
"He doesn't hate you," Kate stated; "I don't know what his problem is today but I will take care of it when I get home; and if you want to get up and walk out right now, you can, I won't be mad."
"Oh no, I'll stay and inflict my torment on him; I'll also take his advice and only invite you from now on."
"We'll discuss that later," her daughter replied. "I planned on coming over anyway."
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying," Kate replied. "Dad sent me a message and said that he had called Uncle Michael about taking your car over there and that he was invited to dinner; he said you already insisted that he accept that invitation; so he wanted me to know that if I was open to a Temptation Lane marathon and having girl time with my mother, this evening would be a good time for it. I already decided what I wanted to pick up for us to eat so don't go home and cook later…and don't tell me not to come because I'm coming."
"You don't have to though if you don't want to; your father shouldn't have made it sound like you were obligated to come over and keep me company…he also hasn't informed me of his invitation."
"He said he didn't want to interrupt your lunch with Rick."
"I wish he had."
"I know," her daughter replied. "I'm sorry that he's clearly stuck his foot in his mouth again; but I'm coming over tonight because I want to, okay? I want to spend some time with you and I want to watch Temptation Lane without husband commentary."
Johanna smiled a little. "Understandable…I have several episodes on the dvr."
"Good; I'm totally ready for them," Kate replied. "Please tell me you have last Friday's because someone supposedly accidentally erased it from my dvr."
"Yeah; I'm pretty sure I do have that one. Are you feeling better?"
"What?" Kate asked; her stomach dipping slightly.
"Rick said you weren't feeling good the other day when we talked; are you okay?" Johanna asked.
"Yeah; I'm fine. If I wasn't, I wouldn't come over and share my germs with you," she replied; adding one more thing to her own personal list to discuss with her husband when she got home.
"I wanted to be sure…a mother never stops worrying, you know?"
"I know, Mom; but I'm fine. I'll see you this evening, okay?"
"Yeah; I'll be there."
"Alright; I love you; give the phone back to my husband."
"I love you too, Katie," Johanna replied before handing the phone back to her son-in-law.
"Please keep in mind that I also love you," Castle said as he retook the phone.
"I love you too," Kate stated; "But we are going to have a serious talk when I see you. I had just gotten out of court when I got her text; I'm sitting in my car right now…and if the rest of my day stays mundane; I'm going to be home early just so we can have that discussion before I go have dinner with my mother."
Castle suppressed a sigh. "Something to look forward to."
"Uh huh; I suggest you mind your manners for however long she remains at the table. I'm surprised she's still there."
"I could say something about that but I won't."
"Smart move," his wife replied. "I'm going to head back to the precinct; I'll see you after while."
"Be careful; I'll see you later."
After hanging up the phone, Castle pinned his mother-in-law with an unamused look. "You just had to do that, didn't you?"
"Do what?"
"You know what. Why did you text Kate?"
Johanna smiled. "Because I'm a bad mother-in-law, remember; it's what we do…it's a very basic skill from the first chapter of the handbook."
Castle blew out a breath. "Maybe I'll get you a sign that says 'Bad Mother-In-Law'."
She smiled. "I'd prefer it to be on a t-shirt that I can wear with pride."
"Maybe I'll get you one for Christmas."
"Why wait? Shouldn't my badness be clarified and acknowledged to the world as soon as possible?" Johanna asked. "I can get you one that says 'bad son-in-law' and then we can match and maybe that will live up to your Brady Bunch ideal."
Castle scrubbed his hands over his face in exasperation. "We don't have to be the Brady Bunch."
"That's a relief."
"Sometimes I think you're deliberately difficult."
"Only when you provoke me," Johanna replied. "I thought I was doing pretty good at the start of this lunch. I thought we were managing a perfectly normal conversation and then you had to pull out the daggers."
"I didn't pull out any daggers!"
Her brow arched. "Really? You sit there and confess that my daughter lies to me because she doesn't want to tell me that you don't want to come to my home because you don't like me and you don't think that's a dagger?"
He raised a hand in surrender. "Okay; let's just dial this back."
