Chapter 5
Carter
When the day started, I never would have suspected that it would end with a young blonde girl sitting across from me at dinner, shoveling spaghetti into her mouth as if she hadn’t eaten in days.
Jax and I had decided that since she had established herself as the non-pushy one, I would try to gently probe Eliza for answers.
“So, Eliza, how old are you?” I asked.
Eliza hesitated as if she was afraid to give me any answers. “I’m sixteen.”
“So, you’re in high school?”
Eliza nodded, and I thought that was all I was going to get, but after a moment, she spoke again. “I go to Pittsgrove. Our last day was Friday.”
Pittsgrove was the town that the cafe was in, so it made sense that she was a student at Pittsgrove High School.
“So, you live in Pittsgrove?”
“Yes.” Eliza’s bottom lip started to quiver and she squeezed her eyes shut, but that didn’t stop the tears from escaping. “Well, I used to. Now… now I don’t really know.”
I nodded slowly. It was time for the big question, but I hoped asking it didn’t cause Eliza to shut down again. “Do you mind if I ask why that is?”
Her lip quivered even more now, and it made me feel guilty for asking the question, even though we needed to know.
“My… my parents kicked me out about a month and a half ago. I’ve been staying with different friends, but their parents don’t want me at their houses either.
” Eliza broke into a sob. “No one wants me.”
Both Jax and I stood from the table at the same time, and walked over to where Eliza was sitting to wrap our arms around her.
My heart broke as she put her face against Jax and sobbed into her shirt.
I didn't know what had led this girl’s parents to kick her out, but nothing she could have done at sixteen would make her deserve this kind of pain.
I wanted to know who her parents were so I could tell them exactly what I thought of the choices they had made.
Whenever I had a child, I would stand by them no matter what.
My future child didn’t even exist yet, and I already knew there was nothing they could do that could cause me to give up on them.
“I have to use the restroom,” Eliza said between sniffles.
Jax and I both watched in disbelief as she stood from the table and walked back upstairs. Jax ran a hand through her hair. “What the fuck are we supposed to do?”
“I have no idea. I’ve never dealt with anything like this. I don’t know who we talk to or where we go from here.” There were two people I knew who always seemed to have the answers. “Can you stay here and wait for her? I’m going to go outside and call my moms.”
Jax squeezed my hand. “That’s a great idea. Thanks, babe.”
My hands shook as I took out my phone to call my mom. I was so overwhelmed. There was a whole human in our house who clearly needed help, and I had no idea how to give it to her.
“How’s my top three favorite child?” My mama asked when she answered the phone.
“I…” My voice cracked because I was so overcome with emotion.
“Honey? Are you okay?”
“Who is it? What’s wrong?” I heard my mom asking in the background.
“I’m okay. Sorry. It’s not me who is in trouble.” I took a deep breath before explaining everything that had happened to my moms.
“Wow. That’s a lot,” my mama said. “There are definitely nonprofits in the area that focus on these sorts of things. I know your uncle Ethan has the contact information for quite a few social workers, because of working with kids from the LGBTQ community. I would definitely talk to him about who to contact.”
I knew my mama was right, but it didn’t feel right. “That makes sense, but I feel bad. It sounds like she’s been tossed around a lot over the past two months.”
My mama sighed. “I know exactly what you mean. You have to think of yourself too though, honey.”
“I just really don’t know what the right thing to do is.”
My mama must have had me on speakerphone, because my mom spoke next. “We don’t always have the perfect answer when these things happen. Sometimes, we have to do what our heart is telling us to do.”
“Right now my heart is telling me to hold onto this girl and never let go, so she knows that she’s wanted. My heart is telling me to let her know our guestroom is hers for as long as she needs it. That’s crazy though. My rational brain knows just how crazy that is.”
For a minute or two, all I could hear on the other end of the phone was hushed whispers, then my mama spoke up again. “We support you in whatever you decide to do. No matter what, we’re here for you. We know you’ll make the right decision.”
“Really? That’s all you're giving me?” I laughed. “I thought you would tell me what the right thing to do is.”
“Believe it or not,” my mama said, “we don’t have all the answers.”
