Page 100 of Tanner

“No,” Tanner said straight away.

Savannah tipped her head back to look at him. “School?”

“Not school either.”

She thought about that, then nodded as if that was enough.

Across the room, a toddler cried and the sound made Tanner jump.

“You don’t have to answer more than what’s asked,” Miles reminded him.

Tanner looked at him. “That’s not how this works.”

“It is today.”

The door beside reception opened and a woman in her forties stepped out holding a thin file. She looked at the room, found them, and crossed over. “Mr. Fernsby?”

Tanner stood. “Yeah.”

“I’m Rebecca Palmer.” She offered a hand. Tanner looked at it for a second, then shook it. “You can all come through.”

She led them down a short hall into a meeting room with a table, four chairs, and one smaller chair that had clearly been dragged in.

Miles put Savannah in the small chair beside him. She climbed straight back onto his lap instead and cuddled into him.

Rebecca sat opposite them and opened the file. “Before we start, I want to make something clear. This meeting is about getting a practical plan in place. It is not a removal meeting. No one is here to take Savannah from this room today.”

Tanner’s whole body had been braced since they walked in. The words didn’t relax him, but Miles saw the smallest change.

Rebecca noticed it too. “Good,” she said. “Then we can get to the useful part.”

TJ sat back but kept his focus on Tanner, not the worker.

Rebecca folded her hands on the file. “I’ve been given the basic background. You are Savannah’s older brother. You’ve been her primary carer since your parents died. You recently returned to Robinson, and there is not currently a formal guardianship order in place. Is that accurate?”

Tanner’s jaw tightened. “Yeah.”

“How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“And Savannah is three.”

“Yeah.”

Rebecca nodded and made a note. Her tone remained professional. “The first thing you need to hear is this. Savannah can remain with you while the legal side is being addressed, provided you cooperate with the process and the immediate safeguarding basics are in place.”

Tanner’s fingers tightened on the folder in front of him. “Provided.”

“Yes,” Rebecca said. “Provided. Because from the point of view of the court and the department, you are an adult sibling caring for a minor child without formal authority. That is fixable.”

Savannah had started pulling one of the rabbit’s ears through her fingers. She looked from face to face without understanding much of it. Miles kept one hand spread over her back.

Rebecca continued. “You have three immediate priorities. One, medical registration. Two, stable childcare or preschool arrangement. Three, confirmation that the home is safe and suitable. Those are the non-negotiables.”

“I’ve got a house,” Tanner said, the words coming out sharper than he meant. “It’s mine.”

Rebecca nodded. “That helps. It doesn’t answer all three points by itself.”