Page 2 of A Perfect Target

“No. When my ex-wife walked out on me, she decided she no longer wanted to be a mother. She hasn’t tried to see or speak to Sammy since the day she left. In any case, my main concern is my son and his well-being. At this point, I recognize he can sometimes be a handful.”

“How do you discipline him at home?” she asked curiously.

“I send him to his room or take away his television and tablet time. But I don’t know how that helps you when he’s here in school.”

“I have an idea I’d like to try with him. I have a cool, navy-blue beaded necklace with charms of things that boys like. When Sammy has a good day, he gets to wear the necklace home. Maybe you could reward him with extra television time or ice cream…something special so he wants to earn the necklace every day. On his bad days he doesn’t get the necklace and you take away television time or something else. What do you think?”

“Have you tried this before?” Seth asked curiously.

“Dozens of times,” she replied with a reassuring smile.

“And it’s worked?”

“It works, but only if I have the support of the parents.”

“Well, you have my support, so let’s give it a try.”

With the discipline issue addressed, she now had another troubling concern to bring to his attention.

At least he looked more relaxed now than he had when he’d first walked into the classroom. It was rare that a father came in alone for these meetings. It was usually a mother or a mother and father.

“My real concern with Sammy is that, academically, he’s way behind his peers. He isn’t reading up to grade level, and his math skills are lacking at best.”

Seth frowned once again. “I was afraid of that. Do you have any suggestions that might help?”

“I would recommend getting some tutoring for him to get him back up to speed,” she replied.

“I’d be more than willing to get him a tutor,” Seth said. “Can you give me the name of somebody?”

“Actually, I would love to tutor Sammy,” she replied.

“That would be great.” He leaned forward in the chair, and she caught his scent. It was one of clean male with a hint of woodsmoke and a spicy cologne…definitely appealing. “So, how does this tutoring work?”

“I would come to your home a couple evenings a week and tutor Sammy for about an hour or an hour and a half each session. Does that sound like it would be something that would work for you?”

“Definitely. My only question is when can you start?” he replied.

“Would Tuesdays and Thursdays work with your schedule?”

“I’ll make sure it works.” He leaned back in the chair and appeared much more relaxed.

“Then why don’t I start next Tuesday about five o’clock,” she replied.

“That sounds great. I appreciate you being the kind of teacher who obviously cares about your students. But won’t your husband be upset about you being gone two nights a week?”

“That won’t be a problem. I’m a widow.” Even though it had been two years since Davy’s sudden, unexpected death, her heart still ached with the loss of her very best friend and the love of her life.

“Oh… I’m so sorry for your loss,” Seth said.

“Thank you. And now I have one of Sammy’s drawings hanging on the wall if you would like to see it.”

“Sure, I’d love to take a look.”

She rose from her chair, and he also got up from his chair. She led him over to the wall holding artwork and pointed to the one drawn by Sammy. “This is one area he really excels in,” she said. “Not only does he like to draw, he shows a lot of talent.”

For the second time since arriving, Seth flashed a smile. “He does like drawing, especially pictures of dogs he wants to own when I tell him we can get a dog. I’ve got pictures of Great Danes and Chihuahuas next to bulldogs and poodles on my refrigerator.”

Suzanna laughed. “It sounds like he’s exploring his options.”