Page 29 of The Manny

He curled his lip. “Trust me, family isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

I sighed and touched his arm. “Jack, this won’t work if you can’t change.”

I expected him to flinch away from my words and touch, but he didn’t. He lowered his head, and his soft hair tickled my cheek. We were so close to each other; I could smell his shampoo. Our conversation was strained, yet intimate. I’d never experienced anything so odd.

“I don’t know what to do,” he whispered. “I can’t be what she needs, but I can’t send her away. Jules would fuckinghauntme if I did that.”

“I’ll help you. That’s what I’m here for. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.”

He glanced up, confusion obvious in his glittering gaze. “What’s your angle?”

“My angle?”

“You could quit tomorrow. The agency would send someone else, and this wouldn’t be your problem anymore.”

“Well… I…” I sputtered. “I care about Mia. I can’t just walk away because it’s difficult.”

“What’s stopping you?”

I laughed gruffly. “My sense of duty?”

“Duty,” he repeated softly. “No, I think it’s more than that.”

“I don’t quit easily. I can fix this for Mia. We can make this work.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Is this like an ego thing?”

“What?” I scowled.

“If you quit, you’ll feel you’ve failed?”

I took a step back, feeling irritable. “Are you psychoanalyzing me?”

“Maybe. You certainly do it to other people enough.”

I held up my hands. “Look, I love my job. I like helping people. I’m not working through childhood issues or anything. I had a very happy childhood.”

“Lucky you.” He moved away from me. “I’d love for Mia to also have a happy childhood. But if she stays with me much longer, I’ll probably just make her neurotic.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Depends.” His expression was wary.

“Were you raised in the system?”

He scowled. “No.”

That surprised me. Many kids who’d been in foster care often struggled with intimacy issues, the same as Jack. I’d have bet money he’d been raised in the system. “Well then, were your parents neglectful?”

His jaw hardened. “Why?”

Bingo.

I studied him, feeling a little more patient than earlier. Shitty parents could damage a kid the same as growing up in the system might. Maybe they even did more harm. “I suspect you have attachment issues.”

“No shit.”

“At least you acknowledge that. That’s a good first step.”

---