“Have you thought about other options?” Ree asked. She was making progress with Zoey but they were running out of time.
“What options?” Zoey fired back. “Take off by myself? I tried that once. Didn’t work out. I’m nineteen. No one wants to rent to me.”
“There are places—”
Zoey was already shaking her head. “Like shelters? No, thanks. I had a friend ‘saved’ by CPS once. She ended up in juvie after fighting off her foster dad.”
Ree knew there were bad eggs in every system. People who viewed taking in fosters as money in the bank. Conditions could be harsh in an overburdened system. Those were the cases people talked about. Those were the cases that made headlines. She understood why, but there were so many success stories that didn’t get the attention they deserved.
“I had a friend who got in trouble with a relationship. She didn’t have family, either, so she found a place. It worked for her,” Ree said, making up the story as she went along.
Zoey shot a curious look as she picked up her Coke and took another sip.
“I’m sure there are places that focus on young people,” Ree said.
“Maybe,” was all Zoey said.
Inch by inch, this was progress.
This was tough because Ree didn’t have a whole lot of time to convince Zoey to get help. Come on too strong and Zoey would retreat.
“My friend went to this place in Austin after she got kicked out by her parents. It turned her life around. She got an associate degree and works in a community outreach program.” Ree hated lying but she needed to create a composite so Zoey would have someone to relate to. Since her friend’s experience in foster care caused her to shy away, Ree had to find a good counter.
“Really?” Zoey shrugged. “I don’t know.”
The fact she hadn’t turned her nose up to the idea meant Ree had found the right approach.
“I could ask her where she went and give you the information if you think you might like to check it out,” Ree offered. “Might be nice to be able to keep the money you work for. Save it to go to college or use it to buy a car.”
The freedom idea seemed to strike another chord.
“I need a car, right?” Zoey’s brown eyes widened. “Willie doesn’t think so but I keep telling him that I can’t even go to the grocery store by myself.”
“Beats walking everywhere,” Ree said. She laughed, figuring it would help break up some of the tension. “But my car is only one step up.”
“I know, right.” Zoey winced, made a face, and then laughed.
“Hey, you were supposed to tell me it’s not that bad,” Ree quipped.
“But, like, have you seen it?” Zoey fired back. She had a wicked sense of humor. “I’m glad you stuck around.”
“Thanks,” Ree said. “Me, too.”
Since time was running out, Ree decided she had to push a little on the shelter.
“Did you decide about whether or not you’d consider giving Austin a try?” Ree asked. She tried her level best not to give away just how much it meant to her.
“I mean, can’t hurt. Right?” she hedged but there wasn’t a whole lot of conviction in her voice.
All Ree could do was try.
“I’ll reach out to my friend and bring the info to work with me tomorrow,” Ree said, resisting the urge to oversell the idea. “So, how about tonight? Do you have a place to stay? We have a sofa bed that’s available.”
From the corner of her eye, she saw Quint look away from his screen and at her.
“Willie might get mad if I stay away all night,” Zoey reasoned.
“You could text him,” Ree offered. “Tell him you’re with a friend from work.”
Zoey folded her arms across her chest and sat a little straighter. It was the moment that caused Ree to realize she’d pushed too far.
“I better head back,” Zoey said. “The rain isn’t so bad now.”
“Do you want a ride?” Ree asked, figuring she needed to take a step back at this point. Plus, giving Zoey a ride had a double benefit. One, Zoey wouldn’t be walking in the rain. Two, Ree would find out where Zoey lived.
“Yeah, sure. I guess,” Zoey said. She drained her Coke before holding the empty bottle in the air. “There a trash can?”
“Just leave it on the table. I can take care of it later,” Ree said like it was no big deal.
“You sure?” Zoey asked.
“Positive.” Ree stood up. “Let’s get you home.”
Zoey stood.
“Leaving so soon?” Quint asked, pretending he hadn’t been listening this whole time. He stood up and walked over to Ree, placing a soft hand on her arm before kissing her. “Where are the two of you off to?”
“Driving Zoey home,” Ree said. “Do you want to come?”
“Sure, if it’s okay with Zoey,” he said.
Zoey blushed as she shrugged. She tried to play it off like it was no big deal but her actions said she had a crush on Quint. Seriously, though, who wouldn’t?
QUINT GRABBED HIS cell from the table and then held the door for Zoey and Ree. His actions in the past couple of minutes were deliberate. He wanted to demonstrate a healthy relationship to the young woman if only for a few minutes while she was visiting. The little things had made a big impact on his life when he was a kid, especially when they came from someone he respected. It was clear to him Zoey looked up to Ree.
The car ride was short. Ree and Zoey chatted about the brunch crowd and working at Greenlight. As they pulled up to the address Zoey had provided, Ree asked, “How long have Fender and Adrian been together?”
“You noticed that, too?” Zoey asked.
“Hard to miss,” Ree said, and he could tell she was hedging her bets.
“I know, right?” Zoey said, rolling her eyes. “They try to be so sneaky about it but it’s so obvious.”
Zoey was observant. Then again, it was probably a survival skill.
“I didn’t catch on right away,” Ree said.
