Kiss Her Goodbye by Wendy Corsi Staub

Stella can find somebody else.” Kathleen hesitates, then decides not to bring up Saturday night and the prowler Jen thought she saw. Maeve might mention it to Erin, and Erin will tell Jen, and Jen will feel betrayed.
    Funny that Kathleen is worrying about betraying her daughter when Jen had no problem lying to her just two days ago. But she hasn’t forgotten what high school is like and she can’t help feeling protective of her daughter. The last thing Jen needs is for the other kids to find out she was spooked enough to call her parents while she was babysitting.
    Kathleen wipes a trickle of sweat from her temple and looks at her watch, then remembers that it doesn’t matter what time it is. She doesn’t have to be at the bus stop this afternoon. Curran has a boy scout meeting after school and Riley has a play date at a friend’s house.
    â€œWant to go grab a quick Starbucks before you have to get the boys off the bus?” Maeve asks.
    Rather than correct her, Kathleen shakes her head. “Sorry. Maybe tomorrow.”
    She’s had enough of Maeve for today. Her friend means well, but Kathleen doesn’t agree with her parenting style.
    What Maeve considers mere adolescent mischief, Kathleen considers playing with fire—and she’s hell bent to keep Jen off the self-destructive path she herself knows all too well.
    â€œOkay, I’ll call you later and let you know about Sissy.”
    Oh, right. Sissy. The cleaning lady.
    If she can come tomorrow, Kathleen doesn’t have to clean today. That leaves her with a few hours to kill . . . and, she thinks, as a chill slips down her spine, she knows exactly where she’ll go.
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    â€œHow’s school going, Jen?” Stella asks, counting out several bills as the twins dive into the Happy Meals she picked up for them on the way home from work.
    â€œSchool’s fine.”
    Stella glances up from her wallet, noticing that Jen seems subdued today. “Is everything okay, hon?”
    â€œEverything’s fine. It’s just . . . I, um, can’t babysit here anymore.”
    Stella’s heart sinks, her initial reaction purely selfish. She knew Jen was too good to be true.
    Then, catching the distress in the girl’s brown eyes, she asks gently, “Why can’t you babysit, Jen?”
    Jen’s chin quivers. Her gaze tilts down to her white Nikes. “My parents won’t let me. They grounded me.”
    â€œUh-oh. What did you do?” She probably brought home a rare C on her interim report card, Stella thinks, pressing several tens and a five into Jen’s hand. Jen is such a model teenager she can’t imagine that it was anything more extreme than that.
    â€œI didn’t do anything.”
    â€œThey grounded you for no reason? Come on, Jen. What happened?”
    â€œIt was no big deal.”
    Aha.
    â€œIt was obviously a big deal to your parents. What was it?”
    Jen shrugs, her gaze still averted. “Nothing. I just got a ride home from school with this kid who has a car.”
    â€œThat was it?”
    â€œWell, we stopped at the mall on the way, but that was it. My parents freaked.”
    â€œBecause they don’t want you riding around in cars with other kids? I don’t blame them, Jen. They’re just making sure you’re safe.”
    â€œNo, they’re just making sure I’m totally miserable. My mother won’t let me do anything. She’s ridiculous. She’s always worried about where I’m going and who I’m with and what time I’ll be back. I swear, she’s smothering me!”
    Surprised at the fervent outburst from mild-mannered Jen, Stella loops an arm around her shoulder, patting her reassuringly. “She’s just being a mom, Jen. She loves you.”
    â€œCan you talk to her, Mrs. Gattinski? Maybe you can tell her that you really need me to babysit. And while you’re at it, you can sort of tell her to