Page 30 of Before We Break

“Wonderful. He loves it.” She flips back and forth between pages on her clipboard. “I was told August is under the sole care of his uncle. You must be the girlfriend I’ve been hearing about?”

Girlfriend and me in the same sentence is ridiculous. I don’t know who’s been spreading that shit through the town rumor mill, but it’s laughable. Maybe I could use it to my advantage, though. If I can show CPS that I’m in a stable relationship, they’re less likely to give me a hard time.

“Oh,” Clio starts. “Actually, we’re⁠—”

“Engaged,” I say. “It’s recent.”

“Really recent,” Clio mutters under her breath.

I weave our fingers together, ignoring the way my heart tugs at the feel of Clio’s hand in mine.

“Come in.” I step back through the open doorway, bringing my brand-new fiancée with me.

As Charlene glances around the entry, I lean in next to Clio’s ear. “Just go with it.”

While the caseworker is distracted, Clio discreetly takes a gold ring with a green stone off her right hand and slides it onto her ring finger. My stomach sours at the sight.

“You owe me,” she whispers through clenched teeth, but the statement barely registers as my mind strays into far more dangerous territory.

“Consider it repayment for all the times you’ve woken me up at ungodly hours with your ridiculous playlist.”

“It’s not ridiculous,” she grits out. “It’s not my fault you lack taste.”

Charlene clears her throat, drawing my attention back to the situation at hand. “Would you mind showing me around?”

“Right. Sure.” I give her a quick tour of the apartment, starting in the kitchen, which is directly off the entry, then the large living area, where Auggie’s posted up on the couch with his tablet in his lap. He barely looks up when we enter. Does this make me look bad? Should he be doing something more enriching with his time? Fuck. I’m questioning everything now. I wasn’t cut out for this.

“I’ll stay with Auggie,” Clio says, taking a seat beside him on the sofa.

The relief I felt with her at my side evaporates as she abandons me for my nephew. I can’t say I blame her, though. He’s much better company.

Charlene makes a few notes on her clipboard as we walk through the living room and into the hallway where the bedrooms are. I open the door to Auggie’s room. She peeks inside and scribbles something else, her face a mask of cold indifference. I can’t tell if she’s on the verge of taking my nephew from me or not; the thought terrifies me.

Emma helped me set up Auggie’s room when he first moved in. Everything from the twin-size bed with a green comforter set and the glow-in-the-dark stickers was handpicked by him.

The next door leads to our bathroom. Thank fuck I decided to clean earlier. Bath time is an adventure that usually leaves water sloshed all over the floor and towels strewn about the place to soak up the mess. Bathing Auggie is comparable to bathing a cat. He can’t wear his ears, so communication is next to impossible, and he hates having his hair washed.

The last door at the end of the hallway leads to my bedroom. There’s a large bed taking up most of the space, and a grey comforter and pillows. Matching curtains hang over the sole window, lighting the dark room. It’s not much, but it’s home.

After a few more scribbles on her clipboard, Charlene trails back into the living room where Clio and Auggie are laughing and signing. This time of day, he usually turns off his processors to decompress.

“Mind if I join you?” Charlene asks Clio.

“Not at all,” Clio replies.

Charlene sits in the armchair across from the sofa.

I stand awkwardly, unsure what to do next. “Can I get you anything to drink? Water? Coffee?”

“Water would be great, thank you.”

As I make my way to the kitchen, I hear Clio introducing Charlene to Auggie, who apparently has turned his ears back on. “Hi,” he says in a nervous voice.

I return with the water and sit beside Clio.

I’m usually really good at reading people, so it rankles that I can’t seem to get a read on Charlene. She’s stoic and unwavering, asking Auggie a few mundane questions.

What does he like to do for fun: watch funny animal videos and color. Where does he sleep: in his bedroom, duh. Who takes care of you: Uncle Noah.