AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Handing back the bill, I pull out what’s left of Jonah’s cash and offer it to my uncle. “How’s this for an investment?”
Craig sighs, clearly disappointed in me for holding out on him. As he takes the bill, a small piece of me breaks off and slips into his wallet alongside Jonah’s money.
He pats my arm. “It’s a good start, kiddo.”
Chapter Nine
Jonah
My phone vibrates with an incoming call from Mary—her third call of the day, but the first that I can actually answer.
“Hey, Mare. Sorry I missed you. I’ve been putting out fires all afternoon.” I shut down my laptop and close the lid. After reassuring the site owner that we’d pull an extra-long shift tomorrow, I spent the rest of the day figuring out where the hell my lumber shipment went.
“I thought you were taking the day off,” she says. “Is Teagan at the house?”
“She should be, unless she ran out to get something.” The tension on the other end of the line is palpable. “Relax, Mare, she’s all right.”
“I know. I just want to make sure she’s comfortable.”
“You don’t think my house is comfortable?”
“I mean, I want to make sure she’s not second guessing her decision to stay. You know I love your house. And I love knowing she’s there, safe, with you. How’d her first night go?”
My throat muscles tighten. I’ve decided it’s for the best that Teagan and I don’t break the news about our relationship to Mary just yet. The fact that Teagan’s no longer in the system means we technically don't need anyone’s permission to see each other. But Mary cares about her, and it's going to be important that she sees how serious I am about taking care of this girl, and I’m gonna need a bit of time to do that.
However, when Teagan and Iareready to take this thing public, I'm going to make damn sure that anyone who looks at her knows exactly who she belongs to.
“Her first night was fine,” I tell my sister. “No problems or news to report.”
“Did you see her this morning?”
“I did.”
“Was she okay? How’d she sleep?”
“I believe she slept well,” I say, leaving out the part about me watching her all night, counting her breaths, holding her flush against me.
“Do you know if she ate breakfast?”
“We both did. I made us a feast, plus enough for leftovers.”
There’s a long pause on the line.
“You guys ate together? Like, at the table?”
“We did.”
After another long pause, she says, “Wow. That’s...unexpected.”
Apparently I’ve said too much. “Teagan’s doing great,” I say casually. “You don’t have to worry. I’m looking out for her.”
My business partner and vice president of the firm, Austin Pope, knocks on the open door to my office. I mouth my sister’s name and motion for him to give me a sec. He nods, making himself comfortable in the chair opposite my desk.
“Listen, Mare, I’ve got to go. I’ll let Teagan know you’d like to hear from her soon.” We say goodbye and end the call.
“Who’s Teagan?” Austin asks.
I keep my expression blank. “Some former foster kid Mary’s roped me into helping.”
