The Groom's Little Girls. Katie Meyer

he knew the answer, but he asked anyway. “And where does that leave Kevin?”

      “I don’t know—in some other foster home, or even the group home over on the mainland. No one knows yet. I talked to his social worker on the way here, and she said it could take a while to find an available foster family. They just have too many kids and not enough people willing to take them in.”

      “Man, that’s rough. Kevin really liked the Cunninghams, from what I can tell.”

      She nodded. “He did. They don’t have a lot of energy, but they’re kind to him. I get the feeling not everywhere has been so nice. I just wish I knew what to do about it.”

      “I don’t think there is anything you can do, other than keep the lines of communication open. I’ll do the same. Other than that, it’s up to fate.”

      Her eyes snapped with fire. “I don’t believe in leaving things up to fate. There has to be something we can do.” She paced, her heels making a clacking noise on the tiled floor. “Maybe you could try to get the charges dropped against him.”

      “That’s not going to change anything, and besides, it’s too late. I couldn’t if I wanted to. Which I don’t.”

      Dani’s mouth dropped open, but before she could launch into a new argument he continued, “Because he needs to know that his actions have consequences. Now, when he’s still young enough to learn from them. Otherwise he could end up thinking he can get away with stuff like this, and once he’s eighteen he’d face real jail time. He could mess up his life forever. Better he have probation now and change his ways than end up in jail a few years from now.”

      “I don’t think that’s likely to happen.”

      “Maybe not, but I’m not willing to chance it. I know how easy it is to get caught up in the wrong crowd, making bad decisions. Especially now that he’s going to be facing even more upheaval. Trust me. Probation, the mentorship program—those aren’t the problems. They’re the best way to help him until the real problem can be addressed.”

      “And I suppose you have an answer to that, too?”

      “Sure. He needs a home, a real home. We can try to help him, the counselors can, the social workers. But until he gets a home of his own he’s going to be fighting an uphill battle.”

      Dani pursed her lips, her eyes distant as she appeared to think over his answer. Then she nodded, a smile breaking out over her face, her confidence back in spades. “You’re right.”

      “I am?” He thought he was, but he hadn’t expected her to sound so sure of it.

      “Yup. He needs a family. So I’ll give him one. I’ll foster him myself.”

      * * *

      “You’re going to what?” Tyler’s mouth dropped open, making him look a bit like one of the marionettes hanging slack-jawed on the display behind him.

      “Foster him.” She chewed her lip, thinking quickly. “I guess that would be the first step. You said it yourself—he needs a real home, stability.”

      “You’re insane.”

      “I am not.” Okay, so it was a bit impulsive, but there was no logical reason she couldn’t do this. “I’ve got a steady job, a two-bedroom apartment, and he likes me.”

      Tyler laughed, a harsh, cynical sound. “And you think that’s all it takes to be a parent? An extra bedroom and a source of income?”

      “No, but it’s a start.” She’d thought he’d be supportive, excited even, at the prospect of Kevin getting out of foster care. Obviously she’d misjudged him. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have come here. Obviously you don’t care what happens to him. Why should you? He’s just some punk kid who broke the law.” Anger and disappointment washed over her, threatening to coalesce into tears. And she never cried. Certainly not in public. Turning for the door, she bit her lip and reminded herself that Tyler’s opinion meant nothing to her. Why she kept trusting men when they kept letting her down, she had no idea. When it came to the opposite sex, her judgment sucked.

      A hand on her arm spun her back, Tyler’s face only inches from hers. “That’s what you’ve got wrong. I do care, and that’s why I think this is a bad idea. You have no idea what you are getting into, taking in a kid like Kevin. It’s not going to be fun and games. It’s going to be hard and ugly. And when it gets to be too much you’ll leave him, and he’ll be worse off than before. So, sorry if I’m not going to be your biggest cheerleader when you treat fostering a child with the same amount of thought as an impulse purchase at the mall. He’s a human being, not a designer purse you can replace next season.”

      She clutched her purse and narrowed her eyes. “I know that. And I have no intention of replacing him, or whatever it is you’re implying. I don’t quit, ever. If I start something, I finish it.”

      “You do know Kevin isn’t a thing, or a task to be accomplished—he’s a person.”

      “Of course I do.” Wasn’t that the whole reason she was doing this? To help someone who couldn’t help himself?

      “For his sake, I hope so.”

      “You have no idea who I am, or what I’m capable of.” She’d meant what she said: she wasn’t a quitter. At least she hadn’t been, until her life got turned upside down. In her own mind, she needed to still be the strong woman she’d always prided herself on being.

      “I know that trying to parent a troubled kid isn’t in the same league as studying for entrance exams or getting through law school. Like I said, you have no idea what you are getting into.”

      Frustration and something else fired through her. “Well then, why don’t you help me? If you’re such an expert, you can make sure I get it right.”

      “Whoa, slow down. I’m not getting involved. This is your idea, not mine. I don’t want any part of this crazy plan.”

      “All talk, no action, huh?”

      He glared. “I’m just being realistic.”

      She glared right back. She’d had plenty of practice handling alpha males in court and had no intention of letting this one intimidate her. “Realistic or cynical?”

      A flash of pain illuminated his eyes before his expression hardened, locking out any trace of emotion. “In my experience it’s the same thing. Crap happens, and all the good intentions in the world can’t change that.”

      “Of course not. But surely that’s a good place to start.” She’d been let down when people who should have helped had turned a blind eye. She wouldn’t do that to Kevin.

      He stayed silent, as if weighing her words, before finally shrugging in half-hearted acceptance. “Maybe. But I’m serious—you can’t just go upending his life on a whim. You have to be sure. Being a single parent is the hardest thing there is, and that’s true even when it’s your biological child.”

      She counted to ten silently. He wasn’t trying to make her mad, and he had some good points. But just because it was hard didn’t mean it wasn’t the right decision. Surely he could understand that. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. “I believe you. I can’t imagine what you or any single parent goes through. And I know this will be hard. But if I can do it, if I can keep him from going into a group home, and make things easier for him, then I should at least try.” She knew what it was like, to feel insignificant, as if you were at the mercy of a system you had no hope of changing. No one had stood up for her, but she could be there for Kevin. Her throat tightened with emotion. “Tyler, I can’t just watch his life be disrupted again, and not do anything about it. I can’t.”

      Tense silence met her plea, and then he let out a labored sigh. “Damn it. You don’t make anything easy, do you?”

      “Easy doesn’t mean right.” She’d taken the easy way out by coming home, and it kept her up at night.