Dead.
“Mr. Hayes? Are you there?”
I snapped out of my temporary coma. At the same time, the driver behind me honked his horn irritably.
I swallowed and pressed the accelerator. “Yeah. I’m here.”
“The reason I’m calling is because of my role as a child advocate. The Mitchells have a son, Noah, and he’s been with the babysitter this entire time. Because he was left without a legal guardian unexpectedly, CPS was notified,” she explained gently. “I was assigned to Noah’s case. My job is to monitor his transition into your care and make sure he has access to grief and trauma services while we sort out his family situation.”
“Brandon and Stacey don’t have family here,” I said in a robotic voice.
“So we’ve come to learn. Brandon does have a sister who is willing to take the boy. She lives in Tennessee. The babysitter is unable to keep him long-term, so until his aunt can get here?—”
“Where is he?” I pulled over, parking in an empty slot at the front of my building. Poor Noah. I can’t imagine what he must be feeling.
“As I said, he’s with the babysitter. Would you like the address?”
“Yes.”
He was probably with Mrs. Patterson. I knew her name but not where she lived. I pulled out the same pen I had used earlier to write the note to Jackie.
She gave me the address, and my hand shook the entire time I wrote down the information.
“Are you able to pick him up today?”
“Yeah, I can get him. I’ll leave right now.”
“That’s good. Mr. Hayes?—”
“Call me Marcus,” I said automatically—something I did often in my line of work to put clients at ease. Being formal implied distance between us. Using first names created the sense that we were working on the house sale or purchase together as a team.
“Marcus,” the pleasant voice said. “I want you to know that I’m here if you need assistance navigating the resources available for you and Noah. My role as an advocate means I’ll be checking in periodically to see how you’re managing and make sure Noah is doing well too. Once you’re settled, please give me a call in the next day or two so we can meet. I’d like to do an evaluation and discuss next steps.”
We talked for a few more minutes, and then I ended the call. Though I told her I would leave right away, I didn’t. I sat there, letting the tragedy sink in. My best friend and his wife were gone, and now I was responsible for a seven-year-old kid who was waiting for someone to come get him.
I was Noah’s godfather and had said yes when Brandon asked me to be his guardian should anything happen to him and Stacey. But deep down, I never thought anything would actually happen to them. Now, sitting in the car with the engine off and the morning sun climbing higher in the sky, the reality of the situation was setting in.
I had agreed to be responsible for a child. A grieving, traumatized human being who had lost both of his parents.
I had a two-bedroom condo and a job that sometimes required me to work nights and weekends, but I didn’t have to worry about anyone but myself. I couldn’t cook, and most of thetime, I ate out. Anyone checking my cabinets would be appalled at the amount of unhealthy food on the shelves.
All of that would have to change, at least temporarily. I didn’t know what seven-year-olds ate, what time they were supposed to go to bed, and how the hell to talk to someone who had lost both their parents at such a young age.
I should probably get the contact information for Noah’s aunt in Tennessee. But that’s not what I did. I agreed to pick him up, and I could at least do that while I figured out what the next steps would be.
Starting the car again, I pulled into traffic, heading down the highway on my way to pick up Noah.
Chapter 2
Marcus
As I drove home, I checked the rearview mirror, my gaze landing on Noah in the booster seat behind me. He wore a Robin costume, complete with the mask, which he refused to take off. I had tried to get him to wear regular clothes once, but he looked at me with the biggest, saddest eyes and simply said, “I don’t want to.”
I immediately gave up.
Right now, his eyes were downcast, and he clutched an action figure in his left hand.
We had just left my real estate office. I was taking him everywhere with me because I didn’t want to leave him alone with anyone else since I was worried about him feeling abandoned.
