I pointed to the top of her head. Callie’s hands flew to her haphazard pile of hair, patting it down until she found her pen, pulling it free. “Aha! Victory is mine!”
I chuckled, moving a pile of folders from one chair to another. “How many cups of coffee have you had this morning, Cal?”
She winced, easing back in her desk chair. “Definitely not more than four.”
“I thought we agreed that two was your limit?”
Callie shrugged, patting around on her desk for some unknown item. “I’m pretty sure my blood is ninety percent caffeine at this point. If I stop drinking it, I’ll probably just drop dead.”
My brows pulled together. “I thought they were going to hire you some more help.”
She sighed, sinking back in her chair even more. “We just don’t have the budget for it.”
“Let me see if I can scrounge up some more donations for you.” The woman was only in her twenties, but at this rate, she’d give herself a heart attack before she reached thirty.
Callie’s expression gentled. “You already give us money and, more importantly, your time. I swear we would’ve gone under at least three different times if it weren’t for you.”
Heat crept up the back of my neck. “You know I’m happy to help.” When I left Boston and started over, I’d wanted to change everything about my life. That meant not being solely focused on hoarding money and powerful alliances. I wanted to use my law skills for good. I’d done some research about organizations at work in this small chain of islands off the coast of Washington.
The Shelter Island Child Alliance stood out from all the rest. They gave children in foster care a voice, an advocate in the legal system, someone who would get to know them and speak to the judges in family court on their behalf. It seemed like something I was uniquely qualified for, knowing the legal system inside and out. I’d had to do a little brushing up on family law, but it had all been worth it. There was little in the past few years that had given me more joy.
Callie slid a folder out from under her perilous stack. “I’m glad because I’ve got your new assignment.”
My last pairing, a thirteen-year-old named José, had finally been able to go home with his aunt and uncle after a nasty custody dispute following his mother’s death. The boy had been so closed off, hesitant to tell anyone who he wanted to live with. Family members on both sides began attacking each other, trying to get custody of José. But after some time, it had all worked itself out.
“Who do you have for me?”
Callie handed me the folder. “This is Zoe Parks. Father unknown. Her mother just ended up in jail for the second time after being busted in a meth sting.”
I took in the little girl’s face. She couldn’t be more than eight years old, and even if her mother did get her act together, the chances of her regaining custody were slim. There was something almost familiar about Zoe. She reminded me of a little Kenna, I realized. Maybe it was the dark brown hair. Or perhaps it was the fact that I’d just learned a little more about Kenna’s history. Regardless, my chest constricted for the little girl who was now alone in the world. “Any family in the picture?”
Callie shook her head. “No one willing to step up.”
“Assholes.”
“Not everyone’s equipped for parenthood, Crosby.”
Callie was right about that. My parents had been cold and removed on their best days. As if they’d had a child simply to mark that item off their to-do lists. Their involvement in my life growing up and into adulthood had mostly been about them trying to steer me into what they thought was appropriate. But I’d been safe and never wanted for anything. So many of the children I’d met through the Alliance would’ve given anything for that.
I flipped the file closed. “When do I meet her?”
“We want to give her the weekend to settle into her foster home, get used to a new routine. There have been a lot of folks asking her lots of questions. How about Monday?”
“Sounds like a plan.” I eyed Callie across the desk. “You’ll let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help?”
“Yes. Now, get out of here. I need to get some work done.”
I gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.” I checked my watch. “Just in time to hit up The Burger Barn.”
She groaned. “Your addiction to that place is starting to get concerning.”
“They have the best cheeseburgers in the islands. Trust me, I’ve done my research.”
“You’re going to give yourself heart disease if you exist on burgers alone.”
I pushed to my feet, tucking the folder under my arm. “I like to live dangerously, Callie.” She simply shook her head and waved me out of her office.
5
Kenna
I groaned as I rolled to my back, a crick in my neck making itself known. My alarm sounded, and as I reached to shut it off, I knocked my cup of water to the floor. Muttering a curse, I felt for the alarm button and finally shut it off. I simply lay there for a moment, the warmth and coziness of my bed beckoning me to stay just a little bit longer.
There was a knock on my front door. I glanced at the clock. It was before seven a.m. Maybe Caelyn had stopped by to bring me to breakfast with the kids. I swung out of bed, grabbing my robe and pulling it on as I headed for the door. Opening it, I froze.
Harriet’s nurse, Natalie, stood there wringing her hands, her eyes rimmed in red. My heart seized in my chest, halting then starting back up but at double the speed. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m so sorry, Kenna. Harriet passed.”
Blood roared in my ears, a pounding that deafened everything around me. “No. I—I just saw her last night. She’s only sleeping.”
Natalie grabbed my arms as if to hold me up. “I’m so sorry. She’s gone. Went in her sleep. And when I checked on her this morning, it was too late.”
The world seemed to fade and flicker around me. Everything dulled, the edges blurring. I couldn’t smell the sea or hear the next words that came out of Natalie’s mouth. I couldn’t see the view as Natalie guided me towards the main house. But the feel of her arm wrapped around me jolted me from the mire.
I wouldn’t fall apart. I pictured every brutal piece of pain being stuffed down, beneath my carefully constructed walls. I swallowed hard as I worked to smooth out my features. “What do you need me to do?”
Natalie blinked up at me, shock evident on her face. “I, uh, are you all right?”
“I’ll be fine. Have Fire and Rescue been called?” They handled all medical emergencies on the island, and I assumed they would be called for a death, as well.
“I have…why don’t you sit down?”
Natalie tried to usher me towards a couch in the sitting room, the same place Harriet and I had worked on a puzzle just days before. I pulled out of Natalie’s hold. “I’m fine. But I need to make sure all of these details are handled.”
Natalie took a small step back, worry etching her features. I did my best to keep my face a blank mask. The last thing I needed when I felt a breath away from breaking was to see judgment in anyone’s gaze. I’d seen the looks too many times before. The abandoned daughter of the town drunk. The used and discarded trash of Grant Abbot. The one way to avoid all of those looks was to never step out of line.