“They’ve been on and off,” Zoey admitted. “I think they’ve been on a break recently.”
“Makes sense,” Ree said. “Plus, I’ve been trying to get the lay of the land. Learning that place is like drinking from a fire hose.”
Zoey laughed. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“I’m getting the hang of it. I think,” Ree continued.
“You? You’ve been great. You should have seen my first week,” Zoey said, reaching for the handle. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Do you know who Phillip is?” Ree asked.
Zoey’s eye widened before she said, “All I know is that when he shows up, Charley gets nervous.”
“I’ll steer clear of him then,” Ree said.
“Good idea,” Zoey confirmed.
“Be careful,” Ree warned.
“With Willie, I don’t exactly have to do anything to get into trouble,” she said as she exited the car.
“Be good to yourself,” Ree said to Zoey.
The young woman smiled awkwardly but there was a genuine appreciation in her eyes.
“You, too,” Zoey stated before shutting the door.
Both were silent until they made it a good distance from the small shack of a home Zoey shared with her boyfriend.
“It took everything inside me to hold back during my conversation with her,” Ree admitted.
“You got her thinking. You said just the right amount,” he defended.
“Did you see how fast she decided it was time to go when I pushed too far?” she asked.
“Yes. You pushed her buttons and she wasn’t quite ready to face what that meant,” he said. “Believe me, you did good.”
“What will she do when the restaurant is shut down?” Ree asked on a sigh. “I can’t seem to let that go. She’ll be out of a job with no way to provide for herself. We’re going to be hurting her even more.”
“Hopefully it won’t matter because by then, she’ll be in Austin,” he said.
Ree fisted her hands, placing them on top of her thighs.
“This is hard,” she admitted. “I’m usually so clear on an assignment that I’m doing the right thing. It’s obvious. There’s a bad guy who is hurting others. I make sure said bad guy is locked away for as long as he deserves. The streets are safer. I sleep easy at night.”
“I understand,” he said. “This assignment is complicated. Some are.”
“The last thing I want to do is hurt an innocent young woman,” she said.
“Because you’re in this for the right reasons,” he reminded her. “This is hard. There are going to be casualties. Good people are going to have to figure out another move. I don’t like that any more than you do. However, I will also submit that leaving the status quo can hurt folks even more.”
“I’m listening,” she said.
“Is Zoey’s relationship with her boyfriend healthy?” he asked.
“Absolutely not.”
“Is leaving Zoey in her present environment keeping her safe?” he continued.
“No. I don’t believe it is.”
“Could she end up more at risk if it was too easy to stay right where she is?” he asked.
Ree paused for a long moment.
“Yes,” she finally said. “Leaving her in this environment could hurt her even more.”
“Forcing a change breaks folks out of their comfort zone,” he said. “And that’s when growth can happen. Leave her here and who knows what will happen the next time she breaks into someone’s home for food.”
Ree gasped.
“You’re right,” she said. “Zoey was lucky it was just the two of us. She could have gotten herself into real trouble.”
“What if someone had been home?” he continued.
“Right again,” she said before reaching over and touching his arm. “Thanks for talking me off the ledge.”
“It’s what we do for each other,” he said.
“You say that like it’s nothing but it means a lot to me,” she said quietly. “I’ve always been in my brothers’ shadows. They’ve always looked out for me but in a smothering way if that makes sense.”
“I can see where that might happen,” he agreed.
“You are nothing like them, by the way,” she quickly added. “And despite my mistakes, I haven’t doubted your trust in me.”
“We all make mistakes, Ree.”
“And beat ourselves up worse for them than anyone else ever could,” she pointed out.
He thought about that for a long moment. She was right. He’d been torturing himself over what had happened to Tessa. Maybe it was time to learn how to move forward without her, without the shame, without the guilt.
“Thanks, Ree.”
“For what?” she asked.
“Saying something that I needed to hear,” he said.
Rather than speak, she leaned over the armrest and rested her head on his shoulder.
The rain was down to a drizzle. Parts of the roads were flooded. He navigated them back to the cabin, figuring it had been a day.
“Seems like the fight we heard last night between Adrian and Fender was nothing more than two lovers hashing it out,” she said as he parked.
“Dating a coworker is always a bad idea,” he stated. “I did it early in my career and regretted it every time.”
Ree shifted to sitting straight up in her seat, breaking off all physical contact. He hadn’t meant for that to happen even though it was probably for the best. Quint needed time to move on from his losses.
“Yeah, I can see where it would be a problem after a relationship ran its course,” she said. There was a hint of sadness in her voice.
“Even the most promising ones fizzle out. Next thing you know, you’re asking to be reassigned to avoid working with certain people,” he continued. “It gets messy.”
“Sounds awful,” she agreed.
“It’ll probably happen at some point in your career,” he said. “Can’t please everyone and this job does tend to attract strong personalities.”
“That, I can see,” was all she said as he parked in the spot in front of the cabin.
The minute he shut off the engine, she was out of the vehicle and through the front door. As awful as the hollowed-out feeling in his chest was, it would be best for both of them in the long run. This assignment would wrap very soon and the two of them would go their separate ways.
Quint was laying the groundwork for the inevitable.