Tilting her head, Spencer shrugged. “Not quite. Her husband was an asshole, well far more than an asshole. Every few years Jess would swear she was going to leave him so she asked me to open this storage unit in my name and let her keep records here.”
“So if they ever got divorced, he couldn’t get access to it.” I nodded. My mother had been with plenty an asshole since my father passed, and I’d gotten used to seeing her tactics to get out when it got too bad to handle.
“Our mom hadn’t ever dated a good guy, so we knew it was important to keep shit separate. Every time the kids went to a doctor or she opened a new account, the originals came here and the copies went to his place.” Spencer kept sorting, her eyes peeled for the right pages.
As I reached the end of my first box, I slid it to the side and popped open another. A waft of preserved plastic smells rose to my nose. “So what about after she passed?”
Letting out a deep breath, Spencer shook her head. “There were a couple years that I’m missing. But then Caleb got old enough to realize how much a shitbag his dad was and started asking me to do the same.”
“Really?” My eyebrows raised, surprised by the young teens ability to read the room.
“Yep. Then the plan shifted, I couldn’t adopt them without a house and money and lawyers. So instead, I started working on getting them emancipated.” Spencer finished her first box, pausing to check on me with a gentle hand on my back.
“What does that do for them?”
“Gives them some freedom to live alone. They’d still need his approval for medical stuff but at this point, Caleb is almost 18. If they follow through with emancipation, he’ll only need Ned’s approval for a couple appointments.” Spencer sighed. “And then there’s Abi.”
Biting my lip, I watched Spencer’s face flood with concern. “How old is she?”
“13.”
“Oof.” I kept flipping through the box, pulling anything that may be helpful.
“Yeah.” Spencer shrugged. “Ultimately, if Caleb is of age, he can petition for custody which is the hope. I’ll help him pay his bills and prove that he has a familial support network to take care of his little sister.”
Lifting my gaze from the box, I met Spencer’s eyes. “You should be really proud of yourself. This is… so much to keep track of. Jess would be proud.”
“Don’t say that until you see the back, that shit is a mess. I’ll have to sort it out soon if I have any hope of fixing it.” Spencer got lost staring back there. “But yeah, I just have to be very careful about who knows this exists.”
Warmth spread across my chest, her trust making my heart melt.
“I’m honored to be here. Secret’s safe with me.” I flashed her a warm smile.
But the heat passing through my chest quickly rose to my cheeks. I couldn’t believe how special she was, how kind and good.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever met someone like her, and I couldn’t deny that a part of me wanted to bridge the gap between us and feel her lips on mine again.
Maybe I was just growing touch starved after being stuck in their mansion for weeks. Or maybe I wasn’t quite as rigid as I’d thought.
That kiss in The Hollow made me question what I really wanted. And I was starting to suspect that it was her. Even if it confused me.
But it wasn’t a conclusion that settled easily on my conscience. Because if I was wrong, I could ruin everything.
59
KIERA
Clearing her throat,Spencer set down the files in her hand. “Alright, we’ve been searching for hours now. Let’s get you fed.”
“I can keep going if you?—”
“Food.” Spencer smirked, grabbing the papers from my hands. “Come.”
Ducking my head, I tried to hide the blush from my cheeks as she led me out of the storage unit, scooping up the takeout and dimming the unit lights as we stepped out into the fresh air just outside.
With the lights off, the stars shone bright over the lot. I took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of the brisk late fall air against my reddened cheeks. After being on my feet so long, the chill helped soothe some of the ache in my bones.
“God,” I groaned as I sat on the floor. “I didn’t realize how sore standing would make me.”
