Precedent: Book Three: Covenant of Trust Series by Paula Wiseman Page B

looking at apartments?”
    “ Yeah. Is that bad?”
    “ Yes! It looks really bad. Like I’m looking for a place to shack up.”
    “ I know better.”
    “ But the landlords don’t.”
    “ Just tell them I’m your brother.”
    “ That’s even less believable.”
    “ I’ll sit in the car and wait for you.”
    “ That’s ridiculous. Why would you want to spend the afternoon sitting in your car in apartment complex parking lots?”
    “ You’ll think it’s stupid.” He shuffled back toward his car, jingling his keys.
    “ What?” She took a couple of quick steps to catch up with him.
    “ I got you in really big trouble, but you don’t hate me. I’m not used to somebody treating me that way. You’re different . . . special, you know.”
    “ You mean that?”
    “ Well, yeah.”
    His eyes twinkled when he smiled this time, and Shannon suddenly felt dizzy. Dylan Snider thought she was special. Dylan, the party boy who could have any girl he wanted, and he wanted to spend the day with her. A very boring day at that.
    Her dad would totally blow a gasket if he knew she was with Dylan again. Imagine what he’d say if she started dating Dylan. She smiled. “So . . . are you just gonna follow me then?” she asked.
    “ Anywhere,” he said.
    He rested his elbows on his open car door, his face just inches from hers. He wanted to kiss her. Should she . . . ? Just then, her phone tweeted the arrival of a text message. “Ugh!” she muttered, digging through her purse until she found her phone. “My stupid brother.” She deleted the message without reading it.
     
    * * *
     
    Jack sighed and snapped his phone closed. Shannon wasn’t going to reply, even to an apology. Now his dad was back home, and there was no way he could watch them worry and wonder all afternoon. He had to confess.
    He tromped down the steps and found them in the kitchen, his mother in her usual spot, with her usual cup of coffee, but carrying the weight of the world. His dad sat next to her holding her hand, his face drawn the way it was the day after Brad was killed. Even so, his dad looked up and smiled. “Hey, Jack. I wondered where you were.”

“ Mom, uh, Mom said the office got broken into,” Jack said, buying some time, trying to soften his dad up.
    “ It was no big deal. You haven’t heard from Shannon, have you?”
    Jack felt the breath press from his lungs. “Why would she call me or anything?”
    “ Are you okay, sweetheart? You look a little pale.” His mother pushed a seat out for him. “Why don’t you sit.”
    He slumped into the chair, certain they could see his pulse throbbing in his neck. “Mom . . . Dad . . . I . . . I mean, Shannon . . . It’s my fault she’s not home yet.”
    “ What?” his dad whispered. “How is it . . . ?”
    “ I heard what she said last night. About my mother. What she called her.”
    Then his adopted mother reached over and squeezed his hand. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you heard such hateful—”
    “ But see . . .” Jack pulled his hand back. “I wanted her to apologize—”
    “ And she will—”
    “ Mom, will you let me finish!” Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I took the spark plug wires from her car. It was childish and immature, and if I hadn’t done that, she would’ve been back by now.”
    “ How’s that?” his dad asked.
    “ She won’t answer my texts. She’s still ticked off.”
    “ I don’t understand how this is your fault, son.”
    “ I took a bad situation and made it worse.”
    “ Sweetheart,” his mom took his hand again, “you didn’t. You have to believe me. Joel will be here any minute, and Aunt Rita and Uncle Gavin are on their way over. I need you to be strong and help us.” She swallowed hard and blinked back tears. “We can deal with whatever we have to when Shannon gets home.”
     
    * * *
     
    Chuck stole upstairs while Bobbi filled Joel, Rita and Gavin in on everything that had happened with Shannon in the past couple