Anya admired his effort to be fair. He could easily seize on this chance to whip up his daughter’s resentment toward her parents.
“No, I wouldn’t because I’d know you loved me.” The girl’s lips trembled. “When I asked them if I could visit you, Vince said if I ever mentioned you again, he’d send me to a boarding school in Switzerland.”
Rod looped an arm around his daughter’s shoulders. “Honey, I’d hate for that to happen. But after the court ruled in his favor, Vince adopted you. I have no legal rights.”
“He treats Amber and me like he owns us. Like we’re pretty objects for him to show off to his friends.”
We’re still missing something, Anya thought. The girl was unhappy, but why take action now? “Why did you run away today?” she ventured. “Did something happen?”
“Good question,” Jack murmured.
“It’s because of last Sunday.” The girl sniffed. After a deep breath, she resumed. “They make me take piano lessons even though I’m terrible because their friends’ kids play instruments. I had a recital on Sunday and I messed up.”
“What do you mean ‘messed up’?” Helen asked.
Tiffany’s hands clenched. “I forgot part of my piece in front of all those people. It was embarrassing. As soon as it was over, Vince dragged me outside and yelled at me where everybody could hear. He called me stupid and lazy.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Daddy, no matter how hard I practice, I still suck. When I try to memorize music, it falls out of my brain.”
“It’s good to play an instrument, but not if it makes you miserable,” her grandmother noted.
“I was great in dance class!” Tiffany burst out. “And I enjoyed it.”
“That’s why you ran away?” Jack asked.
“I had to see Daddy,” the girl said. “I knew he’d love me for who I am.”
Rod drew her close. No question about it; those were definitely tears brightening his eyes.
Anya understood how it felt to long for the freedom to be oneself. In a sense, she, too, had run off, although she’d waited until she was an adult with a nursing degree.
Rod’s gaze met Helen’s, his frustration obvious. “I wish I had the power to intervene, but legally, I don’t.”
“I should get a choice about who I live with,” Tiffany insisted.
“When you’re older, you might,” her grandmother said.
“How much older?”
“Fourteen, I believe.” Jack recalled that information from the lecture about runaways. “But you’d need your parents’ consent and your own money.”
“That’ll never happen!” Tiffany flared. “And what about Amber? They’re mean to her, too.”
“In what way?” Rod asked sharply.
“Since she’s a good swimmer, Vince took her to this competitive coach. Now he and Vince both yell at her when she doesn’t do well at meets,” her sister said. “She hardly talks to anybody anymore except me. When I told her I was short on money to buy my ticket, she gave me her savings.”
“Amber knew about your plans?” Rod sighed. “They’ll squeeze the truth out of her. They could have me arrested if we don’t report right away that you’re here.”
“We love you guys,” Jack put in. “But nobody’s above the law.”
“If they stick me in boarding school, I’ll run away from there, too.” Fire flashed in Tiffany’s eyes. Anya shuddered at the prospect of the girl wandering alone in some foreign city, an easy target for a predator.
“Please don’t put yourself in danger,” Rod said.
“If I can’t live here, they ought to at least let me visit,” Tiffany responded. “I’m going to tell them that when I get home.”
“Oh, dear.” Helen’s shoulders slumped. “I heard Vince say to your mother...”
“What?” Tiffany demanded.
“That I’m a bad influence because I indulge you girls. And once Vince’s mind is made up, he’s a bulldozer. I’m afraid he’ll cut me off completely.”
Vince was clearly a control freak. He couldn’t stand sharing the girls with anyone.
“My opinion of that man isn’t fit for polite company,” Rod growled.
“I did talk to a lawyer in town,” Helen said. “I could file with the court for visitation rights. But they’d fight it, and you know how much money Vince has. He’d bankrupt me before he’d give in.”
Unless they found a solution, Tiffany faced a difficult and possibly disastrous adolescence, Anya thought. Although it wasn’t her place to interfere, she did have an idea. “May I make a suggestion?”
Mixed expressions greeted this remark. Rod spoke first. “I appreciate your concern, Anya, but you’re not familiar with any of the people involved.”
“She was a teenage girl herself not long ago. Let’s hear what she has to say.” Jack’s encouragement finally drew a nod from his uncle.
Anya addressed the girl. “They won’t let you visit your dad, but your grandmother isn’t getting any younger. You and your sister are old enough to spend a week or two with her during vacations. And then you can discreetly visit your dad.”
“Vince won’t let us do anything that isn’t his idea,” Tiffany replied bitterly.
“Surely your mom has some influence. Play the guilt card,” Anya persisted. “Grandmothers are precious, and I’m sure she could use two helpers for spring cleaning. It would give your parents a break, too, during vacation.”
“They already get a break. They stick us in camps, like music camp and swim camp and soccer camp.” Despite the objection, a note of hope brightened the girl’s voice.
“I would love to have them here. They’re growing up so fast.” Helen gazed fondly at her granddaughter. “And it would be wonderful to do some spring cleaning together.”
“I’d like that. Amber would, too,” Tiffany replied. “Could we visit Daddy and Uncle Jack while we’re here?”
“Not officially,” Rod told her. “If your parents get wind that I’m involved, they’ll forbid you to come. They might even file a restraining order against me.”
Jack leaned forward. “I’ll bet we could arrange something if we’re careful, though.”
That was exactly what Anya had had in mind. She wondered if she should speak again or let the others carry the ball from here.
Helen clasped her hands in her lap. “But if Portia and that husband of hers found out I let you spend time with the girls, they’ll cut off all contact with me.”
“I suppose that’s a risk,” Jack conceded.
Anya cleared her throat. Everyone turned to her, with varying degrees of curiosity and skepticism.
“As I said, you have to be discreet,” she ventured. “But, Helen, surely you have friends who could take the girls on outings. It wouldn’t be your fault if they happen to run into their dad.”
“You’re a sneaky little thing,” Rod said appreciatively.
“I grew up in a family that tried to run my life even after I was grown,” she explained. “I learned the less I told them, the better.”
“Some of the hospital staff have school-age children,” Jack remarked. “There are lots of possibilities for playdates at a