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Suddenly, the art supplies in my shopping bag feel frivolous. After fourteen years, my dad wants to see me, and here I am, spending money on things that won’t bring us together.
After a long pause, Craig asks, “Where’d you get the money for art supplies, anyway? I thought you quit your job.”
“The guy I’m staying with gave it to me.”
“What’d you have to do to get it?” My uncle sneers, and I bristle. Jonah didn’t give me money because I had sex with him. Though, thinking about it, I can see why Craig might jump to that conclusion.
“Nothing,” I tell him firmly. “He’s just a nice guy who wants to help.”
“I’m sure he does. How’d you hook up with Mr. Moneybags, anyway?”
“He’s my old case worker’s brother.”
“Where’s he live?”
“Over in Farragut.”
Craig whistles. “Classy neighborhood.” I shrug. He rests both hands on my shoulders, his gaze narrow. “Don’t forget why we’re doing this, Teagan. You’ve said it yourself more than once, there’s nothing for you here.”
I have said that, more times than I can count, in the days leading up to my birthday. But that was before I moved out of the group home, before I had a taste of a different kind of life.
Before I found Jonah.
“Things are different now,” I say.
My uncle takes a step back, and I release the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been keeping inside. He shakes his head. “I can’t believe you’re gonna bail on seeing your dad again, after all this time.”
“I’m not bailing. We can still go. I’m just not sure if I want tomovethere before I’ve had a chance to meet him.” I bite my tongue before I admit the one thing I’m actually afraid of: what if my dad meets me and then decides he doesn’t want me in his life after all?
The only way I can even imagine mustering the courage to face him is with Jonah by my side.
“I want Jonah to come to Cali with us,” I say.
“Who’s Jonah?”
“The guy I’m seeing.”
“You mean the guy you’re fucking in exchange for food, board, and art supplies.”
Rage boils inside me, giving off steam that has nowhere to go. My fingers wrap around the closest object they can find—an empty fast-food container.
I chuck the hollow lump of cardboard at my uncle’s head.
“Fuck you, Craig,” I shout. “You don’t know anything!”
“Jesus—” He barely dodges the burger box and then lifts his hands in surrender. “All right, I’ll admit, that was a low blow. I just don’t want to see you get taken advantage of. Some guys only want one thing, you know?”
“Jonah’s not like that.” I move to the window and force myself to take a breath. My uncle’s wrong. Even if Jonah does someday realize that I’m not worth keeping around, it won’t be because he only wanted my body.
It’ll be because he realized I’m the kind of girl who throws take-out boxes at her family members.
“I’m sure what you two have is very special,” Craig says. “If this guy Jonah’s willing to pay his share, he can come with us. But until I see some kind of investment on his part, I’m gonna be skeptical.”
My hand slides to my pocket, beckoned by the hundred-dollar bill folded inside.
“How much more work does the car need?” I ask.
He digs through a pile of papers on the kitchen counter, then hands me a slightly sticky car-repair bill. “I had the brakes done last week. Next up is the timing belt, and that shit’s gonna be expensive.”
