I smiled. “I remember, yeah.”
“He looks at me with this serious expression, and I thought he was gonna start yelling at me. Everyone was always yelling at me during that time period. But he pulls a big bag of Doritos and a Coke out of a bag and gives them to me. Then he sits down and says, ‘We’ve got a long drive ahead of us, but I think you’re gonna like where we’re going.’ I gave him attitude, said I’d just fuck with him, or whoever my new handlers were, like I did the last ones. So he might as well let me go off on my own.”
“What did he say to that?”
“He laughed. He said I could try screwing with my new handler all I wanted, but that she had abilities too, and she had better control over hers. That got me curious. I’d never met no one like me before. So after that, we hit the road. Jaz talked to me all the way there. Said he didn’t blame me for trying to run. Said he knew it all sucked and it was okay I felt the way I did. But it was gonna get better. I trusted him. Just something about him.”
“He took you here? To Hillock Beach?”
“Yeah. I didn’t know he lived here too. Didn’t know nothing at the time. But he told me he could help me. Said he couldn’t give me my life back, but he could give me a life back. And that he could keep me safe, long as I didn’t run away again. He promised if I followed a few simple rules, I could still go outside and do stuff so I wouldn’t be bored.”
“He placed you with Claudette?”
“Yeah. She already had Chapel, he’s her biological son. Kora came later as another foster. Guess they placed Kora with Claudette cause she’d done so well with me. Kora has abilities too.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, we got to Claudette’s house, and that’s when your dad dyed my hair. Over the next few weeks, Claudette talked to me a lot about my abilities. And my situation. They told me I could join this group of kids who performed and danced on the square, and do some stuff helping out at the fun park, long as I always had my face painted up. That way, no one would recognize me if they came looking.”
“Ah, all right.”
“Claudette’s got a lot of friends and so many people helped out, I couldn’t believe it. That’s why I love this town. They sheltered me and made me safe. They helped with my abilities instead of hating me or being scared of me. They found a way to let me go outside in the fresh air, to do fun things. I was able to heal from all the trauma. And I had Chapel and Claudette and other people like me to talk to, so I didn’t feel like a freak.”
“And my father arranged all this for you?”
“Yes.” He pointed at me. “Your father saved my life. I won’t abandon him now that it’s him that’s hurting.”
My lips tightened, and I nodded.
“You understand now?”
“I understand.”
“One thing you don’t know though.” His shoulders hunched. “It’s probably my fault your dad had an affair.”
“How on earth could it be your fault?”
“When I first got here, I was a mess. I’d wake up in the night screaming. After seeing my mother dead like that, I was always scared. Beyond scared. Claudette was nice but she didn’t make me feel safe back then. Not her fault, but I wanted that tough guy with the gun who gave me Doritos and drove me across the country. The guy who promised everything would be okay. Jasper was the only one who could calm me down when I got like that. So…Claudette would call him. And he’d come.”
“That still doesn’t mean it’s your fault he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.”
“I know but…he was this handsome hero who saved a kid. How could she not fall for him? It was my night terrors and screaming that made her keep calling him. I brought them together. So, for that, I’m sorry.”
I sat silently for a time, absorbing all he’d told me. “Earlier, when my father was drunk at the house, and I called you to come by.”
“Yeah?”
“I was listening to you talk to him in the living room. It makes sense now. When he saw you in the clown makeup, that’s why he said you don’t have to cover your face. He asked if you were scared.”
Smiling, Orion said, “Yeah, he was drunk and my clown face must have confused him. I think my past haunts him more than it does me sometimes. Poor dude had to drive down to the seaside in the middle of the night to calm some annoying kid all the time.”
“But he did it.”
“He did.” Orion frowned. “Every time, he came. I think back on that time period a lot. Instead of being locked in some airless room in a safe house, waiting for who knew how long until the cops caught the bad guys, I got to play at a carnival amusement park and dance in the streets. I can never repay what Jaz did for me.”
I was seeing my dad in a whole new light. And admittedly, kind of impressed, even though my heart was breaking for what Orion had to go through to warrant Jasper’s actions. I tried to push down the still lingering resentment, however, that my dad had gone to such lengths for another family while betraying his own. It wasn’t easy.
“Are you gonna let me look after your dad? I told you he was family to me. You gotta understand that now.”
“Look, I’m so sorry for what you went through. I get now why you’re so close with my dad. However…”
He rolled his eyes and gave me a gentle kick. “However, what?”
“I’m paying you, period.”
“Kurt—”
“I’m sorry, Orion, but I’ll feel too negligent otherwise. I understand your connection and how you feel, I do. But he’s still my father. And I’m getting damn tired of feeling useless with my own family members.”
“Is this…about your kids?”
“It’s about everything. Like it or not, my dad is my responsibility. And you made quite clear to me tonight that he needs the help, that he gets off balance without it. If he won’t let me look after him, I’m at least going to compensate the person doing that. Until I can get him to pull the stick out of his ass and agree to move into the garage suite. Until I can convince him to let me help.”
Orion laughed. “Jaz ain’t never gonna move into that garage suite. He’s dug in where he is. He’ll never leave that house. It’s where he lived with your mom, and he loves the place.”
“I know.” I scowled. “But do you understand where I’m coming from? I need to feel like I’m doing something here, not just pawning my father off on you.”
“I don’t mind looking after him. Have you not been listening? I ain’t taking your money. It wouldn’t feel right.”
A very bad idea hit me so suddenly that I blurted it out before properly thinking it through. “What if instead of me giving you money, you moved into the garage suite?”
Chapter Fourteen
“You want me to move into your…guest house?” Orion said.
“Why not? You’ll be right up the road from Jasper. Should make things easier on you. Unless you feel like you’ll be too far from the seaside and your work.”
“Nah, it’s not that. Seaside’s close enough, and a lot of my jobs are out this way anyway. But you could get a lot of money renting that place out, and I can’t afford it.”