Page 83 of All of You

As the words spill from her mouth, her worry that Lara would get to them first is palpable. So much so a knot of apprehension balloons in my throat. And only lessens, somewhat, when she mentions that the Millers, Courtney’s sponsor, are still committed and unperturbed by the town’s rejection or Dot’s drama.

Her conversation with the Benson family didn’t go as well. On the plus side, they didn’t completely back away from supporting Brayden, though they were hesitant to commit, stating they need time.

“Now I wait and hope and pray the Bensons come through.” She crosses her fingers and curls the corners of her lips up in a strained smile.

“Okay, let’s go with best-case scenario first. If the Bensons come through, what are our options to help Jack?” I rub her back and lead her into the kitchen.

“I was thinking I could take out a loan.” She glances at the set table, then me. “You made dinner?”

“Ah, no. I love you, but wouldn’t do that to you. Grilled cheese is about as good as my cooking gets. I picked up Chinese on the way home.” I smile sheepishly and open the oven to take out the warming food.

She laughs, and it’s the first time since coming home that her smile is genuine. “Thank you. I’m not really hungry, but I’ll sit with you.”

“You’ve got to eat. I got spring rolls and wonton soup. Why don’t you start with that?”

Relenting, she nods and helps bring the dishes to the table. We tuck into our chairs and she drops a roll on her plate. “I’m going to the bank tomorrow to see if I can get a loan.”

I finish swallowing the hot soup and put down the spoon. “For Jack?”

“Yes. It’s the only thing I can think of. When I put this program together, I spoke to a lot of families in town and the surrounding area. While I had a good amount of interest, most didn’t want to commit.” She plays with the soup, swirling the spoon through the broth. “I stopped looking after I found those three families. Now, with all of this going on, it was stupid of me?—”

“Hey, you’re not stupid and you didn’t know this was going to happen. I would’ve done the same thing. You only needed three families. Can we start talking to families again?”

“Yes, but it takes time, and now with the news about the program and me out there and making the rounds around town…” She averts her gaze, cheeks reddening. “I’m not so sure people will even talk to me. I can’t leave Jack’s future up to chance. I need a backup, and even at that, I don’t hold out much hope of the bank approving me. My salary’s a joke, and after I pay my mortgage and bills…”

She trails off and shoves a spoonful of soup in her mouth. I doubt it’s out of hunger and more an excuse to stop talking.

“What if we applied together for the loan? Our chances have to be better together than separate.”

On my own, I didn’t look so great on paper either. The bank would likely frown upon my financial situation. I don’t have a home and soon I’ll be embroiled in a court battle for ownership of my business. But together I believe we stand a chance.

“Oliver, I can’t ask you to take on debt even if it’s only on paper because I wouldn’t expect you to pay any of it back.”

“First of all, you didn’t ask. I want to. And second, Wren, I’m with you all the way. I will help you pay it back.”

“Ol—”

To stop another word of protest from falling from her mouth, I explode from my seat and cover her mouth with mine. My hands grab on to her waist and I hoist her onto my lap as I sit back down.

One of her hands clutches my shoulder, and the fingers of her other hand thread my hair at the back of my neck. Instead of attempting to break away, she kisses me to the ends of the earth.

She may be forlorn thanks to the latest blow to the program, but I’m relieved to see she wants me. Her eagerness to slide her tongue into my mouth, dueling with mine, reaffirms that we’re in this together.

The vibration of my phone, skittering across the table, causes our lips to pull apart. Wren has a better angle to see the screen and gasps before hopping off my lap.

“It’s a text from Kellen.” Her hands shake as she seizes it from the table and thrusts the phone at me. “What does it say?”

She’s aware that I tried to find him, talk to him, only to learn that he’d left town. Anticipation pulses through me as I glance down at his text.

Kellen: we need to talk.

I read it out loud and she jumps up and down, excitedly. “Can you call him? Or tell him to come over here.”

I type out a reply, inviting him to Wren’s, and he responds right away. “He’s on his way.”

No longer hungry, we clean the kitchen, put the food away, and only have to wait a few minutes before the doorbell rings. Gretzky barks and follows me to the door.

I hold the dog back and let Kellen in. It’s strange to think that at one time, I spent the majority of every day with Kellen, and now, we’re practically strangers.

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