She stared at me with wide, striking amber-colored eyes. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know.” I sat across from her, unable to break the connection. I hadn’t noticed her eye color before. Were they colored contacts or real? They were mesmerizing either way.
“Coke is fine. Thanks.” She dropped her gaze to the cup, appearing goddamn devastated.
We ate in silence. I practically inhaled mine about as fast as Sadie gobbled up hers.
Sugar and Tina sipped their shakes, frequently glancing from me to Jaynee. It was freaking awkward how nobody said anything. Usually, I could talk to anyone about anything. My head just wasn’t in it after visiting my mom.
A vibrating sound came from across the table. Jaynee shifted in her seat but ignored it.
“Is it Ri—”
Jaynee’s hand covered Sadie’s mouth before she could finish her question. “What did I tell you?”
“Sorry,” Sadie mumbled through her mom’s hand.
“Why aren’t you letting the kid talk?” I had to ask. Enough was enough.
Jaynee took a bite of her burger as if to buy her time before having to respond. That was okay. I could wait her out all damn day. “I appreciate your help, all of you. But you’re strangers. I know nothing about you, so it’s better to have safe boundaries in place.”
“Fair enough,” Tina said before I could speak. “Just tell us how we can help you. We can get you a hotel room, give you some money. Whatever you need.”
“Why would you do any of that for us?” Jaynee asked, shock in her voice.
Tina smiled softly. “Because at some point in our lives, we’ve needed help too.”
Jaynee’s phone buzzed again. It sounded like a text message. She took the device out of her coat pocket, hesitation on her face. Her gaze lifted to mine. “I need to make a call.” She slipped out from under Sadie. “Can I leave her here?”
“Absolutely. She’ll be fine,” I replied.
“Thanks. You sit here, and you know”—Jaynee tapped the tip of her finger on Sadie’s lips—“I’ll be watching you from right over there, okay?” She pointed toward a spot near the exit.
Sadie curled her lips into her mouth and nodded. Jaynee kissed the top of her head and dashed off.
“What the actual fu—” I stopped myself when the kid gasped.
Tina leaned into me and whispered, “Mom on the run.”
“Seriously?”
She put her straw to her lips. “Mhm.”
I ran everything through my head that had happened since getting the first text. Tina might be right. Jaynee said she didn’t have any money. She was afraid to go home, and Sadie wasn’t allowed to talk.
Holy shit. Had Jaynee stolen the little girl from her father? I peered at her. She was white as a ghost. Whoever was on the other end had her tearing up. An abusive husband?
A fire ignited in me.
The day my mom had told me we were moving to Minnesota slammed back…
“But I don’t want to move again.” I finally had friends at this school. They were nerdy, too, and didn’t tease me. Since the fifth grade, kids had hated me because I was a straight-A student. I never had anything going on in my life like my peers in after-school activities. All I had was homework to occupy my time. School had always been easy for me, so of course I got good grades.
A long time ago, I’d accepted I was the geek with glasses who couldn’t throw a baseball because my arms were like limp noodles.
How could my mom do this to me again? I was finally comfortable in my skin, which was saying something for a freshman.
“Zander, honey, look at my face,” she whispered in a hoarse tone. Her vocal cords had been damaged this time.