"It's fifteen minutes longer than it was from the old house. I thought it would be best if they didn't change schools. One less new thing to adapt to. Their school is much better than the ones around here."
"That's true, but also more expe
nsive."
And here we go again. Breathe in, breathe out, Victoria. I pace around the room, his stern gaze following me.
"Mr. Jackson, we've been through this. I can afford it. I've already proven I have an income—"
"Which varies heavily from month to month, depending on how many clients you have. Have you reconsidered finding an actual job? Steady employment and a steady paycheck?"
I fold my arms over my chest so he can't see I've curled my hands into fists. "We've been through this too. I'm more flexible working for myself, I can attend the kids' recitals and so on, and I can be home for dinner every night. I'm aware my income is variable, but even in the lowest months I've made enough to cover our living costs."
"Yes. Of course, having no mortgage helps," he deadpans. I taste bile at the back of my throat. The mortgage on my old parents' old house still had fifteen years of payments to run, and it immediately became clear my “then” salary wouldn’t have been enough to cover the monthly payment. Not even by taking into consideration my parents' life insurance could we have kept the house. So I did what I thought was logical, sold that house, paid the debt, and with the money left from the sale and the life insurance, I bought this house. I thought it would show my commitment to offer the kids a stable home. Hervis thought I was conning my siblings out of insurance money so I could live rent-free. Talk about perspective.
"I won't deny it helps. But I pay for their private school and make sure they have everything they need."
"How long are the minors alone at home every day?"
"Since school and preschool started, about two hours. However, Sienna is seventeen, and she's always with Chloe and Lucas when I'm not home. Mr. Jackson, I have to say, I understood your skepticism regarding my abilities to be the children's guardian in the beginning. I'd lost my job and clearly had no idea what I was doing. But I'm working hard to provide them with a stable home now."
"Ms. Hensley, I'm here to make sure you are indeed the best person to look after the young minors. You've made improvements, yes. I have noted that. Rest assured it's being taken into account. But we're talking about a span of a few months. That's hardly proof enough you're a fit guardian for another fourteen years until the youngest minor becomes an adult. I've been a social worker for twenty years. I've seen things that would make you sick to your stomach."
I do believe him. I cannot even begin to imagine the horrors he must have witnessed, even if indirectly. I also believe there are many wolves in sheep's clothing, but I’m not one of them.
“The best advice I can give you is not to stray from the straight and narrow path.”
Chapter Eight
Christopher
When I walk up Victoria’s porch on Saturday morning, I can hear a war waging inside the house.
“Chloe, you can't wear that shirt again. It's dirty. Take it off now.” Victoria's voice sounds stern but tired.
“But I like it,” Chloe retaliates.
“It's dirty and smelly,” Lucas says. “Why do you want to be smelly?”
For a few minutes, I wait outside the door for the spirits to calm down, but things just seem to escalate. It's best if I announce my presence, even if I'm twenty minutes early.
The second I ring the bell, the voices die down but then start again, now as low whispers. After a few hurried orders of “behave” and “pick your socks up off the floor,” the door swings open.
"Hi," I say.
"You're here early," Victoria exclaims. She wears a bright orange robe she desperately tightens around her. Clearly she meant to change before my arrival. Something is different about her this morning. There are shadows under her eyes, and she looks utterly disheveled. She looks down at the gym bag in my hand as if considering something.
"Should I wait outside, or in my car?" I joke because she seems to need some lighting up.
"God, no." If possible, she gets even more flustered than before, shaking her head and opening the door wider. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a mess this morning."
"There's no need to explain yourself to me," I assure her as I walk inside. The little devils are nowhere to be seen. "Where did the kids disappear to? I heard them when I walked up onto the porch."
"Chloe agreed to change when she heard the doorbell. Sienna's helping her. Lucas went to change into soccer-appropriate clothes. Do you need to change?"
"Nah, this will do. I'll change into a new shirt afterward." I point to the gym bag, in which I packed a towel, shower gel, and a new shirt.
"Sorry for my outfit. I meant to change into something decent, but…."