Shattered (Book Four)

Chapter 13: The Date Bomb

After a long day at work, I came home to see my daughter freaking out in the sofa. I was starting to wonder if she had a seizure when I was gone. Dropping my suitcase, I hurried up to her then asked what was wrong. She looked at me with panicked eyes and shake her head.

I checked her arms, her face, and clothes and saw no traces of dirt or red marks. "Are you okay?" I asked, touching her face. "What's wrong?" Cleo kept pinching her forehead and sighed.

"I did a terrible thing," she said. "Something terrible, Mom." Oh my gosh, I thought. This could only mean one thing... "Cleo," I began slowly. "Are you pregnant?"

Cleo stopped groaning then glared at me. "Gross, Mom!" she whined."I am only sixteen!" I let out a sigh of relief, but repeated the question. "Nothing," she said. "It's just my best friend's brother picked the wrong time to ask me out."

It became my turn to stare at her. "What?" I asked. "You're saying that Jared...asked you out?" She nodded miserably then buried her hands.

"On a date?" I asked. "Did you say yes?"  Cleo nodded again and fell into the cushions. I never knew Jared liked Cleo, maybe I was so busy with work that I didn't see this coming. "Where is he taking you?" I asked softly. She pulled up from the couch then told me that he is taking her to a Chinese restaurant.

I didn't know how to respond. Mothers like me weren't the type who constantly hang out with her friends, read crappy romance novels, or even squeal for their teenaged daughters that they finally found their Mr. Right. "That's...lovely," I replied sheepishly. "No, it's not." Cleo insisted. "I've never been on a date before or kissed a guy!"

I gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, telling her I understood what she was going through. "I know this sounds crazy," I began. "But maybe you should go out with Jared."

"He seems like a very nice boy and he wants to make it up to you." "I know," Cleo said. "But Dad never approves of me dating, especially Jared." I rolled my eyes at this. Even though Jared is Cleo's best friend, Ben doesn't trust him or any boy who hangs out with her.

While Seth is easygoing, convincing Ben to approve would be difficult. "Let me convince him," I insisted. "I'm sure your father would understand. Meanwhile, call Jared and tell him that you would be there."

Cleo pulled her phone out of her pocket and dashed upstairs. I ran my fingers through my dark hair as I took out my cellphone from my pocket then dialed Ben's phone number.

The phone rang for a second until I heard a loud sigh coming from the speaker. "Yes, Cole?" Ben asked. He sounded tired and annoyed. "You know Jared, right?" I began. "The awkward kid with dark curly hair?" Ben guessed.

"Yeah," I answered. "Well, Cleo told me that Jared asked her out at school-" "What?" Ben demanded. "Give the phone to Cleo!" I slapped my head in frustration. "No," I said firmly. "You and I need to talk about this."

"Right now?" Ben groaned. "I'm a little bit busy." "Doing what?" I snarled. I heard someone firing random shots in the background. Nevermind, I thought wearily. As soon as the firing ceased, Ben's voice returned.

"Where is Jared taking Cleo?" he panted. "To a Chinese restaurant," I answered, brushing away my bangs. "Maybe we should let her go on a date with him. Teenagers love dates nowadays."

"So did Carrie," Ben snorted. "And we all know what happened to her." "Ben!" I hissed. "Please, we need to support her." "There is no way I am saying yes," he replied. "Please?" I begged.

I heard a distant groan until a pierced cry of a bullet ended it. "Fine," Ben sighed. "When is the stupid date?" "I don't know," I shrugged.  "Maybe at night?" "As soon as I am finished," he promised. "I'll go straight home."

"Okay," I said. "I love you, Sherlock." "You too, Irene Adler." Ben responded. After I hang up the phone, Cleo made her way downstairs and told me that she confirmed her date with Jared.

"What time will Jared pick you up?" I asked. "Eight o'clock," Cleo answered. I gave her a nod and ruffled her hair. "As soon as you're finish with your homework, pick out something you want to wear for your date."

Cleo nodded back then raced back upstairs. After she left, Seth came from the dining table, holding a plate of half-eaten pumpkin pie. As soon as he looked in my way, he gave me a nervous smile then hand it to me.

Instead, I cringed at the sight of it then shook my head. Seth shrugged his shoulders, swallowed the ration, and went for more. "How's work?" he muffled. Specks of pie crust flew out of his mouth and onto the clean floor.

"Fine," I said, restraining myself to strangle him. "How are things at your job?" Seth shrugged some more. "A lady paid me to spy on her husband," he explained. "She thinks that he's cheating on her."

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked him what he had found out. "The husband is con: he went to a dozen hotels, drank in a couple of bars," Seth sighed. "And dated a lot of women." "Really?" I smirked.

"After I told his wife," Seth continued. "She gave me a thousand dollar check and left without saying a word." I stood there, amazed. "Whoa," I breathed. "That's brutal." Seth finished his pie then laid his plate in the sink.

Walking over to the couch, Seth told me that he is going to take a long nap. "Sweet dreams," I said. He waved dismissively collapsed on the cushions. Just then, I felt someone wrapping his arms around my body.

Angrily, I was thinking about reaching for my pepper spray, until I saw Ben smiling at me. He kissed me gently on the cheek then laughed. "Sheesh Cole," he chuckled. "Jumpy much?"