"Why? You said it was only the truth…how do you dial back the truth? You can't put the bullet back into the gun after it's been fired," Johanna remarked. "You apparently wanted me to know this information and now you don't like how it was taken so you want to 'dial it back'…what's the matter, Rick? You can't handle your own truth? Aren't we having a good time?"
"Your level of sarcasm suggests that we're far from having fun," he replied. "I thought you'd appreciate the honesty and the chance to work through it. You always claim to be so big on the truth; after all, that was one of Kate's biggest spiels about her mother; how all her mother cared about was the truth; how she fought for it and believed in it…and of course we know that you threw a bucket of cold water on the rosy image she had of you but you still claimed to be a big believer in truth…so I gave you the truth."
Johanna held his gaze with a cool look of her own. "I didn't ask for your truth. I didn't want it and now I'll never be able to forget it. I mean why would you think I'd want to hear that? Do you think it make me feel good?"
"No; believe me, I knew I wasn't scoring any points but I thought it would open a dialogue and we could work on it."
"Because hurting someone is the proper way to open a dialogue on a topic?" she asked.
He blew out a breath. "I wasn't trying to hurt you; I just thought we could work on the issue."
"Why don't you go work on yourself?" Johanna retorted. "If I act a certain way around you, it's because of how you've acted toward me. All you do is judge me and blame me. Do you ever take the blame for anything in your life? Because I have to tell you, from what I've heard and been told, everything in your life is someone else's fault."
"And you're always the victim in your world," he shot back. "You'll never stop playing that card because it gives you an excuse to keep your distance. You can claim hurt feelings due to reactions about your return and the rocky year that followed it and it gives you a reason to stay behind your little wall and play your role of part victim, part tough girl who doesn't care…even though she really does."
Johanna smirked at him. "You don't know me; you think you do but you don't."
"Oh I think maybe I do…you like to be defensive…and you like an excuse to keep certain things at bay. You're a runner, Johanna; just like Kate always was," Castle declared.
"Alright, Rick," Johanna said, her tone even and clipped; "You want to talk about truth and visiting habits; I've got some truth for you. I don't like coming to your home either; in fact I dread it when we're invited. I'm not comfortable there; I don't feel welcome. I don't feel welcome because I know you have a habit of looking down your nose at me, judging me, and taking the slightest thing I might say or do that wrong way; which is why I tend to keep my mouth shut while in your home. I also don't like to visit because your mother and I aren't on the best of terms and it makes it awkward, and again, unwelcoming because it's her home and she probably doesn't like my presence there. I don't like to visit because your behavior about me befriending Alexis has made the girl so uncomfortable around me that she barely says hello to me and I feel like I somehow committed some crime by trying to be nice to her…not to mention the fact that when all that went down, Martha made the comment that I was trying to be Alexis's grandmother in retaliation for my feeling that she had usurped my role as Kate's mother; and let me just tell you right now, that couldn't be further from the truth. I wasn't trying to be her grandmother; I know I never can be. I just offered to listen, I offered her a few home cooked meals and a guest room when she didn't want to be alone. I drove her to school because I was going to work and it just so happens I work at her school. You and Katie talk about me not combining well into the new family order…well I was creating a link to your family and you broke it the day you confronted me about befriending your daughter and accused me of trying to parent her and of encouraging her to keep things from you. You said a lot of hurtful things that day…you've done a lot of hurtful things. I know I'm no saint, I know I've been harsh in return at times; not because I want to, but because you push me until I feel like I can't control it. I also don't like coming to your home because when I'm polite and offer to clean up, I have to hear the barrage of 'you don't have to be Suzy homemaker' jokes and barbed remarks, acting like it's a sin to hand wash dishes and clean up after a meal that was served to me. My mother raised me to clean up after myself; she raised me with the belief that when someone invites you into their home and gives you a meal, you thank them by cleaning up so they don't have to. I'm sorry that teaching has been a part of my whole life and I don't appreciate being made fun of for it; even my own mother-in-law stopped doing that after a certain point. So there's my truth, Rick; now we both know why we don't like to visit each other's homes. Does it make you feel better? Because I have to tell you; it doesn't make me feel better at all."
