Starlee's Turn (The Wayward Sons 2)

“Thanks again,” he calls out as he approaches the door. He smiles at me and exits.

“Anywhere I can leave this?” I ask, holding up the box.

“Next to the door works.” I slide it over and then meet him at the counter. “Hungry? I made some new muffins last night.”

“Moose’s?”

“Yep.”

“Ughhhhh. Fine, you know I can’t resist.” He smiles at my weakness and hands me a muffin from the basket behind the counter. I unwrap it and take a bite. He watches the whole time, enjoying me enjoying his treat. “So I think the social worker, Ms. DeLange, just went next door.”

“Yeah, Sierra went over.”

“Do you think this is bad?” I have an uneasy feeling for some reason. I can’t get the image of Mr. Evans at the hospital out of my head. He was so angry and mean.

“I really don’t know.” He wipes down the counter. “We all have meetings with our social workers. That’s pretty standard, but involving their dad…well, you saw how he is. He’s been pretty MIA the last few years and the guys aren’t interested in reestablishing a relationship right now, but that doesn’t mean the court won’t enforce it.”

“Why would the court force them to see him if they don’t want to?”

“Because they focus on reuniting families. Foster care is really a last resort. It’s never supposed to be long term. If they see a way to reconnect a family, they’ll go for it.”

This is new information to me. I never thought about their placements being temporary. “But they’re so close to graduation.”

“They wouldn’t change schools. Just houses. The state would see it as a win. A successful placement and reunification.”

“But their dad—he’s still really awful.”

He nods. “Hopefully everyone else will see it that way, too.”

Ms. DeLange leaves an hour later, headed back to her little blue car. I exit the shop and head next door. I don’t knock and Crowley greets me with an uninterested sniff. I pause when I hear angry voices in the kitchen.

“They can’t make us go,” Charlie says, frustrated.

“I think they can,” Sierra replies. “And look, this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You can’t avoid him forever.”

“Like hell we can’t,” George says, then apologizes for the language. “You know how he is, Sierra. It’s not a good idea.”

“Not going and staying angry about it only proves to the court that you’re not working on your issues. It will make them push harder. It’s not helping your case that your dad has started going to the family therapy meetings.”

“It’s bullshit,” Charlie mumbles. “He’s doing it just to fuck with us.”

“Maybe he really wants to change this time,” George says quietly.

“You’re kidding?” Charlie says with a laugh.

“You don’t know, people can change. Look at us. Look at Dex. We’ve made progress.”

“You really have,” Sierra agrees.

In a resigned yet angry voice, Charlie asks, “So you’re really going to make us go?”

I’m pressed against the wall, my stomach filled with unease.

Sierra sighs. “Your first meeting is at 3 p.m. on Monday. Get Dexter to drop you off after school.”

I slip away after that, not wanting to be discovered eavesdropping. Both boys were too angry and as much as I wanted to comfort them, I knew their emotions ran too high right now.

I step back outside and head home for the night, entering the quiet of Leelee’s house. I get their anger at their dad. I felt it with my own mother—and I’m not sure what I would do if someone came here and tried to make us reconcile. There’s too much lingering upset. Too much left unresolved—especially now that she’s avoiding my calls. I know she’s okay. I heard Leelee talking to her a few nights ago. Did she ask to speak to me?