Page 11 of Spark
“How many girls are living there right now?”Okay, so she was being nosy.But Chloe knew all too well how much even the best home managers had on their plates.Spoiler alert: it wasn’t a little.
Tom’s hesitation didn’t spark confidence.“Twelve.But you know how this goes.We don’t exactly have a lot of options.I’ll keep an extra eye on her while the investigation unfolds.”
“I know you will,” Chloe said, and she meant it.Tom was as good a case manager as Addison and Sinclair were cops.“But you’ve got dozens of other kids to care for, and you said Esme was struggling before this.”
“Shehasbeen failing to connect a lot more, recently,” Tom admitted, and Chloe couldn’t stop the words from flying past her already rickety brain-to-mouth filter.
“Of course she has.She’s a teenager who’s lived in group homes for most of her life.She doesn’t know how and she doesn’t trust anyone enough to ask.”
“Her situation is difficult.”Tom held up a hand to stave off the argument that must’ve been brewing on Chloe’s face, along with her mind.“I’m not disagreeing with you.There’s no abuse in her history, and she’s been in some good placements—just nothing that ever led to an adoption.But shehasbeen in the system for a very long time, and her recent behavioral issues and that chip on her shoulder don’t make this any easier.”
Not untrue.Still… “I get it, but she’s obviously struggling, and now, you’re asking her to just go back to business as usual after she witnessed a murder.”
“For now,” Sinclair said.“Look, we know this isn’t ideal, but it isn’t the worst spot we could be in, either.Esme is safe.Whoever killed Brinkman didn’t see her—he doesn’t even know she exists.Tom will make sure she gets counseling, and we’re doing everything we can to find the man responsible.It’s just going to take a little time.”
Chloe sighed out the frustration that had built in her chest.As much as she hated it (shereallyfucking hated it), she knew he and Tom were both right.“Sorry.I just want to make sure she doesn’t fall through the cracks.”
Tom nodded.“We really appreciate you talking to her.I’ll keep you posted, I promise.”
He took a half-step back, but oh, no.No way.This wasn’t going to beit.“With all due respect, I’m going to need more than that.”
“Sorry?”Tom asked, confused.
But Chloe had never been more certain in her life.“I promised Esme she could trust me, and she did.I can’t just walk away from this case.You wanted me on her side?Now you’re stuck with me there, all the way through.”
“You’re not certified as a foster parent,” Tom said, his eyes going wide.“I’m sorry, Chloe, but I can’t let you take custody of her.Not even temporarily.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Chloe almost laughed.“Oh, yeah, no.I don’t want to be her parent.I want to be her advocate.”
Addison was the first to react.“That’s not an entirely bad idea,” she said, swinging a look from Sinclair to Tom.“We did call Chloe in for a reason, and with what Esme saw, assigning her an advocate who’s spun up on this case would only work in her favor.And ours.”
Chloe took the in—which she could’ve kissed Addison for—and ran.“I’ve already got experience as a mentor, and I’ve been cleared by CFS.This would just be a step up.”
“A pretty big one,” Tom said, then slowly added, “but I agree that Esme needs the support.You’d still have to defer to me, the Guardian Ad Litem for legal matters, and Intelligence, of course.But you’re the only person she’s come close to connecting with.I can get the paperwork together for you to act as her advocate via CFS, and I’ll email her file over so you can get up to speed on her background.”
Chloe’s smile was impossible to cage.“Thank you.”
“We’ll keep you both updated on the investigation,” Sinclair said, his eyes crinkling at the edges just slightly as he turned to Chloe.“Nice work today.”
Addison let out a low whistle as soon as Sinclair and Tom were out of earshot, both of them moving down the hallway that led back to the Intelligence Unit’s main office.“Gotta hand it to you, my friend.You don’t do anything in half-measures.”
“Nope,” Chloe said, because anything else would be a straight-up lie.“I learned from the best, remember?”
Now, Addison smiled.“Your brotherisdefinitely an all-in guy.Still, the way you earned Esme’s trust?That was all you, girly pop.”
Chloe’s cheeks flushed, but only for a second before reality did its thing.“Thanks, but I think I’ve still got a long way to go with her.Speaking of which, I want to grab her something to eat before I head out.No offense to your cookie stash.”
“Yeah, you owe me,” Addison said with a mock frown.“Now Maxwell knows where I keep my stuff, and that big oaf will one hundred percent steal my cookies.”
“Something tells me you’ve got more than one hidey-hole in this place.”
Chloe started down the hall, her brain already running down the nearest options for fast, yet decent, carry-out when she realized her car was still at the fire house.“Shit.”
“You okay?”Addison asked from beside her, but she waved off her friend’s concern with as much of a smile as she could work up.
“Yeah, of course.”She hadn’t gone into detail about how she’d gotten to the precinct so quickly, and the last thing she needed was to trip Addison’s finely tuned gossip meter by blushing her way through the story.She’d just dial up a ride-share after she grabbed something for Esme to eat.No big deal.
But then, she rounded the corner and walked directly into a very broad, very familiar chest, and for the second time in one morning, Tyler Gates had blasted her plans to bits.
