“We’re getting to the bottom of that,” Dad said. “Didn’t call you in here for that.”
“Uh, I could’ve gotten killed last night so I don’t think it’s weird for me to ask questions.”
“Nope, but it’s not something for you to worry about. We’re still lookin’ into it. We’re here to talk about what the fuck you were thinkin’ when you went to that bitch’s apartment yesterday.” Dad folded his arms across his chest. So did Spencer, looking a whole lot like Dad right now.
Rider leaned against the wall and jerked his chin at me.
“I visit Luke’s mom sometimes. She’s lonely and sad and her husband and her barely speak to one another. I got there and she told me that a girl has been claiming Luke fathered her baby. She gave me the girl’s number.”
“How did this translate to you getting robbed and stuck with her kid?” Spencer asked, looking pissed.
Spence never got mad at me. Almost never gave me grief. He treated me like I could do no wrong and yet he was looking at me all serious.
I gave him a surprised look. “They both looked rough and she begged me to just watch him so that she could get a few hours of sleep. She has zero support system and this baby wouldn’t stop crying and then he finally fell asleep and she seemed just knackered.” I shrugged.
“She conned you,” Rider told me unnecessarily.
“Yeah, well, I had the feeling I was being conned about the baby daddy bit, but never thought she’d rob me and steal my car.”
“It could’ve gone way worse, punkin. You think about that?” Dad asked.
“Of course I did. I couldn’t believe she pulled one over on me. But honestly, it happened for good reason. That little boy needed medical care, and someone to give a shit and now he’s got that.”
“It occur to you that if you had gotten caught by that firebomb last night and hurt or worse, it’d be because you weren’t even supposed to be there?” Spencer asked.
“I was supposed to be there,” I replied. “Shit happens for a reason. That little baby needed someone to rescue him. It was only because his mother took off, but…”
“She’s in jail now. Who knows what the charges will be? DUI. Grand theft. Larceny. Child abandonment,” Rider replied. “Call Brice. He needs you to come in.”
“Okay. And I stand by what I said. I helped a little baby who was hungry, sick, and neglected and that baby may be---”
“He’s not Lick’s. He’s not fucking mine, Joelle,” Rider snapped. “That bitch is a liar.”
“I think she’s got wrong information about when a woman ovulates and she’s out by a week. She wasn’t willing to listen to me, though.”
They said nothing.
“Anyway, I gotta go buy a new phone and get a shower and stop by my bank for new cards, and also see Brice before I cover for Ella at the dealership.”
“Don’t worry about coverin’. Dealership and garage are both closin’ early today,” Dad said.
“I can---”
“No. Two hours early on a Monday is nothin’. We’re all heading to the mother charter to deal with what happened last night. Dealership and garage’ll both be closed early.”
“How did Christian know?”
“Christian?” Spencer looked at me with an expression on his face like he was about to puke.
I rolled my eyes. “Isn’t that his name?”
“Fork. Forker. Chris. But Christian? Do not fuckin’ tell me you’ve got a crush on Fork.”
I rolled my eyes and chanced a glance at Rider.
“Because he pulled you outta that bedroom?” Spencer asked. “He your hero now?”
“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes.
Rider’s jaw was clenched. He had the decency to keep his mouth shut about what he’d picked up on at Deke’s Roadhouse Saturday night.
“Get a DNA test, Ride, and that’ll exclude you. The social worker can help with that. I can ask Luke’s mother to do the same,” I said, changing the subject.
Rider rolled his eyes this time.
“Seriously.” I pushed, to deflect from further discussion about my crush.
“I know that ain’t my fuckin’ kid. Basic birds ‘n bees shit, Joelle.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know you can’t get a girl pregnant by greeking her. Whatever. Melanie is probably just saying it so she can get a handout.”
“That’s exactly why she’s sayin’ it,” he retorted.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out, bro. Get the test and then you’re done with her for once and for all.”
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll call Lick’s mom.”
I raised my hands. “Fine. You say it’ll be dealt with; I’ll stay out of it.”
“Your bag ‘n keys are in your room.”
“Thank you.”
“One more hug right here, baby girl,” Dad ordered. “Out, boys.”
My brothers left and Dad put his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. “Fuckin’ gutted last night at the notion you were at that house.”
I burst into tears.
Yeah, I guessed I’d been holding that back for a bit. And Dad let me cry it out for a minute while he stroked my hair.
“What’s goin’ on, Dad? More Jackals bullshit?”
“Yeah, punkin. Fork got a tip. Just in the nick of time, too. Fuck sakes… But don’t you worry. We knew there’d be at least a little more shit to deal with after the patch-over. We’ll take care of it. Eyes open, though.”
“Okay, Dad. And always.”
***
“I need everyone’s numbers,” I told Ella. “My whole life was in that phone.”
“Yeah. Glad you didn’t succumb to the same fate as that phone. Here.” She passed me her iPhone. “Take ‘em. Whatever you need locally is on there.”
I hauled over a waiting area chair to the desk beside her and started forwarding myself contacts from Ella’s phone.
“Today, you Ella Forker, are my favorite future sister-in-law,” I informed her.
“Yay,” she did a jazz hands gesture.
The desk phone rang so she answered it.
Christoff the Jerkoff was an entry in her directory. I didn’t forward that one so she wouldn’t see that I did it if she checked her message string later. Instead, I typed the number into my phone while biting my lip and feeling my face go hot.
My new phone was bigger, nicer, and it was missing the messages string from Luke. And that hurt. But, maybe it was a sign. A sign that I should move forward. I still couldn’t help but feel sad. I remembered just about every word, but it was always comforting to know I could look it over if I needed to.
“Let’s do dinner,” Ella suggested after her phone call. “Me, you, Pippa, and Jenna. I’ll call you after Gran’s doctor’s appointment and we’ll meet up?”
“Sounds good,” I said.
I’d hung out with Ella for most of the afternoon after stopping by the police station and then getting my new phone. I’d also called the social worker who informed me that the baby would remain in care while they tried to locate any family to see if anyone was qualified to look after him.