Hopelessly Broken (7 page)

“Why did you leave
so soon, Aeron? Did they finish the work on your house?”

“Work?” Aeron echoed, confused.

It was Monday afternoon, a day after he’d snuck out of Logan and Jennifer’s house. Logan was standing on his front porch, his backpack drooping off his shoulders, his nose red, and boots caked with snow.

Knowing he was about to be interrogated,
Aeron opened his front door to let Logan inside.

“
Jenny told me you had to stay with us because the guys were working on your house and you couldn’t live here until they were done.”

“Oh. That work. Yes. They finished early.”

“What did they do?” Looking around the room, Logan kicked off his boots, the flick of his feet sending snow and water spraying all around him. “I was hoping it would take longer. I sort of liked you staying with us.”

“I know you
wanted me to stay longer, Logan. But it’s better for everyone if I stay at my house. Cojack’s back in his room. I’m sure--”

“Are you coming over tonight
?”

“No.” Logan wasn’t going to let this subject drop.
Aeron could tell already. Hoping to distract him, Aeron jerked his head toward the bedroom. “Come on. I’ll help you find Cojack.”

“Tomorrow? Are you coming over tomorrow?” Logan asked as he tromped after him.

“No.”

“Why not?
I thought you loved my sister.”

“Love? No, no. I don’t love her.
I told you--”

“But I saw you smiling at her. I saw you touch her. That’s what people do when they love each other. That’s what my mom and dad did.”

“Maybe that’s what some people do when they love each other.” Finding Cojack napping in his dog bed, Aeron scooped him up. The dog yawned. “Adult relationships are more complicated than that. Your sister and I like each other. We’re friends.”

“Jenny’s been so sad since you left. She loves you.”

“No, she doesn’t love me.” Feeling like a complete asshole, Aeron handed the sleepy dog to Logan. “Come on. I’ll get my coat and Cojack’s leash and we’ll take him for a walk.”

“Yes
, Jenny does love you. I know it. Will you come over and have Saturday morning breakfast again?”

“Maybe
. Sometime.” Aeron led Logan back down the hall toward the living room to get his coat and boots.

Still holding Cojack,
Logan gave Aeron some squint eyes as he stomped his feet into his boots. “Aeron, are you staying away from Jenny on purpose?”

“No.
Why would I do that?” he asked as he shrugged into his coat. He pulled on one boot then the other. When he was ready, he snapped the leash on Cojack’s collar and pulled open the front door. “Okay, let’s go.”

“C
ome over. Tonight.” Logan begged, crunching over the snow, ahead of Aeron. He set Cojack on the sidewalk. The dog immediately lifted his leg, whizzing into the snow. “Come for dinner. Please. It was nice when you were staying with us. It felt…normal. Like a real family.”

God, he wasn’t going to give up.
“I can’t, Logan.”

“Please? Just for dinner.”

“No, Logan. How far are we going to walk Cojack?”

“That way.
I need to go home. I promised Jenny I wouldn’t come over here and bother you. She made me promise.”

Damn. Of course she had
told him not to come over. She was hurt. She was angry. She wasn’t going to allow Logan to hang out with him after he’d run out on her.

“I guess you’d better go home then.
I’ll walk Cojack.”

“Will you walk me
home? I can say I had to stay after school to finish some work, and you were walking by when I left. You can have some hot chocolate at my house.”

This kid was
persistent. He had to give him that. “No, I won’t have hot chocolate at your house.”

“Why not?”

“Because.” Aeron let a big sigh slip up his throat. If there was any hope of Logan giving up on the idea of him and Jennifer falling in love, he was going to have to come clean and tell the truth, at least a little of it. “Listen, Logan. Your sister and I had a problem. That’s why I had to leave. She’s upset, and I’m sure she doesn’t want to see me or talk to me right now. I’m trying to do the right thing and stay away from her.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Grown-
ups make everything complicated,” Logan grumbled. “It shouldn’t be complicated. You like Jenny. Jenny likes you. Come over to my house and talk to her.”

“I can’t, Logan. I’m sorry.”

“Fine.” Logan shoved Cojack’s leash into Aeron’s hand and stomped several feet ahead of him. He stopped, twisted to glare at Aeron over his shoulder, and said, “If you won’t come over, then I don’t need to be your friend either. Bye.”

Great.

Wonderful.

Now this case had completely gone off the tracks. He had lost Logan’s trust. And if he couldn’t get it back in time,
Logan would suffer the consequences.

Somehow, he had to regain
it. Quickly. 

* * * * *

Why, oh why had Aeron put her in this position? The bastard. It was only two weeks. Two weeks. Why couldn’t he have stayed? Why?

So they kissed.

So he touched her
down there
.

So she was a virgin? So
what?

She was a big girl. She could handle it. He didn’t want any strings. She got it. They could have come to some kind of understanding.

Now, she had to deal with worse.

I can do this.

Bobby was sprawled on her couch, one thick arm draped across the back, a foot resting on the opposite knee. “I was surprised to hear from you. It’s been a long time. Over a year.”

“Yes, it has
been a long time.”

“How’s school?”
Bobby asked. “Weren’t you taking some AP classes this year?”

“I…quit.”

His eyes practically bugged out of his head. “What? Quit? You?”

“
I know. Shocking, right? A lot has happened since…last time you saw me.”

