“Yes, it’s... great.” With each comment that Kathy so happily delivered, Dominique’s spirits sank. Parents had been invited along on the trip? Was she to have been included in Jake’s invite to Oakland? Dominique thought back to Jake’s happy mood when he’d called her last Tuesday, asking what she and Justin would be doing the following weekend. Both of them—she and Justin. Suddenly, Dominique’s voracious appetite escaped her. All week she’d had a niggling feeling that turning down Jake’s invitation had been a huge mistake. Now... she was sure of it.

“I’ve messed up.” Dominique was back at home, in the kitchen, the salad fixings that she’d purchased sitting untouched on the island. As soon as she’d gotten in the house, she’d phoned her sister, Faith.

“What? Nikki, we’re in the arcade and I can barely hear you.”

“I said I messed up!” Dominique yelled. “Big time!”

Faith heard the panic in Dominique’s voice, a rare occurrence. “Wait a minute.”

Dominique heard Faith mumble something, presumably to Aaron. Moments later, the din of the arcade receded as Faith obviously had stepped outside.

“Okay, Nikki. What’s wrong?”

“Faith, I’ve totally misjudged Jake and I stopped Justin from going on a field trip.”

“He told us.”

“He did? What did he say?”

“That he was supposed to go to a Raiders game but you wouldn’t let him. He was quiet last night, didn’t play much with Michael at all. But he’s doing better now. A couple turns on the roller coasters loosened him up.”

Dominique felt herself get teary. If there was one thing she didn’t like it was the thought of her son being unhappy. “This is all my fault,” she said softly.

“Why didn’t you let him go, Nikki?”

Dominique told Faith about Jake’s conversation with Justin, of which he refused to share the details, the subsequent strain on their relationship, and Justin’s comment about being Jake’s son. “He called me at work, in the middle of a busy day. I told him no on the trip before giving him a chance to fully explain it. Was I wrong, Faith? I know I was wrong about the trip, and feel so badly that I deprived Justin of what I now know was an awesome opportunity. But as a mother, don’t I have the right to protect my son’s feelings, and to know what he and Jake talked about?”

“Tell me this, Nikki. Do you trust Jake?”

Dominique pondered the question. From the first time she’d met him, Dominique had sensed a man of good character, one who was truthful with his words and sincere in his actions. Any boy would be lucky to have him as a father. “Yes, Faith,” she finally answered. “In my heart, I trust Jake.”