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“I’m sure he did.” I grab him and tickle his belly.
He giggles as I toss him over my lap. “But that’s not all! Guess what? Guess what?”
“You’re secretly a monkey?”
He sits up, face red. “No! I’m going—” He stops and runs a critical eye over me. “Uncle Brooksy, why are you still in your PJs?”
I look down. “I just woke up.”
He gasps and his eyes narrow. “Are you playing hooky?”
Wondering where he gets this stuff, I look over at Ellie, who just shrugs. “No.” I rub his shoulder, and try to get him back on track. “What were you going to tell me?”
He squints, as if he can’t remember. “Oh. I’m going to have my own bed! In my own room!”
At first I think it’s just a joke. Or that he’s playing make-believe again. But then I shoot a questioning look at my sister and realize she’s holding a manila envelope in her hands and nodding, a look of unspoken pride bursting from her face.
“What’s this all about?”
She sits down across from me and opens the folder. “There’s a new low-income apartment complex that just opened up, across the street from Ted’s. I went to the women’s center and they helped me fill out my application, and I got it. We move in next week.”
“Really?” Now I’m proud. Shit.
Jace nods excitedly, and then his face falls. “But wait. Mommy. Isn’t Brooksy going to come with us?”
I laugh. “No, this is my house. But of course, I’m going to be over there, with you, whenever I can. It’s practically right down the block.”
He’s all smiles again. He claps his hands. “Mom says I can paint my room any color I want.”
“Cool. And what’s the verdict?” When he looks at me in confusion, I add, “What color?”
“Electric blue!”
“Yeesh,” I look up at Ellie, who rolls her eyes, though she’s still smiling. “Good luck with that.” I pause. “Okay, okay. I’ll help.”
I can’t believe it. I look around the house, full of Legos and Pokémon and toy cars and trains, and can’t imagine it going back to a real grown-up place. It’s going to feel so empty.
“I was wondering if you could do a little more than that,” she says quietly, as Jace zooms around the place, pretending to be a dragon, chasing his tail. When I raise an eyebrow, she takes a deep breath and says, “You know that business course I was taking on Mondays?”
I nod.
“It was the introductory course to their business management program. I want to enroll.” She gives me an unsure look and then holds up three fingers, like a boy scout pledge. “For real, this time. I mean, it’s a boring major, but I think it’ll give me a lot of options, job-wise. And I actually didn’t mind the class. It was fun.”
My sister has a certain expression she uses—only rarely—when she’s serious about something. Her eyes go big and there’s a deep crease at the bridge of her nose. The last time I saw it, I think she was trying to convince my parents to let her buy an old Camaro that he boyfriend had fixed up. “And the cost?”
“It’s nothing. Actually, the women’s center’s covering it.”
The women’s center. Tenley. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask if it’s her.
“And… I’m not asking your permission. I already signed up. I just wanted to let you know. I’d love your help with Jace, but if not, I can probably ask Kelly to—”
“No. Hell no. I’ll help. I’ll always help,” I say, standing up. “I’m… proud of you.”
She stands, too, and I think there might be tears in her eyes. “You are?”
I nod. “Absolutely.”
She’s incredulous, and it strikes me at that moment that I’ve never said those words before. And yet, I’ve always admired her for standing by Jace, trying to be a good mom to him. We don’t do it often, but this seems like the right time. I open my arms and she moves forward, so I fold her into a hug.
“I’ve always been proud of you,” I say to the top of her head.
Not wanting to be left out, Jace joins us, trying to wiggle his way in between us. “Group hug!”
I laugh and pull away. “So, what changed to make you decide to do this?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Tenley’s story inspired me, I think. She told me about how her mom was in the same situation I was in and how one little act of kindness from a stranger had turned it all around. I kind of want to be able to pass that on, one day, to someone else. You know?”
I know. Tenley has a way of inspiring a lot of people.
Turning away, silent, I wish I didn’t have to think about her. And yet, it’s not Ellie’s fault, for mentioning her name. Tenley’s in my head, as surely as if she was etched there. I can’t think of anything else. When I go out, every brunette I see, I do a double-take, thinking it’s her. Whenever I’m scrolling through attorney jobs, I wonder if she’s applying for the same ones, and we’re unwittingly competing against each other again. She’s in my bloodstream, and I doubt I’ll ever get her out.
