Page 204 of Scatter the Bones

“Uh, okay. Good.”

“How’s his mom?” she asks, picking up the cookie again, though she just holds it now, forgotten in her hand.

“She actually passed away.” I hesitate. “That’s why he wanted to find me… us.”

“Shit.” Her voice drops. “That’s awful.”

I nod slowly, giving her space, watching closely. Waiting to see where she wants to go with this information.

She sets the cookie back down. Doesn’t look at me.

“Where is he now?”

“Not far. I’ve got him set up in an apartment.” My thumb taps against the side of my thigh. “Friend of the club found him a job. He’s planning on sticking around and going to school here in the fall.”

Silence stretches between us—heavy but not angry, yet.

“Did he ask about me?” Her voice is so soft I barely hear it.

“Yeah. He… asked about you right away.” I clear my throat. “He wants to see you.”

She finally looks up, eyes shining, jaw tight, like she’s holding back a flood of memories. “I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.”

I nod again, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “Yeah, I know.”

That had been my plan back then. To forget he even existed.

“Is he mad at us?” she asks, voice cracking on the last word.

“I don’t think so.”

She frowns, maybe considering how much I’ve revealed. “You got him an apartment? And a job? How long has he been here?”

My chest tightens. There it is.

“Not long,” I say carefully. “Couple weeks.” I cough and glance at Margot.Couple months.

Jezzie leans back in her chair and stares at me.

“A fewweeks?” Her voice doesn’t rise, but her disbelief hits hard. “And you’re just telling me now?”

“I wanted to wait until your semester was over.” I shift in my seat, the words thick in my throat. “And I wanted to make sure… he wasn’t dangerous.”

She lets out a short, bitter laugh. “Oh my God. Are you kidding? He’s like the shyest, sweetest kid?—”

“He’s not a kid anymore.”

Her mouth opens—ready to fire back—but nothing comes out. She clamps her lips shut, nodding slowly, breathing hard through her nose. Her eyes go glassy again, jaw working like she’s chewing through anger and heartbreak all at once.

“It’s not an excuse.” My voice scrapes up from somewhere low and ragged. “But I’ve never forgiven myself. For leaving you there. For what our father…” I can’t even say the words. I swallow hard. “For what he did to you.”

“Jensen.” She lets out a strangled sob. “But you…saved me.”

“I should’ve done it sooner.”

“But you were…shit, you were younger than I am now.” She frowns, blinking fast. “Wow, I really need to get my act together.”

A muffled laugh huffs from Margot.

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