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“Shit!” Both hands cover my mouth.
“Aunt Sly said a swear word.” Ollie snorts a laugh, ducking his head.
His mom cuts her eyes as she carries two mugs of coffee to the table. “Are you auditioning for SNL?”
“I’m sorry!”
Court bends down to kiss the top of his head. “Ignore Aunt Sly, sweetie. She’s having a hard week.”
His hands are cupped under his neck. “She woke me up last night.”
“I did?” I kneel in fro
nt of him, sliding my fingers across the front of his hair. “I tried to be super quiet.”
“I thought you were a monster.” He rubs his hands back and forth under his chin.
“What’s that? You got something?” I smile, leaning closer.
“It’s just Chartreuse.” He opens them, and my heart flies to my throat.
“Oh, gross!” I squeal, falling back on my ass and scrambling behind a kitchen chair. “Get it away!”
“Oliver James,” Court fusses. “Put that thing back in its cage.”
“She’s not a thing!” He cries, and I peek from behind his mother’s chair at the bright green tree frog with oversized orange eyes watching me from his palm.
“I swear to God, Ollie, if that thing gets on me, I will lose it.”
“You already lost it,” he grumbles under his breath, and my eyebrows shoot up.
“Rude.” I look up at his mom, and she shakes her head.
“That is not how we talk to adults, Olls. Now put Chartreuse in her cage.”
“She needs her bugs. She’s going to starve to death.”
“I’ll get her bugs. Put her up now.”
He stomps up the short hall leading to our shared bedroom, and I rise slowly. “I’ve been sleeping with that thing in the room every night?”
“It’s just a tree frog. Don’t be such a drama queen.”
“I’m loving the attitudes around here.”
But when she returns from the kitchen with a plastic cup of what looks like crickets, I notice her eyes have dark circles under them.
“Hey,” I catch her hand. “Are you okay? Did I wake you, too? I’ll sleep in my van next time.”
“It’s not that.” Her shoulders drop, and she exhales heavily.
“Tell me.”
She glances towards Ollie’s room before lowering her voice and leaning closer. “Ozzy showed up here last night. I didn’t even know he knew where we lived. Thank God, Ollie was already asleep.”
“What did he want?” My grip on her hand tightens. “Did he hurt you?”
She shakes her head, but her eyes are worried. “He said he wants his son back. He said I can’t keep him away.”
