“Why do you think something is wrong?”
“I’ve known you long enough to know you. Number one, you never miss work…ever. Number two, it’s written all over your face. Tell me, what’s going on?”
Ms. Nash was the closest thing to a mother he’d ever had. He definitely trusted her opinions. “I’m in love. She’s an amazing woman, but she’s been hurt so badly, I don’t know how to fix it or make it better.”
“Hmm. Cricket?”
He nodded. “How’d you know it was her?”
She smiled warmly. “I saw it on both of your faces the day you brought her to the house. She’s been through a lot?”
“More than she should have.” Cole dropped his head as he stared at his bottled water. “I promised always to protect her, but I didn’t. I don’t know what to do.”
“You know when a new child is placed here, they’ve typically been through all manner of things. The first thing I had to realize is you can’t fix it. You just can’t. You can be patient, supportive, and provide them with the security of knowing that you’ll be there for them unconditionally.”
“I’ve already messed that up.”
“No. You haven’t. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. But, you’ve said she’s been hurt. Give it time, Cole, and be there for her no matter what.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It’s not. It’s hard watching the people we love struggle.”
“She’s been through so much, I want to give her everything. I want to make life easier for her. I asked her to quit her waitressing job, and she freaked out.”
“Sounds like there is more to it than that.” Ms. Nash nodded her head in a knowing fashion. “If she quit, where would she get her money from?”
“I already told you, there is nothing she could ask for that I wouldn’t give to her.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe in asking her to quit, she feels like she’ll lose her independence. That she would be completely dependent upon you? That might be hard for someone with trust issues.”
Cole rubbed his chin. “I hadn’t really thought about it like that.”
“Talk to her. Talk it through and give her a bit of space. Oh, and I didn’t tell you, but one of my counselor’s just quit. I’ll need to hire someone to help me with the smaller kids throughout the day.” Ms. Nash winked at him.
He kissed her on the cheek. “I don’t know if I’ve told you, but you’re amazing. Thank you for always being an ear for me.”
“Good. Now, I have a list of things I need done around here that is a mile long. Think you can help me out?”
“With anything and everything.” Cole got up and followed Ms. Nash out of the kitchen to get started on things he knew were only meant to take his mind off his current situation.
*****
Kevin, wearing all black, arrived at Mario’s parking lot as soon as it was dark enough for him to not be discovered in a nondescript vehicle. He got out and went over to the car Elise had told him Jade would be driving. Looking from side to side, to make sure no one was looking, Kevin jimmied the lock open and slipped into the back seat. He pulled a black throw out from underneath his jacket and covered himself with it so that when Jade got in the car, it would look like he was part of the floor. She had made his life hell. He planned to make sure both she and Cole paid the price for it. The thought of sweet revenge sustained him for the next hour until Jade got off from work at 8 pm.
Chapter 24
Natalie, Brenda, and Jade walked out to their cars together. Natalie whistled. “Nice car, Jade.” She and Natalie hadn’t worked the same shift in a while, so she hadn’t seen her drive Cole’s car.
Jade smirked. “It’s Cole. He’s just letting me borrow it for a while.”
“Hey, if you two are really just friends let me know because the next time he comes to Mario’s, I’m going to do some heavy duty flirting.”
“All I’m going to say is if you value your life, you might want to stay far away from my boyfriend.”
Brenda and Natalie exchanged glances. Natalie kept teasing her. “Ohhh…so he’s graduated from just a friend to a boyfriend. Well, good, for you.”
Distracted by their conversation, Jade opened the car door. “Just remember that the next time he comes into the restaurant.”
Natalie batted her eyelashes. “I’ll do my best.”
Playfully, Jade rolled her eyes. “Good night ladies. I’m on schedule tomorrow, so I’ll see you then.” Jade got in the car, closed the door, and locked it. Unlike her own car, as soon as she put the key in the ignition, it started right up. Out of habit, Jade glanced up into her review mirror and scanned the parking lot as usual. She didn’t see anything suspicious but couldn’t shake a feeling that made her skin prickly. She dismissed it as apprehension about going home to face Cole after their argument earlier. After a moment, she pulled out of the parking lot.
Jade put her elbow on the window sill and rested her head on the palm of her hands while steering the car with the other. A deep sigh escaped from between her lips. She hadn’t talked to Cole since their argument where she’d overreacted. Brenda was right, they needed to talk. The silence in the car was too much, so she turned on the radio. Her exit was coming up. Glancing up into her review mirror again, there was barely any traffic. Jade moved over to the right lane to take exit 90/94 East.
Should I
