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Looking like he just ate a damn canary, Kas says, “Martin has promised to help with the fundraiser, and he’s letting us use one of his hotels, so we don’t have to pay for the venue.”
I’m so impressed I whistle. “Well done, that’s amazing.”
“Wow, that’s better than I dared to hope for,” CJ adds.
Mia smiles this tight smile she wears when holding something back. Paired with the way she shuffles her feet under the table, I sense she will not be forthcoming. I could choose to put the spotlight on her or let it go.
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Yeah, that’s a lie. I’m not going to make her tell us anything. For all I know, her discomfort is because she met Martin through her job at Serendipity, and the man who looked after her there is dead, while the man who hired us is chained up in our basement.
Yeah, it’s no wonder it’s hard to get through an entire conversation without getting sidetracked by one of the many things going on.
“He even offered to help promote the event and see if any of his contacts would make a donation.” I’m about to ask when the event will be, but Kas continues before I can open my mouth. “Martin also offered to make a large donation himself, and I graciously accepted on our behalf.”
“What?” CJ sputters.
“Umm, does he want anything in return?” I know I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, but all of this is way too much. This goes beyond wanting to help Baby because she’s helped one of his kids.
I’m so caught up in my thoughts that I almost miss the weird look Kas gives Baby, though there’s no way not to notice the way she’s squirming under his gaze.
“That all sounds great, Kas. Thank you for taking care of it.” CJ takes a deep breath. “Look, I wish we could talk more about it, but we have other things, possibly more pressing things, to talk about. We were waiting for you to come home, so we didn’t have to go over all of it twice.”
To his credit, Kas seems okay with this. “Yep, that’s fine. I have a few things I need to understand before we can move ahead, anyway.” I don’t think I’m imagining how he looks at Baby as he says that, and I want to know what I’m missing.
“I’ve quit my job.” CJ drops the bomb on us without preamble. “I know the timing is bad since I’m the only one of us that’s employed, but I couldn’t stand it anymore. I handed in my resignation Friday, and I’m using my saved vacation days for my notice period.”
I’m so shocked all I do is open and close my mouth like a fish dragged from the water it lives in.
“Why?” Baby asks.
CJ looks directly at her and says, “It was time, Mia. I’m not fucking helping anyone. Besides, I want to be here every day to focus on Second Chances and you.”
Baby pushes her chair back and walks over to CJ, wasting no time in making herself comfortable in his lap. “I don’t want you to quit your job for me. I know you guys need the money, and this is… This is too much,” she states.
“Mia, it’s fine. I want to be here where I can actually help, and not there where I’m constantly being held back.”
She moves, so she’s straddling him as she did me earlier. “And what if you didn’t have Neil in your basement? Would you have quit then?” There’s a hint of a challenge in her question.
“Yeah, I think I would have. It’s no secret I’ve been fed up with that place for a long time, and I’m done. There are too many rules that scum-parents can navigate, making it so they get no real consequences, and their kids are hurting as a result. It’s not right, and I’d much rather spend my time and energy on Second Chances.”
I can practically see the cogs turn in Baby’s head as she contemplates everything CJ said. It’s true, he’s been frustrated for so long, and I bet he would have quit a while ago if it wasn’t for Second Chances. So, for him to do so now, when he’s the only one with a job, something must have gone down.
“Did something happen?” I ask.
CJ looks at the table between us. “Just more of the same old. Don’t ask me about it, Alec.” I nod in agreement because that’s more than fair. He shouldn’t have to talk about it if he doesn’t want to.
“Welcome to slacker united,” Kas says with a shit eating grin. “I guess we can all sleep in now.”
Even though CJ laughs, I can see the haunted look in his eyes, and I know without any doubt that something happened. Eventually, he will have to talk about it. It might not be with any of us, but whatever it is has to be significant. He’s threatened to walk out many times, but we all knew he wouldn’t actually do it. And now that he has, I wish I knew what it is he isn’t telling us.
“Someone made a complaint against me, and I was removed from one of my cases. In the time between me being removed and someone new taking over, the boy was sent home with his abusive mom. He was admitted to the hospital that evening, but they couldn’t save him—” CJ cuts himself off, and without removing Baby from his lap, he jumps to his feet, sending her sprawling to the floor.
“Hey!” Kas says, but CJ doesn’t pay him any attention.
“Another fucking kid was lost because the system is useless,” he thunders as anger rolls off him in thick waves.
Without thinking, I push the chair back so suddenly it scrapes across the floor, but I pay it no attention. In three strides, I’m close enough to CJ to hug him, and that’s what I do. I throw my arms around my tortured brother and hold him close.
