His Ordinary Life by Linda Winfree

gone round and round in my head, and I plain don’t know what to do.”
    His uncertainty surprised her and she pushed back her damp hair. “We’ll get through to him. It may take some time, but we’ll do it.”
    He lifted his head. “I’m just afraid we don’t have that much time, Barb. It seems like he’s slipping away from us more and more every day.”
    “He is.” She shrugged, wishing she knew how to soften the words. “He’s growing up. He’s drifting right now and it’s our job to pull him back where he’s supposed to be. Don’t you remember what it was like at his age?”
    “I remember.” His features stiffened and he looked away. She knew immediately where his thoughts had gone. His seventeenth summer—Will’s death and the beginning of the estrangement from his father.
    Impulsively, she reached out, covering his knee, and smothered a prick of hurt when he shifted away. “Then you know what he’s going through. It’s not the same, but he’s feeling a loss, too. He’s lost his family. And in a way, he’s lost you.”
    Turning his head, he met her gaze, his eyes fierce. “I’m here . As long as it takes. So what do we do to help him?”
    “Exactly what we’ve been doing. Hold him to the rules we’re setting. Keep talking to him, trying to get at what’s eating him. If it helps any, I’m just as lost as you are.”
    His mouth turned downward. “We set rules, and he’s in more trouble than he was. I don’t think what we’re doing is working.”
    Barbara pulled her knees up and linked her arms around them. “He earned himself more consequences today, didn’t he? What’s it gonna be, Dad?”
    He grimaced. “You know consequences were a lot easier when they were little and you could stick them in time-out for a few minutes.”
    “You’ve obviously forgotten what it was like trying to keep Blake in time-out.”
    “He had a stubborn streak then, too, didn’t he?”
    “Don’t know where he gets that from.” A tentative smile curved her lips, and when she glanced at him, their gazes clung. The familiar sense of connection zinged between them, taking Barbara’s breath for a moment. She sucked in air and glanced away. “So pick a consequence.”
    “I already have his keys and he’s grounded.” He slanted a look at the house. “The trim needs to be sanded and painted. I bet the gutters could use a good cleaning, too. We’ll fill his next few weekends with extra chores.”
    “No television,” Barbara said. “And the MP3 player is ours now.”
    Del nodded, his expression satisfied. “Sounds good. Make me a honey-do list of what you need done around the house. I’ll make sure it gets done and maybe I can get him to talk to me while we’re working.”
    At his words, her heart did a slow flip-flop. With him wandering the house in his version of pajamas, and talking about honey-do lists, it was too easy to let herself remember what had been. The need to remind him of their boundaries surged through her.
    She gathered her book. “I can supervise him. Tonight’s your last night here, and I know you have other obligations—”
    “You think I have one more important than him?” The firm, quiet words washed her with shame.
    She swallowed the pithy comment that rose to her lips. Instead, she shook her head, afraid to meet his gaze again. “I know you don’t.”
    “Yeah, well, after tonight, I’ll sleep over at Tick’s.” His mouth tightened. “I know better than to hang around when I’m not wanted.”
    Real pain hovered in his voice and she cringed. “That’s not—”
    “We’d better talk to Blake.” He rose from the lounge. “Might as well be now.”
    * * *
    Del cut through the water with swift, even strokes, grateful for the quiet. With everyone asleep, the silence was peaceful, rather than heavy and tense. However, the cool water and the calm night did nothing to soothe the troubled thoughts tumbling through his mind. When they’d laid down the new terms of