"No; it doesn't make me feel better," he admitted; "But I think it's better that it's out in the open."
"Really? Because I feel terrible," Johanna remarked. "I don't like any of it; I don't like what you told me, and I don't like that I had to tell you my truth…some things are better left unsaid."
"Maybe not in this case."
She shook her head at him. "How can you say that? You say you want things to be better and all you're doing is picking at things that don't need picked and making them worse. You're always so eager to tell me what you think of me…it reminds me of my father; I still remember it like it was yesterday, the day he looked me in my face and told me that he couldn't stand me…among other things. So you see, some things are better left unsaid," she remarked.
"I know that some things are hurtful to hear," Castle stated slowly; "But it gives a starting point for what we need to change. For example; you mentioned the jokes about how you always want to clean up after a meal instead of leaving it for us or the cleaning lady; you take them as an insult to your upbringing, that we're making fun of you. That was never our intention but I can see how you'd feel the way you do about it. You're right; you're only being a polite guest when you offer to wash dishes and clear the table; you shouldn't feel like you're being ridiculed for it. It's also not very polite for us to pick on you for preferring to hand wash dishes instead of using the dish washer. I'm sure a lot of women feel the same way and you shouldn't be made to feel like it's wrong. We have been making jokes about that for a long time and I'm sorry that we've hurt your feelings and I assure you that it won't happen again."
Johanna said nothing as she pushed her salad around her plate; what could she say? Nothing she did was right and she was sure that there was some part of him that was probably thinking she was too sensitive about the jokes she had mentioned…she supposed that it was ridiculous but it did hurt her feelings; and the only one in the room who ever seemed to pick up on that was Jim. He'd try to subtly remind her not to offer but he didn't always think about it until it was too late and she had already offered to clean up and was in the midst of jokes about being Suzy Homemaker. She knew they most likely didn't mean to offend her but she couldn't help how it made her feel.
Castle suppressed an exasperated sigh as he watched his mother-in-law; her gaze upon her plate as she pushed her food around. Her silence aggravated him. It wasn't his nature to allow something broken to go unfixed…and maybe he didn't have the patience that she required. He couldn't imagine that anyone had enough patience for her; that she'd drive even the most patient and saintly men crazy with her quick temper, rules that applied to everyone but her and occasionally sharp tongue. But then he thought of his father-in-law…Jim seemed to have the patience, the understanding, the careful balance needed to maintain a stable relationship with her.
But Jim was her husband and he loved her unconditionally and turned a blind eye to her flaws. He, on the other hand, was just her son-in-law…and for some reason he could always see her flaws; always saw the worst in her words or her actions. He couldn't say that he loved her…and due to the multitude of misunderstandings between them, he wasn't even sure he could say that he was all that fond of her at times. He didn't dislike her…he just felt like she made it hard to love her; hard to make her a full fledged member of their recently joined family. He knew that he wasn't exactly her cup of tea either…and it hadn't always been that way. She had liked him well enough in the beginning…but somehow things had become discombobulated…and it made Castle wonder if it wasn't a lost cause after all. Maybe she was too set in her ways…and maybe he was too set in his.
The silence hung heavy between them for several minutes and it only added to Castle's frustration as Johanna remained quiet and apparently locked inside her own world.
"Look," he said, his tone quiet and firm. "Past history with you has taught me that my apologies don't carry much weight with you…"
She gave a soft shake of her head. "I accept your apology, Rick. I'm sorry I brought it up; it was stupid."
"Why do you always do that?" he asked.
"Do what?"
"Why is it that when someone else is trying to apologize to you that you always turn it into your moment of apology? You never give anyone a chance to be sorry, to ask for forgiveness…because it's like you have to be the martyr and take all the blame. It's like it's some mission for you; to be the one who always does all of the apologizing."
Her gaze flicked to his face. "So now I'm not supposed to apologize for things I feel I do wrong?" she asked. "That gets added to my list of sins?"
"It's not a sin," he said tersely. "Its just very annoying how you can't ever just accept an apology without extending one of your own so you can try to the better person no matter the situation is."
