LITMIR.BIZ

      Chapter Five

      Marissa stared at Lexi. The girl had dragged Hill—and it was clear he didn’t want to be there—into her shop. Through Lexi, Hill admitted that he’d broken in, taken cupcakes and who knew what else but now he was sorry and wanted to make up for it. By working it off. Lexi wanted her to give him a job.

      When Lexi and Hill had come in, the girl had bought them each a drink and a cupcake. Hill was partial to the red velvet, she’d learned from the wrapper he’d left on the table the other night. While Hill ate, Lexi had pulled Marissa aside and dropped her little bomb. But there was more.

      “I know he broke into your store. But it was only on nights when it was too chilly or he had homework.” The teen worried the edge of her shirt.

      “I don’t understand.”

      Lexi leaned in. “He has no place to go. Like nowhere.”

      There were few things in the world that could make the bottom drop out of Marissa’s stomach; homelessness was one of them. Many years after her mother left, Marissa, Marlie and their brothers had been in downtown Fort Worth with their father at the big library. It had been such an adventure when she’d entered the grand building with its white columns. Her dad had helped her get her first ever library card. She was so proud, checked out three books all by herself. As they were leaving, Duff pointed at a woman up the street. She was wearing tattered clothing, pushing a shopping cart. It was all her father could do to stop him from running down the street.

      Marissa could remember Duff’s contorted face as he looked up at their dad and said, “But it’s Mom.”

      Marissa had wanted to get a closer look. She barely remembered what her mother looked like. But the dirty woman, the one who was talking to herself, looked nothing like the image she’d formed from a few aging photos.

      Glen Llewellyn had gathered up his children, shuttled them back to their van and driven away without so much as a comment. Later that night, Marissa had overheard him talking to Mr. Humphries. Their mother had a drug problem. When she’d run off it was to avoid going into rehab—she’d chosen God knows what over getting the help Glen was offering her. Apparently she’d come back from time to time to ask for money, and the last time Glen had refused. He’d told her no, and until that day at the library it’d been three years since he’d seen her.

      Her father was devastated and so confused. Marissa had been mad at the woman for upsetting him. They’d never gone back to that library—as a family. When Marissa was old enough, she’d gone looking for her mom. She’d wanted nothing more than to find her mom, help her, get her off the streets, but no matter how many times she’d gone back to that library she’d never found her mom. She always feared her mother had finally succumbed to either being on the streets or drugs themselves.

      Marissa lowered her voice as her stomach continued to pitch. “He’s homeless?” Her voice carried and the young man’s cheeks turned red.

      Hill set down the drink he’d just pulled up to his mouth and gulped heavily.

      A deep throat cleared from behind Marissa and she jumped. “Oh, Chief, hey.”

      Hill stood suddenly as Lexi gasped. “We’ve gotta…”

      “No.” Marissa held her hand up. “You’re not going anywhere.” She turned to Jax. “Was there something else you needed?”

      He opened his mouth, but the cell at his hip chirped again. When he looked at the screen, he shook his head. “I’ve got to go.” He glanced back up at Marissa, then to Hill. “Will you be here a little later? I think you and I need to talk.”

      “Yeah, sure. Whatever.” Marissa hurried Jax to the door. “I’m here ‘bout another hour.” Once she got him out of the shop, she turned to face the two teens.

      “What’s going on?” Marlie stood behind the counter, her gaze volleying between the three.

      Marissa turned to her sister but decided not to tell her who Hill was. Not until she could figure out what to do. “Don’t you have an appointment at the club?”

      Marlie jumped and checked her watch. “Oh, I do. I’ll call you later with the details for the wedding—”

      “I don’t know.”

      “You promised you’d do it,” she said in a singsong voice as she waggled her pinky and gave Marissa the sisterly you-owe-me stare.

      “We’ll see…” Marissa tried to get the words out before her sister made it out the front door, but she blew past so fast, she wasn’t sure Marlie had heard her. She had pinky sworn, though, so even though Marlie had tricked her, she couldn’t wiggle out of it.

      When she turned back to the teens, they were quietly arguing over the half-eaten cupcakes. “Okay, so let’s talk.”

      The pair jumped apart, both wide-eyed. And suddenly mute.

      Marissa smashed her hands on her hips. “Which one of you is going to go first?” She waggled her finger between the two.

      Both teens looked at their feet.

      “Lexi, you seem to be the one with all the ideas and plans. You go first.” Marissa pulled out a stool and leaned up against it, then slid the one across from her out with her foot. “Sit. Start over from the beginning.”

      Lexi walked over to the stool and only glanced back over her shoulder at Hill once. She hopped her five-foot frame up on the tall stool, took a deep breath and the words tumbled out of her. “You see, it’s like this. Hill’s mom passed away a few years ago. He was living with his dad. Who is a real loser. Sorry, Hill—” she looked back at him for a moment “—but he is. One day, his dad up and leaves.” She held Marissa’s gaze without blinking once. “No one seemed to notice there was this kid living all by himself. Hill’s a good student so it didn’t affect school or anything. But a few months later the bank forecloses on the house. He didn’t have a way to float a mortgage on top of school and his part-time job. He did have a job.” She said it so earnestly, as if to score a few extra points in Hill’s favor. “But the company folded and everyone lost their jobs.”

      Lexi took a long breath and continued. “He lived with friends here and there. And no one asked questions or seemed to notice he had nowhere to go.” She gave a quick little growl of disapproval. “I’d totally let him stay with me, but my mom’s so provincial I can’t. He’ll be eighteen in two months and then it won’t matter, but until then…” She shrugged. “He needs a little help here and there.”

      Hill shifted. He hadn’t said a word. Just let his friend Lexi plead his case.

      “So like I told you, he only snuck in here when it was too cold or he had a lot of homework. He didn’t really hurt anything or anyone by doing it.” She folded her hands in her lap and straightened

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