He knew the warning would fall on deaf ears. Marley’s parents had relinquished their rights when she was only twelve and vanished, leaving her at his office door. She’d waited all night for him. It had been a simple transition for Marley to stay with him.
At first, the arrangement was only meant to be until he’d filedall the proper paperwork, but Jake was in no rush to put Marley into the system.
Jake had known Marley even before she became a permanent fixture in his life. Her parents were scam artists, always chasing the next con and dragging Marley along for the ride. They preyed on the vulnerable. It never ended well for anyone involved. Somehow, he seemed to be involved.
Her parents could barely take care of themselves, much less a growing teenager who seemed to be on the opposite side of whatever scheme they had going on. If he’d been a gambling man, he’d have bet Marley wasn’t even biologically theirs, despite the birth certificate stating otherwise. She was too kind, too bright, too…good. Even if she got into a bit of trouble once in a while, usually it was harmless trouble.
When Marley appeared on his doorstep, a crumpled piece of paper was the only thing they’d left her with before driving out of town. For the first time in his life, Jake was capable of committing murder. If he could get away with it, he wouldn’t hesitate if he ever laid eyes on her parents again.
“Fine. I’ll try,” Marley mumbled, chewing her bottom lip. A sign, he’d learned, she was nervous. “Do you think they miss me?”
Jake’s chest tightened as she looked up at him, those big brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“I don’t know, kiddo,” he replied truthfully.
She nodded solemnly, seeming to accept the truth as if it were wisdom passed down through the ages.
“You’re right. They probably don’t.” Her shoulders slumped forward.
The ache in his chest squeezed harder at her quiet words. He barely resisted rubbing the spot. As he was reaching across the desk to offer a half-awkward, half-affectionate pat, she perked up, a smile blooming across her face.
“Do you want to hear about my new idea?”
Jake groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. This neverended well, but instead of voicing his concerns, he motioned for her to continue.
“Okay, so you know how the library and bookstores throw out books?”
This can’t be a good sign.
“Yeah…” he said warily.
“So I was thinking I could, like, take those books and bring them to the homeless shelter in the city. Or maybe build one of those cool little free libraries. Like, start at the lake. Everyone loves to read by the lake!”
Jake inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sent a quick, silent prayer for patience.
“Marley,” he began, trying to keep his tone even. “Are you saying you’re going to dumpster dive?”
She tilted her head at him as if he were the one missing the point. Marley reminded him of a pure golden retriever, with enthusiasm lighting up her face. Jake knew better than to argue when she got like this. His role was no longer to stop her. It was to ensure she did it safely and legally.
“Well… yeah,” she replied, as if the answer were obvious.
Jake slumped in his seat as tension crept up his neck.
“Have you thought about just… asking the librarians for the books, instead of diving into their dumpsters?”
Marley furrowed her brows. “Huh. I didn’t even think about doing that.”
Massaging his temples, he muttered, “Of course you didn’t.”
“I should ask them!”
“Yes, you should.” He panicked as she jumped up from her seat with renewed energy. “During business hours, Marley!”
She dropped back down, picking at invisible lint on her oversized pants. “Oh, right.”
Jake watched her quietly. She was self-conscious, like most teenagers, and he did not know how to handle it. He wasn’t old enough to have a kid, much less a thirteen-year-old.
“Why don’t we go look at what we’d need to build this little free library, yeah?”
