The boy dislodged from his mother and darted to the table. After a quick inspection of the apples, he selected one and chomped down, chewing happily as he surveyed the chip selection.
His mother wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I’m workin’ two jobs while putting myself through school. Shane…he deserves better’n we got now. My sister was supposed to take care of him for me. She’s…well, she’s had problems in the past, but she swore that was all behind her.” The grim set of her jaw spoiled the end of the story. Her sister’s past had snuck into the present.
I nodded, gently encouraging her to continue.
“Come to find out, it wasn’t behind her. Not even a little. From what I hear from Shane, she’s been passed out in front of the TV while my little boy ran the town. When he cut himself, she didn’t even bother to bring him here. She gave a six-year-old directions to a free clinic then made him swear not to tell me because then I’d have to quit my job to take care of him and that would make me sad. All because she’d been evicted from her place and needed somewhere to stay.” Heat blazed in her eyes and I decided right then and there that I believed her.
Maybe I wasn’t that great of a liar, but I knew the truth when I saw it.
Shane’s mother promised she’d found more reliable, but more expensive, childcare. “Thankfully, he’s in school now, so I only need to figure out something for the afternoon and evening.” She shook her head and rubbed a hand over her mouth. “Is there any way I can pay you for working on him? And for the hamburgers you sent home. He told me that was my sister, too.”
“Like I said to him the day I stitched him up, the beauty of this clinic is that the payment structure is based on the income of the person receiving care. Last I checked, a kindergartner doesn’t exactly have an income,” I said, using my best hint, hint, nudge, nudge face. “If he needs any more care, we can get him set up with your income and information and take it from there.”
Shane’s mom looked so relieved, I thought she’d cry. She thanked me again, then left with her apple-chomping son and a promise to be the one to bring him in if he found himself in need of treatment. I watched them joke their way to a beat-up hatchback.
Dorothy appeared at my side, her gaze following mine. “Is his mom as evil as I thought she was?”
“Not at all. In fact, it sounds like she’s killing herself trying to make a better life for her son.” I briefly outlined the story as it was told to me. “I was seriously considering reporting her for neglect, and here she is, doing everything she can to improve her situation, then being taken advantage of by her sister.”
What if I hadn’t talked to Nan and Joe about my concerns? What if I hadn’t listened to Joe’s advice to learn more about the situation before I plunged headfirst into a solution? What if I’d hard-charged based on what I thought I knew and wrecked their little family?
As I wrestled with those questions, my phone pinged with a call that I sent to voicemail. When the transcript came in, I laughed as I read.
My apartment was ready for me to move back in.
The universe was showering me with good news.
Though, I hadn’t exactly had time to replace my ruined furniture. And leaving Nan’s house meant I’d have less time to spend with Joe. Maybe I wasn’t in as big a rush to move home as I thought I’d be.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Joe
Replacing the stairs leading from the first floor to the second had been glaring at me from my To Do list for weeks.
It needed done. I’d feel better once it was…but I kept putting it off.
And I had good reason.
With the bathroom and the bedrooms upstairs, taking out access to the second floor would be a major inconvenience for Kennedy and Maxine. If I waited too long to get things fixed, the bathroom in the guesthouse would quickly become a high traffic area. Not that I cared about the intrusions…
…okay, scratch that. I cared about the intrusions. My privacy was important to me and the thought of two extra people traipsing through my space set my teeth on edge.