He swallowed. “Right.”
“Do you prefer tea or coffee?”
“Whichever one you prefer.”
She waved toward the breakfast bar. “Have a seat.”
“Jesus, look at that ring,” he said in awe.
Meggie held out her hand and he walked closer, lifting her fingers and inspecting the blue diamond.
“Would…would Rebel expect jewelry like that?”
Reclaiming her hand, Meggie shrugged. “Probably.”
His shoulders slumped. “Right.”
Meggie wanted Christopher and the boys to walk through the door so badly she could barely concentrate on anything else. However, Kaia needed a pep talk, so she nodded to a stool. “Sit,” she said again.
This time he listened, so she sat next to him.
“What you do with the money I pay you is strictly up to you,” she started. “However, I hope you save some of it to build up reserves.”
Kaia flushed.
“I take it that isn’t the case.”
“I’ve only gotten one paycheck so far.”
“What else do you need?” she asked. “I thought I covered everything. Clothes, shelter, transportation, food, alcohol, and electronics. Not recreation so much.”
“Are you doing all of this for Rebel or for me?”
“Fair question,” she responded. “I’m doing it because I need help. I’ve done the same thing for Bishop. Instead of purchasinghimclothes, I bought them for his sister’s baby. But Rebel cares about you and you seem to care about her. Judging by your, er, poetry.”
“Rebel gets my poetry even if no one else does,” he said defensively.
“I love the connection you two share.” Even if she didn’t love his poetry.
“Is that…is that a compliment?”
“It’s whatever you want it to be.”
“But—”
“I’m paying you money for you,” Meggie inserted, getting back to the matter at hand. “Whether you and Rebel have a future when she’s eighteen, we can’t know. I don’t think you want to spend the rest of your life working for me, love. You need to save some of the money foryourfuture.”
“This is the best job I ever had, Meggie.” Kaia shifted uncomfortably. “I once thought I’d have a career in the NFL. One of my goals was to help my mother and father get out of debt and have an easier life. My parents and my brother were the only ones in my family who didn’t turn their backs on me. Whenever they went to family gatherings, especially at my aunt and uncle’s, I had to stay home.”
“Why is that?”
“I survived when their son didn’t,” he mumbled, then explained about his cousin drowning because they’d snuck in the pool. “Mom and Dad told me it wasn’t my fault. They stood by me. Took me to counseling. The rest of the family hates my guts.”
Meggie thought about his tragic story, and immediately knew what he was doing. “Take the day off and–”
“The house doesn’t need sweeping?”
She had to break his obsession with sweeping. “The rooms along the West Hall has to be dusted and vacuumed, but you can do that tomorrow. Today, I want you to give me an itemized estimate of your parents’ expenses.”
