AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Maybe what she’s going through is a mix of this reality and the one I guessed. Maybe an ex is also tied up in this.
“And Ryder’s room?”
I don’t look at Sunshine even when she practically gasps as if she didn’t think this woman would want to know where he was sleeping when and if he came here.
“Down at the very end of the hall,” I tell her, pointing her past my room. I didn’t make my bed this morning, and I’m shit at folding laundry. I can only hope her room is in better condition.
“Sunshine,” the woman says, standing in the doorway of the bedroom. “Your clothes are in the closet in here.”
There’s a demand for explanation in her voice.
“Brent wears cologne, and although I love the scent of it when we’re home, it bothers the noses of some of my patients at work. I’m a little selfish and as much as I don’t want to cause respiratory distress for those at work, I also don’t want him to stop wearing cologne. Having my clothes in this other closet keeps them from catching overspray.”
The lie rolls off her tongue as if she tells a hundred of them a day, and it doesn’t leave me with the best feeling.
“He does smell very nice,” the caseworker says as she walks back into the living room.
“Where will he play?”
“We have a lovely fenced-in backyard, and as I’m sure you know with your extensive work in the community, this is a fantastic neighborhood. The school he’ll start kindergarten in next week is the best rated one in Farmington.”
Sunshine once again avoids my eyes as she walks past to show Marta the backyard.
I don’t think the woman has stepped foot out there but with her room being at the back of the house, I’m sure she can see it from her bedroom window.
They’re gone only a minute or so before they come back into the living room.
“The house is pretty small,” Marta says.
“Ryder will have his own bathroom. There’s an en suite in the master.”
“I didn’t see any toys.”
“I still need to get them from my mother’s house. He has so many. We play board games nearly every afternoon.”
“And your evening job?”
“I’ve found a better family law attorney, and her rates are better. I no longer have to work a second job.”
Marta nods, seeming impressed with her answers.
I’m learning more about this woman standing here now than I have in the week plus since I woke up to her smiling face.
“What will you do if Travis Golding shows up here?”
The question is directed at me, and I answer it the only way I can figure it needs to be answered. “I’ll follow the temporary court order to the letter, Marta. I promise you that.”
I pull from my own experience, and the many lies I heard my mother spew when she was in the same position. Had I known how badly I would be hurt and neglected, I would’ve told my caseworker that I wanted to stay in foster care. But despite her failings, at that time, I still loved my mother. I was manipulated and gaslighted by her as much as the professionals who got involved in my case were.
“That’s good to hear,” Marta says before turning back to Sunshine. “Just a few more questions.”
They leave the living room once again, and I hear the fridge and pantry doors open, proving there’s food in the house. I remember times when my mother did the same thing, only for them both to be empty, the lie of getting paid tomorrow on her lips.
The faucet runs for a second, proving we have running water. The lights are on in the living room proving there is electricity. Hell, this place, just based on the standards, or lack thereof, in some conditions I was left in, is a luxury palace, despite being on the smaller side.
“Better drink that milk before it expires,” Marta says as she walks toward the front door.
“We will. I’m planning to make a breakfast casserole.”
“Oh,” Marta says, turning around and clasping her hands.
The surprise on Sunshine’s face tells me it’s out of character, and she isn’t exactly impressed with the changes.
“I just love breakfast for dinner. I’ll be in touch soon. It was lovely to meet you, Brent. Tell Kincaid I said hello.”
The older woman gives me a quick wave before walking out of the house.
My head is fucking spinning, my present intertwining with memories from my past, and I don’t have a fucking clue how I should be acting right now.
Sunshine’s chin is already trembling as she watches me, her back pressed to the closed door. I hate the way it makes me feel because honestly, I don’t know if it’s just one more fucking way she’s going to manipulate me.
I wait, standing there and watching her as we listen for Marta’s car to start and pull out of the driveway.
