Page 45 of Pick Me
I tried not to look as angry as I felt and to remember that Webb’s ex-wife had a story in all this, too, but encouraging a kid to lie to their parent…Ugh.
“What happened today?” I prompted. “After she showed up.”
“Well.” Aiden’s words tumbled over themselves in his excitement. “Mr. Williams was worried and said we should call Dad, but Ms. Oliver said it was fine. So we left! And my mom let me ride up front in her car without a booster because she said I was plenty tall enough, and we went for pizza, and she said I was so much smarter and more grown-up than I’d been last time she saw me, and she let me order a sundae that wasn’t on the kids’ menu and drink as many sodas as I want. She told me about her new house, too! It has a big giant pool and a room that can bemyroom, and I can decorate it however I want, and I told her about my science fair project you’re helping me with, and she said she was so proud, and…” He took a deep breath and seemed to run out of steam all at once. “I didn’t call Dad. I didn’t know how without making her mad.”
I closed my eyes and grimaced. Yeah, I was definitely not feeling positive thoughts for Aiden’s mother.
“When she dropped me off, Mom said Dad was gonna be upset at me for not coming home because he’s jealous of Mom and doesn’t love her anymore and because he’s an unreasonable… um.” He winced. “Bad word. So I came up here because I was thinking maybe I could live with you and Uncle Knox until he calms down.” Aiden hesitated. “Dad yelled at me the other morning, remember? I didn’t like it.”
I shook my head wordlessly. I was completely unqualified to give Aiden any answers, and I didn’t envy Webbanyof the shit he was about to have to deal with. “I think the only thing you have to worry about is your dad squeezing you so tight your head pops off.” I ruffled his hair and held out a hand. “Come see.”
* * *
Three hours later, I finally padded down the farmhouse stairs and through the darkened living room to the kitchen.
Aiden had begged me to stay with him until he fell asleep—which was adorable but kind of odd, since at least five of his relatives, including Webb, were keeping watch in the kitchen, and I would have imagined he’d have picked one of them.
Webb had made it clear he hadn’t been angry at Aiden at all. What hehadbeen was devastated, and guilty, and so furious at his ex-wife and everyone at the elementary school who hadn’t stopped Aiden from going with Amanda—though, from what I understood, this was technically allowed under their custody agreement so long as Amanda gave “proper notice” to Webb, which she had not—that Jack had taken Webb’s phone away to stop him from yelling anymore.
“She didn’t notify me,” I’d heard him whisper to Jack, sounding tormented. “The school didn’t notify me. And Aiden didn’t have a phone. Am I supposed to put a GPS tracker on my kid now? What if she just forgets him someplace?”
By the time I’d glanced up from the fantasy book about warrior mages I’d been reading aloud—one of my favorites from when I was a kid—and saw that Aiden was asleep, the farmhouse had fallen silent, and it seemed like everyone was in bed.
But when I got to the kitchen, I found Webb sitting in the same spot where he’d sat earlier with his head in his hand, looking like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Webb?” I said softly.
“Huh?” His head jerked up in alarm. “Does Aiden need me?”
“No, not right now. He’s out cold.”
“Oh.” He settled back down.
“Where’s Knox?”
“I don’t know. He took off about the time Aiden was conning you into eating sundaes with him, and I called him after you went up to read Aiden his story, but he hasn’t answered.” He chuckled softly. “I wanna say I don’t have the brain space to worry about him right now, but that would be a lie. Not that anyone will let me help them, anyway.”
I shifted uncomfortably. I almost wanted to apologize for being the person Aiden had wanted to put him to bed. “Can I get you anything before I go? A snack or tea or…?”
“Absolutely not. You’ve done enough for this family today, Gage,” Webb said, his voice friendly but kind of empty, like the night had hollowed him out. He sat up straighter. “Being an emotional support human for a bunch of Sundays was not what I had in mind when I offered you this job. Not what you had in mind when you took it either, I bet.”
“This is a great job,” I said firmly. “With an amazing family that’s been nothing but welcoming and wonderful. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
I was a little bit startled to realize this was absolutely true. No matter what happened with Knox, I was glad I was there.
“Plus,” I added slyly, “I’m getting a really generous salary, don’t forget.”
Webb’s mouth pulled up at one corner. “For forty hours a week of actual work. Add in another thirty of attending charity dances, babysitting my kid, volunteering in the jam kitchen when Brenda hurt her wrist, helping with Aiden’s science project, running the cash register at the U-pick last Sunday, and dealing with the occasional child abduction,” he said grimly, “and you’re the biggest bargain ever. Next time I need our systems upgraded, I’ll try to be more honest about what someone can expect while working here.”
Next time. My heart twisted just a tiny bit at that idea, even though obviously he was right. It was the beginning of October already. In just a couple of months, I’d have moved on, and they’d have moved on from me, too.
Knox would remember me as that ridiculous child who’d bugged him for a few weeks one autumn. And I… hell, I’d be too busy in the city to remember him at all by then.
Wouldn’t I?
“I like the Hollow, even though I keep seeing the signs for violet fudge and I’m not sure where to buy it. I like the roads with their fourteen billion scenic overlooks. Rand Carver is the friendliest police officer ever. Your pal Jack is…”A handsy bastard who needs to keep his paws off my lumberjack. “…lovely. Really lovely. And Ms. Fortnum is terrifying in the best way. Any programmer would be lucky to live here.” I hesitated. “Though you might want to clarify a bit about the proximity tocows.”
Webb snickered and rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. “I’m heading to bed. I’ll lock up behind you.” He stood and clapped a hand on my shoulder as I headed toward the door. “I’m gonna be sad to see you go, but when you’re ready to move on from the Hollow, you know I’m gonna give you a hell of a reference, right? You’re a good man, Gage. Thanks for being someone my kid can trust.”
