I hopped into the van, and I rolled down my window as Cue Ball backed out of the driveway.
“Don’t mess this up,” Mom called. “And I love you, Rocky!”
I rolled my eyes and gave a limp wave to Mom.
“Everything okay?” Cue Ball asked.
Hardly.
“Yup. All good. I’m just really tired, and I’m sure you are too. Rocky and I will just jump out when we get to my house, and you can be on your way.” I laid my head back on the seat and sighed. I needed this night to be over.
“Do I have to go to school?” Rocky interrupted.
“We’ll see in the morning.”
“It is the morning,” Rocky pointed out.
“We’ll see, Rocky,” I sighed. “Just push me out when we get to my house, yeah?” I smothered a yawn with my hand.
“I’ll show him where we live, Mom,” Rocky offered.
I don’t know how the kid was even awake. “Fine.” I didn’t have it in me to say anything more. My exhaustion washed over me, and I was out like a light.
*
Chapter Five
Cue Ball
“Are you leaving?”
I pulled into the driveway Rocky had directed me to and shifted the van into park. “Do you want me to?” I asked. The kid was cool as hell and had talked my ear off the whole way to their house. I had been a little worried that he would be standoffish since I was a strange guy to him.
Yeah, I had been wrong thinking that.
“If I go to school, my mom is going to need someone to keep an eye on her.”
I nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“But if I don’t go to school, I’m going to be too tired to take care of her, so someone else will need to take care of her,” he countered.
“You are also right again,” I chuckled.
“So,” Rocky drawled. “I guess it would just be best if you stayed, and that way, all of our bases are covered.”
“That sounds like a good plan to me, Rocky.” I had planned on staying either way, but if he didn’t want me to stay, I would have been sleeping in the van. Thankfully, he was cool with me, so I would be able to sleep in the house.
Rocky smiled broadly and slid open the door. “I’ll get the front door if you want to get Mom. She’s dead to the world right now. She might be heavy,” he advised.
Maybe for a ten-year-old to carry, she would be heavy, but I could more than handle Olive. “I got your mom.” I moved around the van and opened the passenger door. I lifted Olive into my arms, and she rolled into me. She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed lightly.
I carried her up the sidewalk, and Rocky held the door open.
“Her bedroom is down the hallway to the right,” he whispered.
I nodded and stepped into the house.
Rocky had turned on the lamp by the door, and I could just see enough to move down the hallway. I kicked open the door to her bedroom and gently laid her on the bed.
A moan fell from her lips, and she turned her face into the pillow. I pulled the blanket over her and slipped out of her room. I left her door open to make sure I could hear if she needed anything.
“Is she still sleeping?” Rocky asked when I walked back into the living room. He was kicking off his tennis shoes and scratching his butt. Obviously, the kid was already comfortable with me.
“Uh, yeah. I think she’s going to be out of it for a bit.” I’m sure her adrenaline from the night had finally worn off, and she was going to sleep for a good bit as long as she wasn’t in too much pain.
Rocky yawned loudly.
“Why don’t you get in bed, and I’ll keep an eye on your mom,” I volunteered.
“Do I have to go to school tomorrow?” he asked.
That was something I didn’t have the right to decide on. “Uh, well, if I don’t know what time you need to be up to go to school, then I guess I can’t really get you up on time, can I?”
“Right.” Rocky waved at me. “I like the way you think. I’ll see you when I wake up.”
I nodded and watched him disappear down the hallway.
Definitely a cool kid.
I flopped down on the couch and kicked off my boots.
I wasn’t too sure what to expect in the morning, but all I knew right now was that I needed some damn sleep.
In the morning, I would deal with whatever else the world had to throw at me.
I had enough.
*
Chapter Six
Olive
There was someone walking around my house, and I knew it wasn’t Rocky.
The footsteps were too heavy and purposeful.
Rocky was fast and all over the place.
Not Rocky at all.
“Hello?” I called and instantly felt foolish. Who calls out hello when they hear strange footsteps in their house? I should have hidden under the bed instead of freely calling out for the intruder to come find me.
I had a good idea of who was walking around my house, but I needed to know for sure.
I had told Cue Ball to basically throw me out of the van when we got home, but I don’t think he listened to me.
“Doll?” he called from down the hallway.
“You’re in my house,” I stated.
I heard him move down the hallway toward my room. “Yeah.”
“Why are you in my house?” I asked.
He appeared in the doorway and rested his arm above his head on the doorframe. If I wasn’t in so much pain, I could have fully appreciated how handsome the man was. Hell, even with a raging headache, I couldn’t ignore how fine he was. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
Totally ignored my question. He was good at that. “My head hurts and for some reason, my right foot is throbbing. Why are you in my house?”
“Doc gave me meds for your head, and I’ll need to take a look at your foot. I’m sure you’re going to start feeling sore all over.”
Oh, goody, something to look forward to. “My house,” I called. “Why are you in my house?” The hell with my foot and head. Why was this man still in my house? He had helped me last night, and I really appreciated it, but I needed to get back to reality. The reality where Cue Ball was not in my house. “And where is Rocky?” I asked.
“At school. He slept until about ten thirty, and then wanted to go to school because he was worried you would be mad if he skipped the whole day,” Cue Ball explained.
“You took him to school?” And I wouldn’t have been mad at him for not going to school. One day wouldn’t have made a difference.
Cue Ball nodded. “Yeah. He said he was thankful his friends didn’t see him get out of the van. Made me promise the next time I take him to school that we take my bike.”
Next time? Why on earth would there be a next time? “There won’t be a need for next time, and how did you sign him in?”
Cue Ball shrugged. “I walked him into the office. Rocky told them what happened last night, and they sent him off to class. I’m sure you’ll get a phone call or something, but they seemed good with me dropping him off.”
My child went into school with a man who was a stranger to the school.
I was going to be the talk of the next PTA meeting. Not like I went to the PTA meetings, but you know. “Thank you for taking him to school, but you can go now. I can handle things.” More like fix things from here. I’m sure there was an email or two waiting for me, needing to know what was going on.