"That wasn't my intent," Johanna replied. "I felt badly for bringing up a relatively minor issue and I apologized for it. I didn't realize it was such a terrible thing…I'd say I was sorry but I don't want you to accuse me of double dipping in martyrdom."
Castle squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. "You're just determined for things to stay the way they are, aren't you?"
"I don't know how to answer that," she said honestly. "I don't like things the way they are but it seems like no matter what I do, you take issue with it so I feel like I'm stuck."
"Well you could be unstuck if you'd just cooperate," he retorted. "You take offense to every little thing and it halts any progress I'm trying to make here."
"You also take offense to everything," Johanna remarked. "I'm not alone in the guilt."
"I'm aware of that!" he said sharply; "And if you'd ever accept an explanation and a damn apology, maybe things wouldn't be as bad as they are. I don't know what you want."
"I don't know what you want either; I mean you want me to come here and meet you once a week and I've been showing up…I've been letting you pick at scabs; and it's still not enough."
"I want you to cooperate on working out these issues; I've told you that time and time again."
"Why is it suddenly so dire?"
"Because we're not going to be happy family like we should be if we don't and that might be fine with you but it bothers me. You might be used to dysfunction but I like my family to be around."
"I think some measure of dysfunction is unavoidable," Johanna replied; "But we can get along; I told you before…I know how to play the game. As long as I can have a full, rich relationship with any future grandchildren, I'll be happy."
"I hope to God that your future grandchildren don't act like their grandmother because I'm not sure I'll survive."
Her eyes flashed with temper. "Don't talk about your mother like that, Rick," she retorted.
He smirked. "I think we both know that I was talking about you; the thought of my kids having your attitude makes me wish I hadn't promised that they'd never be kept at a distance because I'm not sure I want them to have too much of your influence."
Johanna felt like one of her worst fears had just been confirmed; that despite all the pretty words and promises, she wouldn't be allowed to have the involvement in her future grandchildren's lives that she had always hoped for. It was an unbearable hurt and she was unable to keep her emotions in check. A tear broke free and spilled down her cheek, her fingers trembling as she laid down her fork covered her face.
"Johanna, I didn't mean it," Castle stated; remorse filling him as he heard the soft sniffle she was muffling with her hands. "I'd never keep your grandchildren from you; you can't really think I would, do you? I promised you that the first time we had lunch together…you just exasperate me and I say things I don't mean."
"Go ahead and keep them from me," she said as she dropped her hands, tears still spilling down her cheeks. "I don't care…who's to say I'll ever even have grandchildren anyway. Katie's not getting any younger and I haven't heard her say anything about wanting to start a family anytime soon."
"Just because she hasn't said it to you doesn't mean she hasn't talked about it with anyone else. I'm certain you'll be a grandmother at some point in time."
"What; in name only?" she asked. "You already know I worry about being kept from my grandchildren and you make remarks like you just did and I'm supposed to believe that you're going to be happy to have me as a part of their lives? Do you know why I worry about it so much?"
"No; but I would like to know why," Castle replied.
"Because of that whole thing with Alexis…I figure if you don't want me around the kid you already have, why would you want me around any children you have with my daughter?"
He shook his head. "Johanna, I know I already apologized about the thing with Alexis and I know we need to discuss that more; but I swear to you that I was sincere when I made the promise that you'll always be welcome to be a hands on grandmother to your grandchildren…and if you want to claim Alexis as your granddaughter, please do so."
"Oh yeah, right; I just bet that would be acceptable," Johanna said with a scoff.
"Well, technically, you are her grandmother by marriage."
She shook her head. "No, I'm not and I don't want to be. What's the point; I'm not supposed to share in her life so why bother holding a title like that? Besides; I wouldn't do that to Martha. She's her grandmother."
"There's always room for more," he replied.
"Apparently not in your world when it comes to Alexis but it doesn't matter. It's over and done with and you got your way; she doesn't talk to me anymore."
"I regret that," Castle told her; "And I'll encourage her to remember that you're someone she trusted and enjoyed spending time with…and that she shouldn't allow my moment of jealousy to stand in her way of having a relationship with a member of our family."
