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Aria
Theo’s expression hardens like a drying clay face mask. He seems lost in thought before he comes to himself.
“If your dad is Marty Fleming, then yes, I am.” Theo slowly rises to his feet, his tie moving slightly as it hangs from his neck. His face holds both anxiety and dread.
Camilla and Merre hesitate by the kitchen door. Camilla says, “Whoa—”
My sentiments exactly. Theo is my coworker’s father’s defense attorney?
Elijah holds up his hands. “My mom mentioned your name last night, and I figured out it was you. Just letting you know who I am.”
Theo nods, flexing his jaw. He stares at the tabletop. “I had no idea until a couple of days ago.” He looks up at Elijah. “I figured you were probably Marty’s son and looking over the notes confirmed that.”
Elijah only swallows and shifts in his stance.
“Small world.” Theo chuffs a colorless laugh. He sits back down, but his back and shoulders are rigid. “I want you to know I’m sorry about all that’s happened with your dad.”
Elijah tosses a glance at Camilla and then at me. “I should have told you that my dad stole from his employer. He took money from his boss’s safe and then got caught trying to return it.” Elijah says, his voice barely above a whisper.
Merre pushes open the kitchen door. “I need to get going, so . . .”
“Thanks, Merre. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Camilla clutches Merre’s arm briefly before joining us at the table.
I turn to Theo, feeling my brows knit together. “I’m really sorry your family’s having to go through this.” I gesture to a chair. “Have a seat. Why didn’t you tell us about your dad?”
Elijah swallows hard and puts his hands low on his hips, his head sinking low. He doesn’t sit. “Because it’s embarrassing.” His head rears back, his voice full of venom. “And I didn’t want to be judged for my dad’s stupidity.”
The color has drained from Elijah’s face. He turns to Camilla. “I should have told you before. I understand if you don’t trust me. He stole from his employer, so if you need to find someone else to do the deliveries . . .”
“Elijah,” Camilla guides him at the elbow to sit down next to me. “You and your dad are two separate people. Let’s talk about this, okay? We need you to stay at Shorty’s. Please? Don’t get any ideas about quitting now that we know a bit about what’s going on.” She sweeps her gaze over him. “I trust you not to steal. I know you wouldn’t do that.”
Elijah hesitates and then lets out a breath. “Okay.”
I hazard a glance at Theo and his scowl has reached new heights. I didn’t know Theo was capable of scowling so hard. “You guys talk it out. I better go.” He stands from the table, fussing with his laptop bag. “And look, Elijah. I’ve had some personal issues I’ve been dealing with.” He pauses, pinching the skin between his eyebrows. “I haven’t been the best defense attorney for your dad yet. But I will be. We’re going to turn this thing around, okay?”
“Theo,” I say, rising from my chair, my heart thudding against my rib cage. “Can we meet up later? Maybe get a bite to eat?”
“Yeah. Sure. I’ll be in touch.” And he leaves, a cloud of heaviness trailing behind him.
“Elijah,” Camilla says, slumping into the chair Theo was just sitting on. “You are under no obligation to tell us anything about what happened with your dad. But we’d love to know how you’re doing with all this. And your family. Your mom. I’m sure it’s been hard.”
“If you want to,” I add. “If you’d rather not, that’s fine.”
He runs a hand across his ear before shaking his head, his gaze trained on the tabletop. “I really don’t—” He sighs. “My dad isn’t like this, okay? He’s not some deadbeat, always in and out of jail. He’s never stolen anything before. My parents didn’t have much money, and my mom was looking for another job. They were separated when he did it. I don’t think he was himself.” His fists ball tightly on the table. “I didn’t think my dad could ever do something like that.”
“I’m sure it was a shock,” I offer. I know, legally, I can’t ask him any questions, nor would I. But I care a lot about this kid, and I’m inflamed by how much this has hurt Elijah and his family.
“Believe me, he wasn’t like this,” Elijah says. “I don’t know what got into him. When he left the house, he was really depressed. He moved to some old apartment on the other side of town. And when my mom reached out to ask him for money, he said he didn’t have any. I think he took it from the employer as a last resort.” He gives Camilla and me a pointed look. “Not that that makes it right.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Camilla offers. “But it sounds like he was going through some rough stuff and maybe he felt itwashis last resort.”
“My mom said he took it, kept it in his car for a couple of days, and then went to put it back, which is when he got caught. He didn’t spend any of it. Still counts as theft, though. And of course, putting it back looks a whole lot like taking it out. His boss called the police, and he was incarcerated for a couple of weeks.”
“Do you know when the hearing is?”
“Next week. I don’t care about Christmas gifts and stuff, but my little sisters do. And my mom started working at a doctor’s office, but she won’t get her first paycheck until the middle of December and every penny of that’s going to all these bills from the last few months.” He sighs and puts his head down, massaging his closed eyes with his thumbs. “This is why I wanted to work more hours, and why I wanted to get a second job.”
“It’s all really heavy. It would be a lot for anyone to deal with,” I say.
