“So.” He took a breath. Hoped this was the right question. “What kind of trouble did you and Abed get in?”
At least it didn’t seem to be the wrong question. Because a hint of light landed in Noah’s eyes. “You ever hear of cow-tipping?”
He looked over with a smirk. “I grew up in Iowa. What do you think? But you don’t get expelled from school for that.”
“You do when the farmer also happens to be the president of the school board. And he, like, really loved his cows.”
“What we know is that Dustin Hollis was fired from his latest trucking job over a month ago. He left his apartment without paying rent three weeks back. And whether he even knows Tessa died this summer . . . it’s anybody’s guess.” Carmen reached for a second chocolate chip cookie from the plate in the middle of the sunroom table. “Thanks for this, by the way.”
“Your arrival had good timing.” Jenessa cupped her hands around a mug of tea. “I was just pulling them out of the oven.”
If the calendar hadn’t assured her that fall was in full swing, the wind hurling itself against the house and the rattle of the sunroom windows would convince her now. She’d insisted Colie button up her denim jacket this morning and had sent Violet to kindergarten with an extra sweater for over her My Little Pony t-shirt.
Truthfully, making cookies had not been on her agenda for the day—at least not until Colie and Violet got home from school. They’d taken the bus today and should be home soon.
If only Carmen had waited an extra day to call and announce she was making a home visit. Jenessa had been forced to wake up Cade from his nap in the portable crib she’d set up in her office and had left Paige with a half-proofed paper.
She’d made it back to Belville Park just in time to throw some store-bought cookie dough in the oven and do a fast sweep of the house before Carmen arrived. And Cade had fallen back asleep in his crib upstairs easily enough.
This was normal, apparently—unscheduled home visits. Carmen had made it sound like the fact that she’d received a heads-up call in the first place was a favor.
“So what’s the next step?”
“In finding the father? We leave that up to the police. Apparently he’s not been using a credit card and the last number they can find for him isn’t in service anymore, but the police have his license plate number. It’s bound to show up on a traffic cam or something soon.” Carmen tore her cookie in half and ate a bite. “As for the kids, well, I have to admit I’m a little impressed you managed every single thing on the list I left you last week.”
Yes, the house had been thoroughly baby-proofed. Jenessa had replaced the old fire extinguisher. She’d written out multiple fire escape routes and tornado shelter instructions, reviewed them with both Colie and Violet and taped them to the inside of a kitchen cupboard. She’d filled out DHS paperwork and provided copies of everything from her driver’s license to pay stubs to her last W-2.
And every night before bed, she’d watched at least two or three foster care training videos, even as her eyelids had dropped and the last of her energy waned.
“I’ve been wondering about setting up dentist appointments for the kids. I wasn’t sure what the protocol is on that. I mean, since they officially have DHS cases open, are they covered by some kind of state insurance?” She probably had an ER bill coming her way soon, too.
“Let’s not worry about that right at the moment. Our first priority is finding their father and determining legal guardianship.”
“But I asked Colie when they last had a checkup and she couldn’t remember. I’m wondering about the eye doctor, too. Violet’s still young enough that she’ll probably get checked at school but—”
Carmen lowered the remaining half of her cookie to her plate. “I know you’re eager to take care of everything. But we’re only a week into this. I’d like to keep our focus on the more immediate side of things.” She reached across the table to cover Jenessa’s fidgeting palm. “I also think it might be good for us to review the . . . temporary nature of this arrangement.”
How could Carmen think she’d forgotten? Jenessa had almost gotten used to the subtle but ceaseless anxiety that had become her companion lately. She went to bed with it at night and woke up with it in the morning. The question of whether today would be the last day with the kids. The worry that tomorrow would bring painful goodbyes she wasn’t ready for.
Twelve days since Colie, Violet, and Cade Hollis had come into her world. Not even two weeks. But the thought of them leaving now? It was enough to bring on an instant headache. She pushed her lukewarm tea aside. “I know it’s temporary.”
“Even though the judge’s order covered thirty days, if we find Dustin Hollis before then . . .”
“I understand.” Her gaze drifted to the sunroom windows. Lucas’s truck was still gone. He hadn’t returned from dropping his friends off in Des Moines yet. But he’d sent her a text earlier today.
I hope you’re ready for detailed garden plans tonight. I’ve got drawings and an expense list, and I called a guy about an estimate on fixing the fountain, which I think is going to be doable, and I really hope this text is loquacious enough for you because never again will I write this long-winded of a message. NEVER.
She’d laughed out loud and replied immediately. Loquacious? I’m impressed.
Thankfully, he hadn’t teased her about what she’d said the other night. About tonight being a date. Because of course it wasn’t. It wasn’t.
Was it?
Focus. Carmen had just asked her something, hadn’t she?
She was saved from having to ask her to repeat it by the sound of the door flinging open. “Jessa, we’re home! It smells like cookies!”
She grinned. “That would be Violet.”
Their footsteps traipsed through the house, telltale thumps letting her know they’d both dropped their backpacks somewhere in the dining room. They appeared in the sunroom doors in seconds.
“You did make cookies!” Violet raced to the table and stood on her tiptoes, attempting to reach the plate.
Colie gave her signature eye-roll but lingered nearby as if awaiting an invitation. Jenessa opened her mouth to call her over when Carmen’s gasp stopped her.
“Uh, you didn’t have that last week.” Carmen’s attention sprinted from the cast on Violet’s arm to Jenessa.
“Oh, I can’t believe I forgot . . .” Jenessa had spent fifteen minutes after the social worker first arrived, filling her in on recent days. How could she have left their ER visit out?
She’d been too busy telling Carmen about all the progress she’d made with Colie. About how Cade had stood on his own in the sunroom the other day, uttered what might be his first word Saturday night at the Everwood. About how well Violet had done her first day in school.
Here she’d worried earlier that she’d sounded as if she was bragging about the victories of the past few days, but now it probably looked as if she’d purposely left out the challenges.
“It happened on Friday. She fell outside, but thankfully it’s just a hairline fracture and—”