"No; leave it as it is," she stated. "I don't want pity or sympathy or for her to think that you're now coercing her into picking up that relationship. One day when she's out from under your thumb completely she'll decide what she wants to do without worrying about your opinion of her friends and boyfriends and any other life choice."
"That feels like a slippery slope of conversation that we don't need to get into today," Castle replied. "My original intention when we started the conversation today was to get through the reasons why we don't like visiting each other and it's gotten very out of control."
"Fine, Rick," she said with a sigh as she wiped her cheeks. "Tell me what to change that will make it easier for you to come sit at my table a few times a year? What exactly do you want me to do?"
He frowned; he wasn't exactly sure how to answer that question. She didn't really do anything wrong…it was the way she acted that he didn't care for. "I…well…I just want you to act more like you did when we first met than you do now."
"Meaning what?" Johanna asked.
"Meaning that when you were living with Kate, you were…more relaxed around me and you were more at ease having a conversation with me…and I know, I have some blame in the change of your demeanor toward me but I just wish we could go back to the way it was."
"Alright," she replied; "I'll relax…and if we stay on topics that don't open the door for hurt feelings, then I'm sure I'll be able to carry on a conversation with ease. I didn't realize that we don't converse normally; I believe I do ask you about your work and I thought those conversations always went well."
"They do," Castle conceded; "But we should be able to discuss more than just work, shouldn't we?"
"Well you're a book snob so we can't discuss the works of other authors I like," Johanna remarked.
He met her eye. "Johanna; I swear to you that I'm going to go buy a Julia Quinn book and read it…and then we're going to discuss it…and after that, I will steal one of Kate's Janet Evanovich novels that she thinks I don't know she has stashed on the shelf and I will read one of those too."
"If Katie's hiding those books it's because you showed her what a book snob you are."
"I'm going to quit being a book snob."
"I've heard that before."
"I mean it this time."
"Uh huh."
"I promise."
"We'll see. I also like television and movies but I doubt that we have the same taste in those areas."
"I like science fiction, in movies and television."
Johanna smiled. "I despise it."
"How can you despise it?" he asked in horror. "Kate likes it!"
"Katie shares that with her father; I can't stand it. I've set through Star Wars and numerous other movies of that genre but only because I love my husband. I drew the line at watching Star Trek though; I always left the room when that nonsense was on; God I hate that show, and by that I mean every variation. I'd go do my paper work or call my mother when Jim was watching that show."
"Nonsense?" he repeated; "You call Star Trek nonsense? This comes from a woman who watches soap operas…which are rife with nonsense?"
"My soaps aren't nonsense."
"I've seen Temptation Lane…I've seen All My Children and One Life to Live; there was nonsense."
"At least they made it to air and weren't sent straight to dvd…like the movie of some writer's book was…what writer was that?" she asked; pretending to think about the question seriously.
"Low blow, Johanna; low blow."
"I rented that movie…it could've benefited from Susan Lucci's skills; in fact it would've done much better with any daytime actress I can think of."
"We are not discussing that movie."
"Okay; we'll cross that off the discussion list," Johanna remarked. "I like Dancing with the Stars."
"Okay," he said with a nod; "We watch that; we can discuss that."
"Jim and I watch the Amazing Race too."
"I've never watched that," Castle remarked.
"That's surprising; I figured you'd like that."
"Why?"
"Because racing around the world completing challenges seems like something you'd do…except you don't need the prize money."
"But now I'm intrigued," he admitted.
"I'm sure you can find some episodes online."
"I'm definitely going to do that," he stated; "But surely we'll be able to discuss more than just books and television."
"Well, there's always the weather," Johanna remarked; her gaze flicking toward the window. "Fall has arrived."
"A weather discussion is only held when parties don't know what to say to one another."
"I'd say that's us," Johanna said as she picked up her cup to take a sip of her tea.
"It shouldn't be like that."
"Yeah…well…"
Castle took a moment to take a drink of his coffee, doing his best to keep his frustration at bay. He couldn't say she wasn't trying; she had quickly brought her emotions under control and asked what she could do when it came to him being in her home. He didn't feel like there was anything insincere in the way she had asked…and maybe it would help if he posed the same question. He had apologized for the jokes; but maybe there was something else that would make her more comfortable in their home.
