“Well, then. Welcome home, Jared.”
The kid wraps his arms around me so fast I don’t even see it coming. “Thanks, Nick. You won’t regret this.”
I enfold him in a hug and squeeze. “I know I won’t, kid. I’m pretty sure this is the best decision I ever made.”
He lets me hug him for a few more seconds before extricating himself from my arms. “Carson, too?” he asks, shocking me. “Can he stay?”
I open my mouth to answer, but the words don’t come. Instead, my brain reels with my own unanswered questions. Can Carson stay? Would he even want to? My heart tells me he’s more than welcome to stay, if that’s what he wants. I never planned on being a foster dad, but now that it’s happening, I kind of love the idea.
But how will I ever tell Tina about my newly acquired instant family knowing her thoughts on responsibility and needing to look after people?
And more importantly, how will I go on when she refuses to have anything to do with me after she learns I’m now basically a dad to two teenage boys?
Time To Talk To The Cops
Tina
After a long nightspent reading and rereading everything I could find about becoming a guardian to a minor, I finally figured out what I’ll need to do to make it happen. I even managed to sneak in a couple hours of sleep before the screeching of my alarm woke me up way too damn early.
The first thing I do after turning it off is check to see if Carson got back to me. I’m more than a little concerned when I see he hasn’t.
With a body shaking stretch, I drag myself out of bed and head to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee before showering and getting dressed. I didn’t die from the lack of sleep, but as thetwentieth monster-sized yawn attempts to crack my jaw on its way out of my mouth, I regret staying up so late. I may know what I need to do, but it’s not something easy or fast. Which is why I’m heading over to the police station as soon as the caffeine kicks in. The first step in my plan is to track down the social worker who picked up Carson, and if anyone would know how to do that, it’s Chief Woodcock.
While the coffee is brewing, I take the fastest shower known to man, throw on my usual black leggings and t-shirt, then check my phone again. Still nothing.
I chug a cup of coffee, pour the rest of the pot into a giant travel mug, and head out, making doubly sure to lock the door behind me.
I’m not making the mistake of leaving it open ever again, not after what happened last night. I suppose I should mention that to Chief Woodcock, too. Whether there’s something he can do about it or not, he should know that there’s likely a man trapped in my dumpster.
Oh shit. The eggs.How could I forget about the six dozen rotten eggs that are still in that dumpster? A laugh bubbles up at the realization that, after spending the night laying on them, Milton will likely smell like rotten eggs for weeks. I refuse to allow myself to feel bad about that, though, because he totally deserves it after the way he acted last night. Maybe the lingering stench will remind him he’s not such a catch after all.
I almost stop next door at Wade’s to ask if wants to join me when I talk to the chief before I remember he said he had a showing this morning. That, and he probably isn’t a huge fan of law enforcement thanks to his shady past. I wonder what happened to get him to move here under an alias? After spending the last few years getting to know him better, I bet it was something altruistic. I could see him turning on his bossesin a heartbeat if he found out they were doing anything to hurt kids. He’s always had a soft spot for children of all ages.
Taking a fortifying sip of my coffee, I step into the police station, ready to plead my case to the chief. Not that he makes the decisions for this kind of thing, but he’s the first obstacle to finding out where Carson is.
“Good morning, Anita.” The secretary is already hard at work behind the reception desk, but she pauses in her typing to throw me a smile.
“Well, good morning to you, Tina. What brings you in so early?”
“Is the chief in yet? I have something important to talk to him about.” I take another gulp of my coffee and add, “And if one of the other officers is around, I’d like it if they could check the dumpster behind my restaurant. I had some trouble last night with an unwanted houseguest and I have a sneaking suspicion he may have spent the night with the garbage.” There. That should ensure Milton gets looked after, without snitching on Nick or Wade. I’d hate for them to get in trouble when all they did was help me out.
Anita draws her eyebrows in concern. “An unwanted houseguest? Are you alright? For a small town, Tuft Swallow sure isn’t as safe as it used to be. If you ask me, a dumpster is too good for someone who intrudes on your space without being invited.”
I cringe, scrunching my nose up. “Well, it’s partly my fault. I left my door open. Or unlocked. Or open and unlocked, I can’t quite remember which.”
The secretary waves me off as she picks up the handset of the huge phone on her desk and presses a single button. She holds her hand over the mouthpiece and says, “It doesn’t matter if you had it open or not. That’s not an invitation for anyone to go traipsing in there.” She removes her hand from the mouthpieceand holds a finger up, indicating that she wants me to wait. “Hey, Officer Johnson. I have Tina Falcone here. Uh huh. That’s right. Well, she had a spot of trouble with an intruder last night. No, no. She says she’s okay. But she would like you to check the dumpster out back of her restaurant... That’s what I think, too. A dumpster is the perfect spot for someone like that.”
“Psst,” I whisper to get her attention. “Tell him to cover his nose when he opens it. I threw away six dozen rotten eggs the other day, and the garbage truck hasn’t been by yet.”
She nods, her eyes widening. “Oh, and you better use body recovery protocols. Oh no, he’s fine, I’m sure. But Tina says she threw out a bunch of rotten eggs the other day, and she’s sure you won’t want to smell that.” She nods as though he can see her, then hangs up and immediately picks up the receiver again. “He says thanks for the tip.” She presses another button on the phone. “Chief? Tina Falcone is here to see you... Okay, will do, boss.” She hangs up and points to a hallway. “He says you can go straight back.”
“Thanks, Anita,” I say with a nod, before heading back to the chief’s office.
I pause in front of his open door, knocking on the frame to let him know I’m here. He looks away from his computer screen to grant me a welcoming smile. “Come on in, Tina. What brings you by?” He gestures to the chair across from his desk, and I take a seat.
“Thanks for seeing me.” I take and blow out a deep breath. “I need a favor.”
He cocks an eyebrow and leans back in his chair. “I’ll help if I can, Tina, but you know there’s not a lot I can do for anyone when it comes to favors. And it goes without saying that I can’t help you with anything illegal.”
