He picked up his phone and placed a call. “Judge? Zach Turner here. I need a search warrant.”
TJ lay sprawled across his bed, his mind spinning, his stomach rolling with nausea. He never should have eaten that peanut butter sandwich, but years ago when his great-grandmother made him peanut butter sandwiches, it had always made him feel better.
Tonight the sandwich sat in his gut like a rock.
He was so screwed.
Maybe he should steal Aunt Savannah’s money and run away. She hadn’t gone to the bank that day, and between her wallet and the cash bag, she probably had three hundred dollars he could snatch. He could steal her car while he was at it. He knew how to drive, since he’d been driving his dad home from bars for years. Although the crappy old Ford probably wouldn’t get him over Sinner’s Prayer Pass.
You could tell her the truth.
“Just shoot me now,” he muttered.
Savannah stabbed a carrot with her fork. The stew tasted very good, but she’d lost her appetite after she’d lost her temper with TJ. So he’d made a mess in the kitchen. Big deal. He’s fourteen. That’s what fourteen-year-olds do. It’s no reason to go total shrew.
She’d taken out her own bad mood on him, and that shamed her.
Savannah set down her fork, carried her plate to the sink, and rinsed it. Then she did something she’d done only rarely since TJ had come to live with her. She climbed the stairs to the attic room and knocked on his door. “TJ, may I come in?”
Twenty seconds ticked by before he said, “It’s your house. Do what you want.”
If that was the way it was going to be, she thought, maybe she should forget the apology. For tonight, anyway. She could go back downstairs and take a long, hot bath and try to relax.
But no. That wouldn’t be right.
She stepped into the room to see him lying on his bed fully dressed, his back to her. She moistened her lips, then said, “Teej, I want to apologize to you. I’m so sorry I yelled at you. I had a long day and I was sad and I think … well … it’s totally stupid, but my feelings were hurt because you didn’t eat the stew I made for supper.”
He rolled over and gave her a look that said, You’re crazy. “You didn’t leave a note. I didn’t think I was supposed to eat it. I thought it was funeral food. I was hungry, so I ate a sandwich.”
“Funeral food?”
“Yeah, you know. People make stuff and take it. Everybody knows that.” He looked at her with disgust.
“Oh. I took mine over this morning. Green bean casserole.”
He shrugged, and she added, “I’m an idiot. Forgive me?”
“It’s no big deal. I’m used to being yelled at. Dad liked to yell.”
Savannah nodded and took a seat in the lawn chair he’d purchased at a yard sale. “I remember that about Gary. He had that great big baritone voice. He used to scare me, but I liked it that he didn’t hold a grudge. He’d yell, but then it was over. Next thing I knew, he’d be hugging me.”
“Yeah.” TJ sat up. “Dad likes to hug, too.”
“Have you told him what’s going on here?”
His expression went wary. “What do you mean?”
“Have you told him what happened between you and Aiden Marshall?” When TJ didn’t respond, she elaborated. “I thought that maybe he could give you some guidance on how to deal with the problem.”
Defensively he asked, “Did I say there’s a problem?”
“Every day.”
He folded his arms but said no more. Savannah continued, “I knew a boy like Aiden when I was growing up. The rich, handsome athlete whom the other kids fawn over. He got a football scholarship to college, but later I heard he flunked out. I wasn’t surprised. He was a jerk who cheated his way through high school.”
“Aiden is an ass.”
It was obvious from his expression that TJ intended to say no more on the matter, but Savannah was encouraged. This was a start. “Are you still hungry? There’s plenty of stew, and Mrs. Murphy sent some of her raspberry pinwheel cookies home with me.”
“I’m really not hungry, Aunt Savannah.”
Baby steps, she told herself. “Well, if you change your mind, come on downstairs.”
In the kitchen, she stored the leftovers and loaded her plate into the dishwasher. She’d just placed the slow cooker into the sink to clean when she heard a knock on her