"Is there anything we can do to make your visits to our home more appealing?" he asked.
Johanna considered the question carefully; knowing there was no real answer to give. He couldn't change who he was anymore than she could change who she was. He couldn't change his mother or his daughter…well, he seemed to exert some control where Alexis was concerned but that was beside the point. She wouldn't be comfortable unless she felt like she wasn't an outsider and she didn't see how that could be changed. It was her personality that was the issue for everyone involved…she didn't mesh well with theirs. She wasn't one of them. She was a little too serious…a little too subdued and practical. She was more of a quiet observer…she felt things entirely too deeply to ignore them completely but she figured she was going to have to learn to try; because it felt like the brunt of the work of changing would be on her shoulders. She would always be the one expected to change.
"Johanna; what can we do?" Castle inquired once more.
Words formed on her tongue but she wouldn't allow herself to unleash them. She couldn't allow herself to say "Quit looking at me and seeing only the mistakes you feel I made. Quit looking at me and seeing every flaw; stop judging. Stop measuring me up against other people in the room. Just accept me for who I am." She couldn't say those words; it wouldn't be right.
"Whatever it is, I promise not to get mad," her son-in-law said; as if he sensed that she feared angering him again.
Johanna gave a soft shake of her head. "It's nothing like that."
"Then what is it? What can we do for you?"
"I don't know…I guess there's nothing to be done…it's just me. I'm the one who has to change I guess; and I'll do my best."
Castle frowned; that hadn't been the type of response he was looking for. "There has to be something," he prodded. "I get that I've made you wary now because you think I'm holding future grandchildren over your head but you've got to give me something to work with."
Johanna shrugged; struggling to find a balance. "I don't know, Rick…I guess if your mother would quit implying that my job is boring that would lessen my attitude problem as you term it. I like my job and I don't find it boring, nor did I find being a lawyer boring. It does require a level of seriousness but I don't view that as a bad thing and I wish she wouldn't as well."
"Okay;" he smiled; "I can take care of that problem."
"Which will probably create another problem," she replied; the realization setting in that if he went home and had a chat with his mother about the comments she had referred to, she'd probably get some phone call or message from Martha once again branding her as ridiculous.
"How do you figure?
"I think Martha would probably be offended if you spoke to her about that so I'll just overlook it.
He sighed. "Two steps forward, one step back."
"That's the way of life it seems."
"Well, we're going to have to change the dance," Castle stated; "Because we're going to make this work. No more jokes about being Suzy Homemaker and Mother is going to stop with her insinuations that you have a boring career; which just for the record, I don't find boring at all…in fact I was going to ask if I could set in on one of your classes."
Johanna's brow rose. "Why? We're not spending enough quality time together?"
"No; it's for research actually," he replied; choosing his answers carefully. "I'm going to be writing several scenes that involve the courtroom side of preparing a case and since you teach that; I thought maybe I could set in and take some notes, learn a few things."
Johanna eyed him warily. "I could just lend you a textbook or a law book…or you could Google."
"Yeah; but here's the thing, when I Google; I usually end up on Youtube or looking at totally unrelated things to my topic…because as your daughter says, I sometimes have the attention span of a squirrel. I'm more likely to pay attention in the setting of your classroom."
"Is that what these lunches have been about?" she asked; wondering if she had just collected a piece of the puzzle.
"No; I actually just thought of that idea last night while I was doing some work. So how about it? Can I come and observe one of your classes?"
"I don't know," Johanna said hesitantly.
A thought occurred to him and he reached into his pocket and extracted the two gift cards. "Perhaps your friends Macy's and Bloomingdales can help persuade you," he said as he slid the cards toward you. "They're your payment for your quote…but if you were inclined to let me set in, there could be another gift card in your future."
"That sounds like you're trying to buy me off."
"But you're the one who charged me."
"I charged for the words," Johanna replied. "I don't think it would seem right if I charged you to sit in my classroom."
"Does that mean you're going to let me?" he asked hopefully.
She breathed deeply. "I don't know, Rick…can I think about it?"
