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I stood, wiping my mouth. “Go. You don’t want to be late.”And I can’t afford to fall for you a second longer.“I can’t thank you enough for lunch.”
“It’s my pleasure. The fact that you enjoyed it so much was the icing on the Key lime pie.” He winked. “Let me call you a car.”
“I’m completely capable of the three-block walk back. Plus, Ireallyneed to walk off the pie now. Is your office far from here?”
“Ten minutes on the subway. There’s a station around the corner. Sometimes I drive to work; other days I take the train. Depends on my mood.”
“Well…thanks again,” I told him awkwardly once we’d stepped outside.
“My pleasure. Thanks for hanging with me.” His eyes lingered on mine, and I wondered if he would hug me or something, but instead he simply turned around and walked away.
As I headed home, I realized Owen hadn’t asked me out again. It seemed this had been just a casual lunch after all, and he’d officially moved on from the idea of anything happening between us. That was a little unfortunate, because spending time with Owen today had only made me like him more.
CHAPTER 7
Devyn
I think I’m getting the hang of this.
The last six days had flown by. It had been—dare I say—a good week. Hannah had been accepted into thePS Idolcontest at school and made friends with a few of the other contestants in the process. Heath had managed to score a ninety on his English test after failing last semester, and I’d taken him to the doctor for a checkup and to get the immunization forms filled out that the school had been bugging us for. God forbid Vera pay attention to things like healthcare and school rules. Even when that woman was around, she didn’t prioritize my sister and brother. And in addition to making some inroads with Heath and Hannah, I’d taken on a new client and successfully placedthreeactors in some very promising films this week. All in all, things were looking up.
Until the knock came.
I opened the door to find a woman wearing a beige pantsuit. She adjusted the bulging briefcase hanging from her shoulder and didn’t smile.
“Are you Vera Marks?”
I frowned. “No.”
The woman looked over my shoulder into the apartment. “Is this the home of Heath Marks?”
Uh-oh.My stomach dropped.What did he get himself into now?“It is. And who are you?”
The woman dug into the front of her briefcase and pulled out a business card. “I’m Melinda Rollins, a case worker with the Department of Child Protective Services. And you are?”
I took the card, wishing I hadn’t answered the door. But there was no way around her questions now.
“I’m Devyn Marks, Heath’s sister. Is everything okay with Heath?”
Ms. Rollins pursed her lips. “I need to speak to your mother. Do you know when she’ll be back?”
“Umm... She went away for a while.”
“So she left you in charge of Heath and Hannah while she’s gone?”
“Yes.”
“When exactly will Ms. Marks be back?”
“I’m not sure.”
The woman’s brows pulled together. “She left you in charge of two children, but she didn’t tell you when she would be returning?”
Shit.“Oh. No, I meant I wasn’t sure of thetimeshe would be back. I’m not sure of the exact time. But she’ll be back Sunday.”
“So you’re staying to mind the children until Sunday?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
