“Your grandmother has gambling debts,” he said.
“How big?”
“Big enough that she can’t pay them. They’ve mortgaged their house to the hilt, and they’ve failed to make the last two payments. I suspect the bank was putting pressure on them, so she resorted to a loan shark. They want their money back.”
“How did you learn this so fast?” Max asked. “I didn’t have a clue.”
“Contacts.”
“He’s secretive,”her dragon said.
“It’s his job to trade in information,”Sasha countered.“It makes sense for him to keep secrets.”
“Also, the judge who signed the documents is a family friend of your grandparents.”
“Crap,” Max said. “They’re saying Sasha and I are not in a relationship, and my grandparents insist I’m using her as a childminder instead of spending quality time with Noel.”
“In my opinion, your grandparents want to exploit Noel to get their hands on the extra money that should go to your brother’s upkeep,” the friend said.
“Can you give me the info so I can prove this?” Max asked.
“I thought you’d want the truth. Information. I doubt my contact will stand up to bat for you. Sorry.”
“I understand,” Max said. “Send me your bill, and I’ll pay it straight away.”
“Next time,” Jerome said. “This one is gratis. I hate that your family is doing this to you and Noel. I know you love the little tyke.”
“Thanks,” Max said, his voice catching. “Appreciate it.”
“Catch ya later,” Jerome said and hung up without another word.
“I heard,” Sasha said before Max could speak. “What are you going to do?”
“Not sure, although I’m not inclined to let my grandmother win. She doesn’t care about Noel. If Jerome is correct, all she wants is the money.”
“Dinner is ready,” Sasha said. “Call Noel for me while I dish up.”
Max wandered off, and she heard him and Noel discussing the washing of hands.
“Max and Noel should come with us,”her dragon said.
“He has to consider Noel’s safety, his well-being. We don’t even know if we can get back through the barrier. If that’s the case, leaving and remaining trapped here would be a problem.”
“I don’t want to leave Max,”her dragon said.
Sasha sighed as she served the chicken and added potatoes and peas to each plate. “We forgot the gravy. Let me heat it in the microwave.”
In no time at all, the three of them were sitting down to dinner.
“Yum,” Noel said. “Thank you, Shasha.”
She grinned. “You’re welcome.”
They didn’t discuss dragons or grandparents during dinner or afterward. Max put Noel to bed, read him a dragon story, and came downstairs to help her with the dishes.
“I peeked outside,” she said. “I saw one car, and it looked as if the men inside were asleep.”
When they finished the dishes, Max said, “Let’s turn off this light and turn on the one in the family room. We’ll pretend we’re relaxing for the evening but creep outside. I want to check the garden for lurking reporters.”
