“Just the whole ‘morals’ thing. I didn’t expect it.”
I shook my head as we got to Merrick’s porch.
He tossed me the keys. “Stop by after,” he said. He nodded at Jessa, then turned to go back inside.
That’s what I appreciated about Merrick. He didn’t grill me for details. Didn’t ask Jessa questions. He’d let me explain later.
I slid into the driver’s seat as Jessa hopped into the other side. “Seatbelt,” I reminded her.
She grumbled but listened.
“Which way?” I asked.
“Hell if I know. Do you have GPS?”
I handed her my phone. “After you put your address in, add your number in so I can get a hold of you.”
“Do you seriously usethisphone?”
“What’s wrong with my phone?”
“It’s not an iPhone.” She stared at my Google Pixel like it was a pile of dogshit.
“My phone’s fine. It makes calls. Fully functional.”
“But the green texts.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s criminal. How do you even live like this?”
“Are teenagers always this dramatic?” I deadpanned.
I followed the mechanical voice reading directions as I grilled Jessa about her life. Did she like school? What were her hobbies? She was clearly smart and funny, though often using humor and sarcasm as a shield. She didn’t have time to do anything outside of school with her job, but she loved to read and write. She wanted to be an author someday.
When I asked about her father, she scoffed. “Momdidn’t change there. She didn’t remember who he was by the time she realized she was knocked up.”
The GPS directed me to turn into a mobile home park, and I stopped in front of a run-down trailer with a tattered tarp covering missing shingles. The uncut grass stood nearly knee-high.
“Home sweet home,” Jessa said sarcastically. “Thanks for the ride.”
“No problem,” I said, my gut tightening at the thought of what the trailer must look like inside.
“Maybe we can get to know each other?” she asked hesitantly. “Even if you don’t come see Mom. I’ll understand if you decide not to. Just, like …” She trailed off and looked away. “I won’t have a family after she’s gone.”
I wrapped a hand around her shoulder and squeezed. “I’d like that. Call me if you need anything.”
“Who calls people?”
“OK, thentextme if you need anything. I’m serious. A ride. A meal. School stuff. Whatever. How about we have breakfast tomorrow morning?”
“I have to work, but I’ll look at my schedule and text you some days that I have open.”
“OK, kid. I’m glad you found me. And I’ll think about it, OK? I just don’t know if I should see her. I don’t know if I can hold my tongue.”
She nodded. “I understand. But she’s not a bad person. She’s a human who was dealt a shitty hand in life and did shitty things. Sometimes she didn’t know better. And sometimes she just wasn’t strong enough to do better.”
I smiled grimly at her. This fucking kid deserved so much more.
Jessa slammed the door behind her and walked into the ramshackle structure that would probably collapse during the next hurricane.
I drove back to the clubhouse in complete silence. No radio, no phone calls, just a buzzing in my head and an ache in my chest. Iwalked into Merrick’s house without knocking, set the keys on the counter, and cracked a Shiner Bock. I sat across from him at the table. I took a long drink and then met his eyes.
