“Waitin’ for you. My night.”

“Your night?” she said, barely holding in a sneer. “Since when?”

“Since I got back into town and your mom and I worked out a deal.”

Kristen was about to speak up. There was no deal, but she caught a warning glance from Ross and held her tongue.

“A deal?” Lissa repeated skeptically as she walked to the refrigerator and opened the door. “About me?”

“Yep.”

“Without my consent?” She snagged a Diet Pepsi. “Shouldn’t I have been consulted?”

“Informed,” he corrected as she closed the fridge with a shoulder. “Which I’m doing right now. Come on, we’re going to dinner, then over to my place.”

“What? Why?” she demanded, clearly blindsided.

“Just to hang.”

“You and me?” She turned big eyes toward her mother as she opened her can of soda. “This is okay with you?”

“It was her idea,” Ross said as he reached for his jacket.

“No way!”

Ross moved toward the door. “Come on, grab your stuff. You must have homework.”

“Wait a minute. I can’t leave. Zeke’s coming back and we’re watching television together tonight.”

“Aren’t you grounded?” he asked.

“I’m not supposed to go anywhere, but he’s coming here,” she explained, as if her thinking were entirely logical. “Besides, the whole grounding thing is lame.”

“Then you have notes from your teachers for me?” Kristen asked. “Because nothing came through on my e-mail.”

“Not exactly. They’re working it out.”

“Great. When they do, then we’ll see.”

“God, Mom, this is just so unfair!”

Kristen nodded. “Probably so. Get used to it. And watch your mouth.”

“I’ll handle this,” Ross said, and Kristen decided to let him go for it. Let him deal firsthand with a stubborn, rebellious teenager.