“
Wow. Well…you look good.” He said that to her chest.

This wasn’t a good idea. Not at all. Being t
wo years older than her meant Bobby was legally old enough to be Logan’s guardian if DHS came in to investigate. But that also meant he might expect certain things. Those expectations, along with his lack of commitment, were what had led to their breakup last year. In a nutshell, he had wanted to have sex, and she hadn’t been ready. So, he found someone else. It seemed, by the look in his eye, he was thinking she would be ready for sex now.

And she was. But not with him.

“Thanks.” She crossed her arms over the objects of his admiration. “Look, I’m not going to play around here. I invited you tonight because I need to ask for a favor.”

His gaze jerked up where it belonged.
“What kind of favor?”

“
A big one.”

His lips curved. A brow lifted.
His gaze flicked to her tits again. “Big?”

Jenn had always known Bobby
’s brain resided in the gutter most of the time, but couldn’t he drag it out for just one minute so they could have an adult conversation? “Please, Bobby. Would you just listen?”

“I am listening. Sheesh. You invited me here for dinner. I wasn’t expecting a lecture.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just…upset.” She glanced at the stairs, wishing she could just run up there and hide and forget all about this. “I need someone to stay with me and my brother for a while.”

“Stay here? Why?”

“To keep DHS from taking my brother away and putting him in a foster home.”

“How will I stop them from doing that?”

“You would be his temporary guardian. Just until I turn eighteen.”

Once again, his eyes bugged out.
“You want me to be responsible for your little brother? Me?” He shook his head. “That’s crazy. You know what kind of--”

“I know.
” She let out a huge sigh. “I wouldn’t ask but I’m desperate. I can’t think of anyone else.”

Now it was his turn to look around them. What he was searching
for? It wasn’t like she’d hidden away a cousin twice removed around the corner. “What about family? Don’t you have an aunt or grandparent or someone who can stay here?”

“No.”

He took a step backward. “There must be someone—“

“There’s no one.”

“Well sorry. I’m not the guy for the job. There’s no way--”

“Please.” She caught his arm before he ran out the door
. “I know this is no small favor I’m asking. But it wouldn’t be for long. Just a couple of weeks.”

His gaze flicked to her hand.
“Jenn, you’re hot. I came over here because I thought might…you know, we might hook up again. But...” He pushed past her, heading for the door. “I always knew you were a little crazy, but I had no idea you were this nuts.”

“It isn’t crazy. It’s ca
lled desperation,” she shouted to his back.

“Whatever.” Shaking his head, he practically dove out the door.

There went her last resort. Plans B, C, D, through Z.

There was nobody else to ask.

No one.

Wondering how long she could hold off the caseworker, she dragged herself up to bed.

* * * * *

The next morning was ordinary.

As usual she got up, woke up Logan, and downed half a pot of coffee while making sure Logan got out the door on time, fully dressed, and with everything he needed for school. Finally, after over an hour of chaos, she was able to settle down to work.

And of course, that wa
s when someone knocked on the door.

Almost one hundred percent sure it was the case worker, she quietly dashed upstairs to check the driveway
--and to hide.

She peered between the slats of her blinds.

No car in the driveway.

No car parked in the street.

A second series of knocks echoed through the house.

Who the heck?

She skipped back down the stairs quietly and peeked through the window in the door.

Aeron?

She yanked open the door.

He smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Confused, she stood there like a nitwit, waiting for him to say something.

He motioned with his head.
“Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Still thoroughly confused, she stepped aside to let him in then shut the door behind him. “Coffee?”

“No thanks.”

She led him to the living room and sat.

He sat across from her, in the big, old recliner that used to be Dad’s. As he sat, it tipped slightly to the right. The leg had broken the day before the accident. Jenn hadn’t had the money to fix it. But she hadn’t wanted to throw the chair away either.

Aeron looked funny sitting in it now, leaning slightly while pretending he wasn’t. “Were you busy? Am I interrupting something?”

“Oh, that’s okay. I’m not on a deadline right now.”

“
Deadline? Ah, you’re a writer?”

“I am.
”

“That’s cool. I’ve done a little writing myself. I…I have downtime
during assignments sometimes. And some of my assignments are really rough. The writing is good therapy. Sometimes I think I might go nuts if I didn’t have writing.”

“Oh, I know what you mean. I live through my
stories. They’re all I have now, except Logan. I don’t have any friends anymore. I don’t leave this effing house.”

“
That sucks. Why?”

“Because I can’t. What if someone finds out we’re here alone? What if someone reports us? We’ve been living like this for months, since my aunt left and didn’t come back. It sucks. I used to have a normal life. I used to hang out with friends. I used to laugh. I used to do a lot of things.
” She blinked. Tears were not burning in her eyes. No, they were not. “Now…all I do is write and dream about when things will be normal again—if they’ll be normal again.” She blinked several more times. No, she would not cry. She would not, dammit.

“
Look.” Aeron jammed his fingers into his hair. “I came over this morning to say…I’m sorry I left, but after…what…almost happened that night. I couldn’t take the chance of you getting the wrong idea—“

“That’s my fault. I’m lonely. There. I said it. I’m so freaking lonely that I thought I saw something between us that clearly wasn’t there. I scared you away.”

He didn’t respond at first. She took his silence as a silent acknowledgment, fearing that if he said the words aloud, she might cry or something. “Jennifer, I—“