"Well…I was hoping to come this week," he remarked.
"Not tomorrow," Johanna remarked. "They're taking a quiz the first half of class."
"Friday then?"
She didn't like the idea but she knew she had to make the decision carefully; weighing how each answer would affect everyone. "I'll let you know on Thursday."
"Okay; I can live with that," Castle stated; hoping that if he could not only do his research, but manage to show an interest in her life and career, that she'd relax a little. He couldn't help but feel that their third lunch had been a bit of a mess and a failure. He couldn't cross anything off his list today…and he was going to have an unhappy wife coming for him at the end of the day. Yeah; today hadn't been a success…at all.
Feeling as though he was still on shaky ground, Castle allowed the more serious discussions to fade into the background as they finished off their meal. Johanna seemed to be more comfortable when it came to discussing work and so he guided them back to those waters, prodding her for stories of her students and her manner of teaching. He asked about her colleagues and gathered that while she had no issue with them and seemed to get along with them, she didn't seem to claim any of them as friends. Her secretary was mentioned with the bland comments that the woman was nice and did her job well…but there wasn't any sentiment to indicate that she had a friendship with the woman.
He couldn't help but wonder if keeping her distance was a habit leftover from Wyoming…or if it was because she was too afraid to get close to anyone that she didn't already have a history with. Talk of her students, however, seemed to bring a small light to her eyes. She called them 'my kids' and he had a feeling that for a semester's length of time, all of her students were indeed hers; he could see her being professional while also being maternal towards them. She had a connection to 'her kids' that was easy to see.
It was also easy to see that she missed practicing law.
Oh he knew she loved teaching the classes; loved her students and the busyness that being a teacher gave her. But when she spoke of how she liked to go about teaching, he couldn't miss the spark in her eyes that spoke of how she missed working real cases instead of mock cases with her students. As she finished her cup of tea, he decided, without much thought, to be brave and broach the question.
"Do you miss being a lawyer, Johanna?"
The question seemed to catch her by surprise, her lashes fluttering as she hurried to blink away whatever answer might lie in her gaze. He heard her foot tap against the tile floor, her fingers clutching the linen napkin.
"Technically; I am a lawyer," she finally answered; her tone betraying nothing.
"Because you renewed your license?"
Johanna nodded. "Yes; because I'm licensed, which by state law I have to keep my license current whether I practice or not…and because I have the law degree to prove it and the papers stating that I passed the Bar."
"So you're a lawyer in name only," Castle stated; "But do you miss being an actual lawyer?"
"I do some law work," she remarked. "I help Jim with the things he works on."
"But the question is do you miss being a lawyer in the actual sense. Do you miss going into the courtroom and presenting a case?"
She had no qualms about confessing to her husband that she sometimes missed her chosen profession but for some reason she found herself hesitant to say the words to her son-in-law.
"Your silence makes me think the answer is yes," Castle stated.
Johanna shrugged a shoulder. "Missing it once in awhile doesn't mean anything."
"If it didn't mean anything, you wouldn't be afraid to admit it."
"Just because I didn't say it to you doesn't mean that I haven't said it to other people."
"Why can't you say it to me?"
"Because…I don't want you and Katie to think I'm going back to practicing law because I'm not. I know how Katie feels about that…and Jim too. I don't want them to be worried that I'd go to the store one day and come back and say I rented office space to start my career again. I'm retired…I just happened to retire from it long before I planned on it but it's over and done with. I've been teaching law classes for a very long time; even when Katie was little. I'm content with teaching."
Castle gave a nod; accepting the answer that he had a feeling she kept rehearsed for moments like this. She might be content with teaching but he was sure it nagged at her that her career as an attorney had been ended before she was ready to step aside. Maybe it was best that she didn't dwell on it.
"Thanks for lunch," Johanna said as she picked up her coat and rose from her seat to slip into it.
"You know the rule; you wait for me to walk you to your car," Castle remarked.
"I don't see why."
"Because my mother raised me to be a gentleman."
Johanna opened her purse, double checking that she had her phone and found her sunglasses and keys while he paid the bill. She slipped her sunglasses on and quietly followed him to the door of the café.
