Page 35 of Minor Trouble
The first room I came to seemed to be Ainsley’s office. As well as a single bed, there was a desk pushed up against the wall underneath the window. I opened the built-in closet doors to be met with a stack of boxes, which she obviously hadn’t gotten around to unpacking. There was no room for anyone to hide in there, even two smallish teenagers. Moving further down the hallway, I went into the other bedroom. This was clearly Ainsley’s room. My gaze took in the rumpled bedsheets, the tank top and shorts she wore to bed neatly folded on her pillow, the half-empty glass of water on the nightstand. Clothes were draped over a small wooden chest. The sight of a black lacy thong caught my eye, and I gulped down a breath. This wasn’t the time to be fantasizing over Ainsley’s underwear.
“Did you find him?” Marlena called from the hallway. “There doesn’t seem to be any sign of anyone being here.”
I did a final sweep of the room, checking her closet—packed full of clothes for every season, despite the fact Cali Cross only seemed to favor one—and under the bed for good measure.
Nothing.
I let out a heavy sigh as I rejoined Marlena in the living room. “I’ve got no idea where they could be.”
She patted my shoulder. “They? You only mentioned your son?”
“He’s with his friend Pepper. They took off from school, and no one knows where they are.” I sank onto the sofa, defeated. “What kind of a father does that make me?”
Marlena sat down next to me. “A good one.”
I gave her the side eye. “How can that be?”
“Seth, if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be here looking for Noah and his friend. You’d still be hanging out in the park, selling weed to kids, stealing cars…”
Of course, she knew all about me. I’d been friends with one of her kids when I was younger, probably even sold weed to him. “Marlena, I—”
She cut me off with a wave of her hand. “That was then, this is now. You’re not the same stupid kid who hung out with the wrong people. Nor the one who got his high school sweetheart pregnant. You’ve grown up, and God knows you’ve had to in the past few months with Noah landing on your doorstep. The fact you’re even here now shows me how you’ve changed. That youwantto be a better person.”
It had been a long time since I’d had any kind of positive validation from anyone, let alone a virtual stranger. Marlena’s kind words meant more to me than anything. I was about to thank her, but my phone rang. I waved the screen at Marlena. “It’s Ainsley.”
“Then for God’s sake, answer it. She might have found Noah.”
I answered and put the phone on speaker so we could both hear what Ainsley had to say.
“Seth, any news? Have you managed to find them?” Her voice pitched.
“No sign of them.” Marlena said. “But I’ll stay here in case they do come over. Seth will come and help you look wherever you are now. He’s going to need a bit of comforting. He’s worried.” She flashed me a smile.
Ainsley’s tone softened. “Thanks, Marlena, I appreciate it. Seth, I’m still at school. We’ve had a discreet search party look around the grounds, but no luck as yet.”
My heart sank. I had hoped they would come back to school, carry on as if nothing had happened. “Sure. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Hurry. If they don’t turn up soon, we’re going to have to call the police.” Ainsley hung up.
I got to my feet. “Have you got a number for Ainsley in case they turn up?”
Marlena nodded. “I have.” Her eyes swept me up and down. “You be good to Ainsley. She’s a nice girl.”
“Oh, we’re not together,” I said, hastily.
Her eyebrows rose. “That’s what you say.”
Marlena’s last comment echoed around my brain. Sure, we’d kissed and been out after the fundraiser. But we weren’t together.
Honestly? Ainsley was way too good for me.
What would she want with an ex-jailbird, deadbeat single dad?
She could do better.
When I got to the school, I went straight to Ainsley’s office. She was pacing around the small space, cell clutched in one hand which she checked every other step. I watched her from the door, her blonde hair cascading around her shoulders, the legs I’d admired so much stretched out beneath the hem of her tight skirt, leading down to a pair of heels that tapped across the floor.
“Hey.”
