Once numbers were exchanged, Elias ducked back in and jogged upstairs. I heard him knock on Jasper’s door and explain what was going on. When he came back down, Jasper was following him, a confused frown on his face and his little sister in his arms. “Where are you going?”
“Just gotta do something. Might take me a minute. I asked Simone to be here because you know you can trust her. Here’s some cash, order a pizza tonight. Isla’s bottle is in an hour. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He didn’t wait for an argument, ducking out of the house, and a second later, I heard the roar of his bike as he started it up and pulled out of the driveway. The three of us watched as he drove away, his face hidden by a helmet, but his body poised like he was ready for action. I shook my head. That shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was.
“We don’t have to do math just because you’re here, right?” Jasper asked suspiciously.
I huffed a laugh, shaking my head. “I’m not working tonight, Jasper. I’m here because Elias asked for a favor. Now, do you actually want pizza or would you prefer something healthier?”
If I was going to be here, I might as well feed them something decent.
ZERO
I’d gotten the keys for Hannah’s house while signing all the paperwork for guardianship. Hannah had been smart, put the deed in the trust, so whoever ended up taking the kids in wouldn’t be able to take it from them. It was fully paid off, and the life insurance covered the taxes and other shit like that until the kids were old enough to take over it. I was suddenly really glad Jasper didn’t know about it. If he realized this place was technically his and Isla’s and was waiting for him, he might’ve tried to run away a long time ago.
Pulling up in front of the house, I took a moment to take it all in. It was a nice place, two stories, with a white picket fence and a bright purple front door. It’d be a nice place to raise kids, and Hannah and her wife obviously took care of the place. When I jogged up the front steps, nothing creaked or protested, and the lock on the door was one of those heavy duty things that wouldn’t be broken easily. I used the key to get in, my footsteps quiet as I closed the door and locked it behind me. I almost didn't want to disturb the peace of the place.
The lights still worked, the trust must’ve been covering that as well, and when I flicked them on, I looked around curiously. It was a little messy, but not in a worrisome way. It looked like people lived there and they were only out for the night. Toys were scattered on the carpet in the living room, a basket of laundry by the stairs waiting to be brought up. I could practically see Isla crawling down the hall, being chased by one of her moms, while Jasper sat on the couch playing video games onthe gaming system I could see sitting beneath the decently sized screen.
I couldn’t bring it all with me, I’d come on my bike because I wanted to be quick, but after what Simone told me, I had a plan. I was going to bring some things back with me. The kids had only gotten a small bag each when they were taken in by the social worker, and had to leave a lot behind. Pictures being one of the biggest. Neither of them had shown up with pictures. No wonder Jasper felt like they were being erased.
Carefully, I pulled pictures off the wall; of Hannah and her wife, them and the kids together, and a few of the kids on their own. I packed them carefully in the backpack I kept tucked in the saddle bags in case I had to stop for groceries, as well as the saddle bags themselves, wrapping them in some of the throws I found in a little basket by the couch to keep them safe. What room I had left I filled with clothes for the kids, anything they’d left behind that I could scrounge together.
While I was moving through the house, I made a list of things that needed to get done on the place. It’d be a while before even Jasper could move in, but if I didn’t want the place foreclosed, I’d need to scrape together enough cash to cover a weekly mowing service at least, or stop by myself to do it, and I’d need to stop by often enough to keep the place from falling apart. I thought about the heavy duty lock on the front door, plus the matching one on the back, and added a security system and cameras to the list. Whatever Hannah had been protecting them from, I didn’t want it taking me off guard when I was too far away to do anything about it. I checked all the rooms for anything that needed attention, then locked up behind me, making sure everything I’d brought with me was secure for the ride back.
Before I left, I looked at the house again. I didn’t know Hannah, not well anyway. I didn’t feel the loss when I found outshe died. But looking at the house that was so well taken care of, knowing Jasper and Isla were happy there only a few months ago, an ache tugged at my chest. Maybe once Jasper was no longer a flight risk, I could bring him back. It might make him feel better to help me keep the house maintained. To know his moms left him something so he’d always have somewhere safe to come back to. I couldn’t risk it now, but I hoped in the future, it’d be a possibility.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
SIMONE
Elias was gone for three hours, long enough for me to feed the kids, get Isla into the bath and do another hair care night with her, and put her to bed. I didn’t think Jasper was asleep, the light under his door made me think he was just avoiding me, but I didn't push. He was old enough to suffer the consequences if he decided he was going to stay awake all night. I cleaned up from dinner and was going to text Elias for an update when I heard the rumble of his bike coming down the street. He looked tired but pleased when he pulled up in front of the garage, grinning at me when I came outside to join him.
“Where did you go?”
“Hannah’s place. Help me take this inside, will you? Careful, some of it is fragile.”
He handed me his backpack while he grabbed the saddlebags from his bike. Together we went inside and set the bags on the couch. He didn’t turn on the lights, moving by the light of the kitchen instead, so I didn’t know what he’d gotten until hestarted placing them on every available surface he could find. My heart swelled when I realized what he’d done.
Pictures.
He’d gone to Jasper’s family home and returned with pictures. Pictures of their family, of the kids, of the parents alone. Over a dozen of them scattered on every open spot he could find. When he noticed me watching him, he grinned sheepishly.
“I’ll hang ‘em on the wall eventually, but I don’t want to wake them up and–”
I moved before I could think it through, lifting onto my toes to press my lips against his. He seemed surprised for a second, but it didn’t take long before he was wrapping his arms around my waist, dipping his head and nipping my lip to deepen the kiss.
It’d been a while since I last dated and being pressed against his solid frame was a little addictive, but a voice in the back of my head chastised me for getting involved with a student’s guardian and I pulled back before things could get too heated, shaking my head.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have–”
“Yes, you fucking should’ve,” he argued, dragging me back for another drugging kiss. I almost gave in, but Jasper moving around upstairs reminded me of what was important.
“I can’t, Elias. Not while I’m Jasper’s teacher. I could lose my job.”
His grip on me tightened a little, like he didn't want to let go, but he took my words to heart and sighed heavily, resting his forehead against mine.
“Yeah, alright. I don’t want you risking your job.” A boyish grin overtook his face when he asked, “How long until school’s out?”
