“He never got the money, Hadley. I don’t give a fuck what your system says. He never received the money, and now me and Shawna are paying for his uniform out of pocket. I don’t mind doing that, because he’s my kid, but still, that money is his. He should have had it, and now he doesn’t.”

Marcus, who is now fifteen, has been with the Shill family for three years. His biological mother has been in and out of rehab and court so many times I’ve lost count. She is in a constant battle to get herself together, but has yet to succeed in her endeavors.

“I promise you I’ll look into things,” I say, and Reggie sighs once more. “I’ll call you as soon as I learn anything new.”

“Thanks, Hadley. I know this isn’t your fuck up, but shit like this can’t go on. It’s not fair to Marcus. If this were another kid and they didn’t have people like Shawna and me to help pay for the extra stuff, they’d be fucked.”

“I know,” I agree softly. “We’ll talk soon.” I hang up after saying goodbye, feeling guilty. I look at my computer monitor once more. The reason for the money being dealt out is right there in black and white, along with the check being received and cashed.

Thinking about what Marian said, about funds going missing, I get up and head for her office after turning off my computer. The door is closed, so I knock, and like normal, Marian doesn’t immediately say to come in. After what feels like five minutes, she finally calls out to me and I push inside. She’s sitting at her desk, her dark hair pulled away from her face in a harsh bun, her makeup perfectly in place and her suit unwrinkled. If she weren’t pretty, I’d say she looked like the evil principal from Matilda, but unfortunately, she’s pretty. I take a seat across from her and she raises an annoyed brow, barely glancing away from her computer.

“How can I assist you, Miss Emmerson?”

Instead of saying, “You can help me and everyone else who works here by not being such an evil cow,” I launch into what happened with Marcus. When I’m finished, she gives me nothing, nothing helpful anyway.

She tells me that Marcus must be lying and that he probably lied to his family about getting the money and spending it. I might have believed her with one of the other kids, but Marcus has been happy since he’s been with the Shill family. He’s taken on his role as big brother to two other foster kids with pride, has been present at school, and is getting better grades. I know from talking to him and his foster family that he loves to play football, something that without the money he would not be able to do, since it’s an extra expense that most foster families aren’t willing to cover.

Before I leave her office, she tells me to let things go and that she will look into it. Not feeling good about her response, I send an email to the company who overlooks the funds allotted to the kids. I hope they will be able to help me sort this mess out, that someone will actually care enough to really look into things.

Chapter 10

Hadley

I WATCH COBI GIVE me a smile as he backs out of his garage, and I give him an awkward smile in return. When his turns into a grin, I roll my eyes, which makes him laugh. When the garage door finally closes, cutting off my view of him, I look down at Maxim, who’s leaning into my side, and scratch him behind his ears.

“I guess it’s just us for the night, big guy. Come on.” I head back upstairs into the main living area of Cobi’s townhouse and go right to the kitchen. I pour myself a glass of wine and then lean back against the counter, watching the news Cobi left playing on the excessively large TV across the room.

Normally, I never watch the news. It’s depressing, especially with so many political debates going on right now, but Cobi seems to always be watching it when he’s home. I’m sure it’s ingrained in him because he’s a police officer and is required to know what is going on in the world around him. Me, on the other hand? I prefer to live with my head in the sand until it’s time to vote.

When my cell phone on the counter rings, I check the caller ID. I see it’s my father calling… again, for the third time in as many days, and deny the call. I know my dad is calling because he’s worried about my relationship with Cobi. He’s just not worried for the normal reasons a father would be. He’s worried that I will talk to Cobi about my past, about the things I know my dad does to make money and about my mom. Regardless of what he said to Cobi, I’m sure it was him who broke into my place, especially after finding out that only my wallet was taken. Cobi doesn’t know my dad, so he doesn’t know his concern for my safety was just a farce, a way of him appearing like he actually cares for me when he doesn’t—something he’s done since I was a little girl.

After another sip of wine, I take my glass with me toward the bedroom to grab the book I’ve been reading the last few days. Cobi and I were supposed to be home together tonight, and we made plans this morning to go to dinner at my favorite sushi place. But not even ten minutes after I got to his place, he got a call that he had to get to work. I didn’t ask him what happened but did tell him that I hoped everything was okay after he kissed me goodbye at the door to his truck and gave Maxim a head rub.

With a sigh, I shake my head. Even though he just left, I already miss him. Over the last few days of staying with him, my walls have crumbled down around my feet, burying me deeper under the feel of contentment I get whenever we’re together. Who could blame me? It would be impossible for anyone to spend time with him without falling for him. There is a connection between us, something I have never felt before with another person. He makes me happy, makes me laugh, and he makes me forget where I came from. When we’re together, I can pretend that nothing else matters but him and me and the relationship we are building.

Hearing my cell ring again, I go back toward the kitchen and smile as I put it to my ear, answering, “Hello.”

“Cobi called. He told me he has to work, so I should come keep you company,” Brie says, and I fight back laughter. Somehow, Cobi and her have become allies over the last week and Cobi has used his persuasive abilities to get Brie on his side in the fight to convince me that we are meant to be together. Something he no longer needs to do.

“He just left—” I look at the clock. “—not even fifteen minutes ago.” I try to sound annoyed, even though I’m not.

“I know. Anyway, I’m calling to let you know I’m on my way. I should be there in less than twenty. Do you need anything?”

“Wine,” I respond before taking another sip from my glass.

“That bad?”

No, that good, I think with a short shake of my head. “No, I just haven’t had time to get to the store and I just poured my last glass from the bottle Cobi bought me.”

“I love him. I’ll stop on my way.” I hear the smile in her voice and I let out a sigh. “I don’t know how you’re annoyed when you’re living with Cobi Mayson. Seriously, you should be on cloud nine.”

“I’m not annoyed; I’m just rethinking our friendship. I’m starting to believe you’re more loyal to Cobi than you are to me.”

“I’m not even going to get into this over the phone.” She laughs. “I’ll talk to you when I get there. By the way, I’m bringing all my wedding stuff.” She hangs up before I can respond.

Dropping my phone to the counter, I look at Maxim, who appears at my side. “How about I feed you before Brie gets here?” He barks in response then lies down on the tiled kitchen floor with a groan, waiting for me to serve him. I fill his bowl with a mixture of dry and wet food then head toward Cobi’s bedroom. His king-sized bed is still like we left it this morning after we made love and finally got up. The deep brown feather duvet is half hanging off the bed and the sheets are wrinkled and twisted into a knot. I make the bed haphazardly and toss on the pillows before I head for the closet to change out of my work clothes.

When Brie arrives thirty minutes later, she’s carrying a box of wine and a bag I can see is overflowing with magazines and her wedding planner.

“You got me a box of wine.” I smile, taking it from her, and she rolls her eyes.