“Don’t tell your brother and sister that though,” my mom added. “Seriously though, sweetie, this is a situation we’ve never encountered. I would definitely ask your uncles for advice, but aside from that, it’s up to you to decide what’s not only right for Eliza, but also you and Jax.”
“Thanks, moms. I better get back inside. I love you.”
When I walked in, I was surprised to find that it was only Jax in the kitchen. “Did Eliza not come back down?”
“She came down and asked if it was okay if she went to bed, so I of course told her it was.” Jax walked over to me and wrapped her arms around me. “What did your moms say?”
“They said my Uncle Ethan probably has contact information for social workers who can help, but it feels wrong to contact someone like that without Eliza’s consent.
What do you think they would do? Foster care?
Send her back home to parents who threw her into the streets?
Don’t get me wrong, I trust social workers.
I just don’t trust the system in this country. ”
Jax sighed. “I know what you mean. I guess maybe we should wait to see if we can get any more information from her tomorrow.”
“I want to ask you something, but I’m afraid you’re going to think I’m completely crazy.”
“Lucky for you, I love crazy,” Jax joked.
“Depending on what we find out tomorrow, would you be okay with asking Eliza if she wants to stay here a little bit longer while we figure things out?”
Jax grabbed onto my hands. “I think that’s a great idea.
I don’t want her to feel like we’re just like everyone else who has apparently thrown her onto the street.
Obviously, we can’t commit to anything until we know what’s actually happening, but I really think we can help her in one way or another.
There’s a reason she showed up at my cafe.
I know you don’t always see things that way, but I truly feel like this was meant to be somehow. ”
I leaned in and kissed Jax. I loved this woman so much. “I think you’re right. I really do.”
“I know it’s early, but do you think maybe we should go to bed too? I feel like we’re going to have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
After cleaning up dinner, we headed up to bed. It didn’t take long for me to fall into a deep sleep. When I woke up, the sun was shining through my window. There was a weight on my chest from feeling anxious, and it took me a moment to remember what I was anxious about. Eliza… right.
I rolled over and kissed Jax’s cheek and watched as her eyelids fluttered open.
An angelic smile came onto her face. “Good morning, beautiful.”
I pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. I always found Jax stunning, but there was something about seeing her in the morning with her hair wild from sleep and her eyes barely open that was absolutely breathtaking. “Good morning.”
Jax wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in tight. “Morning sex?” she asked with a yawn.
“I would love to, but I don’t think we should given our visitor.”
“Our visitor?” Jax’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god. Eliza. I’m so sleepy, I almost forgot.”
“Should we check if she’s awake yet?” I was so far out of my element, I had no idea what to do.
Jax shrugged. “I guess so.”
We got out of bed and tiptoed down the hallway, but the door to the guestroom was still closed.
“Coffee?” Jax whispered.
I nodded. “Coffee sounds wonderful.”
A half hour after going downstairs, I heard movement up above, and within a few minutes, Eliza joined us in the kitchen.
Jax held up her coffee mug. “Coffee?” she asked cheerfully.
“No, thank you.”
Jax tilted her head at Eliza. “Not a coffee drinker?”
“I’m… um… trying not to have too much caffeine.”
Wow. Good for her. Even at age thirty-five, I still had a hard time limiting myself.
“Fair enough.” Jax walked over to the refrigerator. “How ’bout some eggs and bacon?”
“Yes, please. That would be wonderful.”
I watched Jax with pride as she pulled the eggs and bacon out of the refrigerator. When I first met her, she couldn’t cook anything. Eggs and bacon might not have been a culinary masterpiece, but it was certainly a step up.
Jax gave me a look that told me I should try to get some more information from Eliza while she made breakfast.
I took a seat at the kitchen table and motioned for Eliza to sit next to me. When she did, I turned to face her. “So, what are your plans for the summer?” I cringed as soon as the question left my lips. What a stupid thing to ask.
If Eliza was overly bothered by my question, she didn’t show it. She simply shrugged in response. “I don’t really have a plan. I was thinking about getting a job, but I’m not sure.” When she looked into my eyes, I could see how tired she was. It appeared like she had lived years in the past month.