Page 23 of Minor Trouble
“I think he took the fall for one of his friends who’d been in trouble before. I don’t know the full details. But when he got out Maddoxdidgive him a chance with a job and the place above the garage. He’s been there ever since.”
I mulled over the information Marlena had shared. It would go some way to explain Seth’s behavior, including his reticence to engage with me properly as someone who could help him. Memories of school and his spell in prison stopped him from opening up. I leaned over and tapped Marlena’s hand.
“Thank you for sharing that with me. I appreciate it.”
“I don’t want you to think I’m gossiping though, saying things out of turn,” she fretted. “He was never a bad boy, just didn’t make the best decisions.”
Seth Hudson wasn’t the first person to do that, and he definitely wouldn’t be the last. But perhaps I could help him make better ones in future.
“I get it.” I glanced over at the time and realized I should go up to my apartment if I wanted to finish the prep for tomorrow’s meetings. Going to pick up the car, staying longer at the garage than necessary, then coming to chat with Marlena had already eaten into my evening. “Thanks for the tea, but I should get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Once upstairs, I opted for leftover pasta from the refrigerator instead of my TV dinner and opened my laptop. I read through the reports from Noah’s teachers again, making sure I hadn’t missed anything. Hopefully some of the suggestions I’d made to Seth earlier would make a difference, particularly the one about Noah getting his own room. How Seth hadn’t managed to sort out a safe, private space for his son was beyond me.
My phone rang, jolting through the peace and quiet. I looked at the caller on the screen and groaned. But if I didn’t answer there would be hell to pay, and I didn’t want Marlena being bothered at this time of night.
“Ainsley! Sweetie, how are you? I haven’t spoken to you in ages.”
“Mom, sorry, you know what it’s like. Moving, starting a new job, meeting new friends,” I gabbled on, hoping she would think I was incredibly busy, and she didn’t need to worry about me.
“Marlena said you’d stopped for tea with her this evening. How lovely, she seems like such a nice lady.”
“She is. She was very accommodating about me moving in last minute and made my first night here really comfortable.”
“How are you finding the new school? Any cute teachers?”
“Mom!”
I didn’t want to tell Mom about Seth and Noah. She would only get the wrong idea, because she had a habit of trying to set me up with every eligible man within a twenty-mile radius. I thought being in Cali Cross would make me immune, but apparently not.
“What about in the apartment block? Have you got nice neighbors?”
Despite being there a little over a week, I hadn’t really had the opportunity to meet any of the other inhabitants of the block. When I wasn’t in school, I’d spent any spare time I had making sure the apartment was tidy and turning it into my refuge.
“I haven’t had a chance, Mom. School has kept me pretty busy.”
“And what about your new friend Lyla? Have you been out with her? Has she shown you the sights? What are the bars like?”
I bit the tip of my tongue against the comment I wanted to make. I was in Cali Cross to further my career, not spend all my free time messing around with friends, something she still didn’t quite grasp.
“We’re going out this week. There’s a school fundraiser.”
Mom sighed so hard down the phone; I could almost feel her breath in my ear. “Ainsley, a school fundraiser is no place for you to meet a man, unless there are single parents.” She huffed. “But then you’d have a child to contend with, and that’s not something you want to have to think about.”
Instantly, my mind went to Noah and Seth. Despite his initial issues, Noah wasn’t something “to contend with,” and I’d already done as much as I could to make things better for him. And Seth wasn’t hard on the eyes either.
“Even if I were looking, Mom, what would it matter if he had a child already?”
She muttered something about difficulty bonding and never being the real mother, never having real authority in the relationship. I listened politely but wanted to get her off the phone as soon as possible. Her outdated ideas jarred with mine.
A notification pinged in my ear, which was my opportunity to stop the conversation before either of us said something we couldn’t take back.
“Mom, I have to go.”
“Got a hot date?” She giggled, and it was all I could do not to roll my eyes.
“Yeah, with some troubled teens and their problems.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice as I answered.
“Ainsley!” Her disapproval crackled down the line at my throwaway comment. “Well, you make sure you keep in touch. I’ve missed you.”
