Page 57 of The Scent of Happiness

She finished her breakfast just as Mom finished her call. Brooke stood and picked up her bowl. “Thanks for the milk. I’m going to work.”

“Me too.” Mom slurped coffee.

“Where’s Dad?”

“He went in early. It’s October first. Our Christmas merchandise is arriving today.”

“How early?” Brooke tried for a casual tone as her heart slammed in her chest. Had Dad left for work while Theo’s car was still here?

“About an hour ago,” Mom said. “Why, did you want to talk to him?”

“No. I was just wondering.” She’d promised Theo she’d be discreet, but that was hard to do when she literally shared a roof with her parents.

“Did Theo want to talk to your father?” Mom asked. “I can ask him to call—”

“No.” Brooke said. “Why would you think that?”

Mom rotated her coffee cup on the tabletop. “I noticed Theo’s car was still here when I went to bed last night. I suppose you two had a lot to discuss.”

“Yeah, he came in for a bit. To talk. About my case.” Technically true. She would have to choose her words as carefully as any lawyer.

“Pumpkin, I know none of this is your fault, but things are getting out of hand.”

“Are you talking about Uche?”

“The police showing up at our house is kind of a big deal.” Mom stood stiffly and gripped her cup. “I know Officer Uche was only checking. He was only doing his job. But what worries me is that he was here in the first place. I don’t know what we would have done if Theo wasn’t here. Thank goodness for him.”

Brooke took a step back, shifting her weight to her back leg, then straightened, worried that she looked suspicious. “Uh-huh. But are we sure Theo is the right lawyer for my case? Maybe it would be better if we got someone else.”

“Brooke Estelle Nesbitt, what did you do?”

Brooke dropped her bowl on the table and crossed her arms. “You’re three-naming me, Mom? Come on.”

“Am I going to have to call Wendy Chambers again?”

“No, Mother, don’t do that. I’m not five. You’re not setting up a playdate.”

“I’m trying to take care of you.”

“Don’t. I’ve got this.”

“You don’t want me to take care of you?” She pointed at Brooke’s empty cereal bowl, with its sheen of milk.

“Borrowing milk doesn’t make me a baby!” She clapped a hand over her mouth when she realized how dumb her words sounded.

“I don’t understand why you want to change lawyers now,” Mom said. “Is it going to cost us more?”

“It better not.” Brooke lifted her bowl and headed toward the door. “I’m not changing lawyers. Not really. I’m going to work with someone else in Theo’s office. But Theo is still going to be—it will be fine.”

“So Theo is still your lawyer? I’m confused.”

“Please. Mom. Let me—let us—handle this. It will be fine. Everything will be just fine.” She hugged her cereal bowl to her chest and dashed out the door before she made things worse.

* * *

“Lauren, Lauren, come here a sec.” Brooke stood next to the copier in the library’s back office. She was using her break time to photocopy her journal for Theo—or more accurately, for her new lawyer.

The built-in shelves along the side wall overflowed with supplies, and the office was the graveyard of tech-gone-by. Lauren squeezed around a broken computer monitor to stand next to her.