Theodore (Xavier's Hatchlings #2) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,53

sound all that surprised. I’m guessing that, in addition to leaving you with a crap ton of shit to do, they also left a lot of things undone before leaving this earth.

Pretty much. They were great at being starters of stuff but not very good at seeing things to the end. What did you figure out? By the way, if you’re going to be anything like the sniffers I just left, they’re not my mate. Carson laughed and told her she’d heard about that. Sniffing me like I’m a tasty meal. Do you believe that shit?

For them, I guess I should. However, I think they meant well. Jamie said she’d figured that out as well. Anyway. When your parents set up so that your sister would have gotten care, they neglected to have someone add to the money. That’s nothing to do with your insurance. The company that took care of the policy just did the same to the one you turned over to her, like not having it invested so there would be enough return on the money to keep growing. Or at the very least, caring for her.

I don’t understand. How did my parents set up some insurance money for her? She was hurt when they were killed. Carson was quiet for a few seconds. I mean, I’m to understand that Pem’s mother-in-law can see ghosts, but I doubt very much they would have been able to set up insurance.

Jamie, did you know that your sister was born handicapped? The question and what it meant startled her. Melissa was born with a brain injury. If she’d been born today, they would have been able to take care of it. But they didn’t know what to do with it back then. I thought you might have known that.

No. I mean, she was little, about five, when my parents were in the accident with her. I’m older than Missy by sixteen years. By the time she was born, I was already away from home and in college. I was a quick learner and reading well before I should have been. After that, I joined the service and rarely returned home. They’d started over, you see, and seemed to have no idea what to do with me. They weren’t ignoring me, just I was older, and the baby was…I just realized how Mom was forever telling me that Missy was a handful. I just figured it was because they were both a lot older than they had been with me. Missy was a baby that was conceived while Mom was going through menopause.

That explains a great deal. And I can understand about having an older child and an infant. Some of the family has done that. Had a baby earlier in their marriage, then decided to have another one later. We’re all immortal, and having children should we want is always an option. But there are so many rules now. Changes in how people think a child should be raised. It’s not what I’ve done just so you know. I give them a steak in the yard and leave them there until they’re old enough to care for themselves. They both laughed. Jamie knew that the Mannings would have been good parents. Otherwise, the sniffers would have been terrible adults. Jamie did feel badly that she hadn’t known about Missy. She wished that she’d taken better care of being a curious sister. I’ve taken care that the money is being invested with some of the companies we’re co-owners of. It’ll be a good return for your sister.

Thank you for that. What else? While I’ve never met you, I have a feeling you’re working up to something else. Carson said she was a smart girl. Yes. It’s my looks that turn people off.

Theo said that you were beautiful. I believe him. However, I don’t want you to be freaked out—by the way, that’s a term we use a great deal. Not freaking out. But anyway, right next to the roses nearby, you’ll see a small creature. His name is Jangles. I have no idea who told him that would be a good name, but he’s a good faerie. He would like to be yours.

I need a faerie? Carson said she did, simply to keep her safe as well as helping her being around a lot of dragons. I see him. He’s very…well, vibrating.

Yes. They’re full of energy. I wouldn’t have pointed him out to you, but apparently, they have all been watching