Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7) by Kaylie Hunter (great books for teens txt) 📗

tested my feet, first standing and then walking a bit in the small room, before I ventured out to the docks. Goat was there, finishing a drop off.

“I need a smoke.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?”

I gave him a look, and he pulled his pack.

“Come on. We can sit at the top of the stairs, just outside the door.”

He helped me down one stair, and I sat on the step. “The cold air feels good.”

“You won’t be saying that in another month. You’ll be champing at the bit to get to Texas so you can warm up.”

“I hate winter.”

“I know you do,” Goat said, laughing. “Personally, it’s my favorite season.”

“Why’s that?”

“Women everywhere with their nipples poking out. Keeps me smiling all day.”

I checked my cardigan, and sure enough, it was open, displaying my braless undershirt in all its perkiness. I wrapped both sides of the sweater around me as Goat laughed again.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

It was almost ten o’clock by the time I felt steady enough to return home. Wild Card was in the kitchen, wearing one of Hattie’s aprons. Nicholas was sitting at the dining room table reading while Beth worked with Sara at the far end on something having to do with sentence mapping.

Tyler took my handbag and coat, hanging them on the hook beside the door. I walked into the dining room and grabbed my laptop, starting it up.

Sitting beside Nicholas, I said to him, “Time to make a book cover.”

“You’re not too busy?” he asked, looking up at me.

“Too busy to spend time with my favorite guy?” I said, opening a familiar online program. “Never.”

“What if it takes me too long to learn?” Nicholas asked, closing his book.

“No such thing.”

“But I’m not as smart as Sara.”

“Your brain is different from Sara’s. Doesn’t make her better or worse than you.”

He set his book aside and moved over to my lap. I showed him the basic icons and their functions, before pulling in a few graphic files for him to manipulate. When he had the basics down, I opened a new window on the computer and went to a site where graphics could be bought. Giving him a budget, I left him searching for pirate ships as I walked into the kitchen.

“He’s having fun,” Wild Card said, nodding at Nicholas.

“I hope so. I hate seeing him worried all the time.”

“Me too.” Wild Card handed me a chocolate muffin, before whispering to me, “You going to explain what happened to you this morning?”

“Do I have to?” I tore off a chunk of chocolate muffin and ate it.

“Yes.”

“What’s the difference between a chocolate muffin and a cupcake?”

“One’s breakfast and the other’s dessert.” Wild Card took the muffin and set it on the counter. “Talk.”

I eyed the chocolate muffin, surprised my stomach had settled enough to tolerate it. “I was caught off guard outside the pharmacy. I handled it, but not before I inhaled some chloroform. Bad guy got away.”

“You puke yet?”

“I take it you’re familiar with the side effects?”

“Self-inflicted test,” he said, shrugging and handing my muffin back. “I felt better after I puked, but I was still shaky for a day or two.”

“Why would you intentionally drug yourself with chloroform?”

Wild Card grinned as he picked up a pan from the dish rack and started drying it. “I was teaching a self-defense class, and a woman asked me if they’d have time to react if they were drugged. I decided to test a few drugs to determine the reaction time.”

“You’re crazy.”

“That’s why they call me Wild Card.”

“They call you Wild Card because of a poker reference. The best card a person could hope to draw is a wild card.”

A noise erupted in the dining room, drawing our attention. Nicholas threw the laptop to the floor before running down the hallway toward his bedroom. Wild Card shot after him. I checked on Sara and Beth, before picking the laptop up. On the screen was Nicholas’ email account showing an email from Grady.

“Damn him!” I said to myself as I read the email.

Grady apologized to Nicholas for how he handled the situation, explaining that his relationship with me was complicated, but how he never meant to hurt Nick. Grady added that he thought it was best if he moved away for a while.

I set the laptop on the table and walked down the hall. I found Nicholas and Wild Card sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed. Both of them were quiet.

“I’m sorry Grady emailed you,” I said, sitting beside Nicholas. “He had no right to do that.”

Nicholas shrugged, staring at the floor.

“I wish I knew how to make this better for you,” I said, wrapping an arm around him.

He tucked his head into my shoulder but remained quiet.

“I’ll give you guys some privacy,” Wild Card said, getting up and walking out.

“Mom?” Nicholas asked.

“Yeah, buddy?” I caressed his hair from his face.

“Grady’s not going to stay, is he?”

“I don’t have any answers yet.”

“You have to talk to him. You have to make him listen.”

“That’s a tough ask, buddy. You can’t force someone to listen.”

“You can. I know you can.”

“And if he still doesn’t want to be in our lives?”

Nicholas sighed. “Then he doesn’t get to be my dad anymore.”

“Aww, Nick. My heart’s breaking for you right now.” I wrapped my arms around him and held him.

~*~*~

It took a while, but I eventually convinced Nicholas to leave his room and return to his book cover project. Farmer stood leaning against the wall at the end of the hall in the dining room. I looked around, not seeing Wild Card. “Did Wild Card ask you to watch Nicholas?”

Farmer nodded.

“Did he say where