"The sunglasses always make me feel like you're masking your identity so people won't know you've been seen with your son-in-law," Castle quipped as they stepped outside.
"I'm not giving up my sunglasses, Rick. You and Katie are just going to have to get over that one."
"I noticed that you avoided the part about masking your identity so people won't know you were seen with me."
"I ignored it because it's ridiculous," Johanna replied. "It's not like I can deny knowing you."
"It's not so bad knowing me, is it?"
"Of course not; you don't trouble me nearly as much as I apparently trouble you."
Castle pondered that for a moment. "That feels like a trap so I'm going to let that one go."
"If only you could apply that wisdom to other areas," she remarked as she fumbled with the keys, her finger pressing the button on the remote to unlock Jim's car.
"Jim sure does have nice taste in cars," Castle remarked as they approached the shiny blue Dodge Charger that Jim had gotten barely a year before.
"He does love his cars," Johanna replied. "He finished painting the Camaro a few weeks ago."
"I wouldn't mind seeing it."
"Well call him up and tell him you want to see it; I'm sure he'll be happy to have show and tell with you," she quipped.
"I might do that this weekend; which car should I bring?"
"Whichever one you want," Johanna said as she opened the car door and put her purse inside. "There's only one bad thing about those times when Jim and I trade cars for the day."
"What's that?" Castle asked.
"Well, he'll have the seat pushed back in my car because he's taller than me…and then it takes me at least five minutes to get it back the way I like it. On the other side is also the fact that I have to move the seat up in his car so I can reach the pedals. He usually adjusts it for me but he was in a hurry today and I still don't have it right so I'm driving slowly."
"Let me guess, you sit in the seat while he adjusts it for you?"
"Yes; he's a very good husband," she replied. "But like I said, he was in a hurry; they had a meeting to get back to and of course I had to be here."
Castle nodded. "Get in; I'm sure I can fix it for you."
He was somewhat shocked when she got in without argument or giving him the standard 'oh that's alright, I'll be fine' line. He figured he better act fast before she changed her mind. He moved the seat slightly, pausing to give her a moment to test the feel of it.
"Just a little more, then it'll be just right," Johanna stated.
Castle moved the seat the slightest hint more and she nodded. "That's good; thank you."
"You're welcome," he replied; "How about we met for lunch Thursday so we can discuss your decision about me sitting in on one of your classes?"
Johanna pushed her sunglasses up so that she could peer at him. "Why? I was just going to call you!"
"Well I figured since today's lunch didn't go too well that we may as make up for it," he replied.
"I thought this was a Tuesday only thing!?"
"It is for the most part but there's no reason we can't go Thursday too this week."
Johanna sighed. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
"Not so much that I can't make time for lunch," he replied. "It's slow at the precinct since Kate's in court a lot this week."
"So that means you want to torment me?"
Castle smiled. "That's what being a son-in-law is all about."
"If I had known that, I would've objected at the wedding."
He laughed. "No, you wouldn't; you enjoy it."
She eyed him. "Who told you that?"
"Some things are just known."
"Uh huh."
"So, see you Thursday? I won't make it a habit of asking for two lunches, I know you're busy too…but you already took care of your office hours and I'm having that slow week…and you want Kate to be happy, don't you?"
Johanna sighed loudly. "You're blackmailing me with my daughter's happiness?"
"If that's what it takes," Castle replied with a nod.
Another sigh crossed her lips. "Fine, Rick; just this once I'll come back on Thursday…for Katie. I do all of this for Katie."
"I know," he told her; "And she's glad we're making the effort…except for when you tattle about certain things and she gets mad…and now I guess I'm going to be punished by spending the evening alone since she apparently plans to have dinner with you."
Johanna smiled and dropped her sunglasses back into place. "That will teach you, won't it?"
"It might," he confessed.
"Good; see you later."
"See you Thursday," Castle said with a smile; taking a small amount of glee in the smirk she gave him as he closed her door.
Johanna gave him a wave as she drove away and he had a feeling that she was probably cursing him under her breath but he had to get things turned around; Kate's deadline for giving her mother a certain piece of news would be creeping up on him sooner than he'd like.