“Yes, really.”
“And I’m gonna get to go to the school with the balloons?”
“For a little bit, but then you’re going to school in Miami, where I live.”
“Oh.” She chewed on a pancake. “And Grandma will be there, too?”
“Yes, Grandma will be there all the time. First we’ll live in my house, but then we’ll get a bigger house. One where you can pick out which bedroom you want and everything.”
Her mouth fell open. “Really?”
Ben smiled. “Yes, really.”
“Jenna, can you come live with us, too?” Rachel asked innocently.
It was the perfect time to have her mouth full of pancake because she needed a moment to figure out how to answer. She took a sip of her water. “Honey, I live here in Whispering Bay, but maybe we can visit each other sometime.”
Rachel nodded dejectedly, like she’d already expected to be disappointed, which made Jenna feel like a first-class heel. So she did what adults had been doing since the beginning of time with little kids. She changed the subject to distract her.
“So do you want to hear what happens to Annie?”
Rachel nodded enthusiastically, which led Jenna into an entire description of the movie. Rachel seemed so fascinated by the whole thing that after dinner Ben found the original version on his smart TV. They sat on the couch with Rachel tucked between them and watched the film, eating ice cream and laughing. After the long day she’d had, Jenna expected Rachel to fall asleep, but the little girl stayed awake all the way to the closing credits.
“To-mo-rrow!” Rachel sang at the top of her lungs as she changed into her pajamas. “To-mo-rrow, I love ya, to-mo-rrow!” She brushed her teeth and slipped into bed. Ben kissed her on the forehead and tucked the covers tightly around her. “Good night, Uncle Ben! Good night, Jenna! I’ll see ya to-mo-rrow!”
Ben chuckled tenderly. “Good night, sweetheart.” He flipped off the bedroom light, taking care to leave the door ajar.
They walked down the hallway to the living room in silence. The relaxed atmosphere they’d shared for the past few hours disappeared the instant they’d put Rachel to bed. It was replaced now with a nervous kind of energy. Could he feel it, too?
“You’re terrific with kids,” he said.
Yep. He could feel it, too. She could hear it in his voice.
“Thanks, but I have two nieces so I’ve gotten in a lot of practice.”
“I wish there was some way I could properly thank you for everything you’ve done. Is there a favorite charity or cause that I can make a contribution to or—”
“A favorite charity?” Was he for real? She blew out a breath. Yes, she’d been the one to tell him that she didn’t want to get personal, but that was before. Today’s events had changed everything. “First off, no thanks needed. If you really want to show your gratitude for anything I did tonight, then tell me about Rachel.”
“It’s a long sad story, Jenna.”
She marched over to the couch and plopped herself down. “Not a problem. I’ve got all night.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down.
She could see the struggle on his face before he gave in. He sat down next to her and for a long time he didn’t say anything. “Jake and Cindy died of a drug overdose a couple of months ago. Since then, Mom and I have been taking care of Rachel.” He said it simply and without emotion, but he wasn’t a robot. Inside, he was hurting. She could see it in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry. I thought maybe it was a car accident or something. Poor baby.” She almost didn’t want to know the answer to her next question, but she had to ask. “Was Rachel there when it happened?”
“No, thank God. Jake had the decency to drop her off with my mom before he and Cindy went off on their last little drug junket.” Bitterness and guilt mixed together to make his voice harsher than she’d ever heard him.
Rachel’s fear of Ben going to jail made sense now. “She’s seen them get arrested. Hasn’t she?”
He nodded. “Rachel has spent more time with Mom than she ever did with Jake and Cindy, but she’s known a lot of instability in her life.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’ve spent the past four years trying to get permanent custody of Rachel for my mom, but as long as her parents were still in the picture the courts would never allow it. They’d get clean just long enough to convince some judge that Rachel should be with them.”
Jenna shuddered. “Sometimes you have to wonder about our legal system and who it really protects.”
“It’s not that Jake didn’t try or that they didn’t love Rachel. But no matter how many times he and Cindy went to rehab, it never stuck. They’d be clean for a few months and everything would seem okay, and then one of them would start using again and it would all go straight to hell.”
“What about Cindy’s parents? Do they see Rachel?”