Chapter 2
Two
JAKE
“Iwas just trying to help.”
Jake sighed and sat back in his chair as Marley crossed her gangly arms with a huff, the stubborn set of her jaw unmistakable. At thirteen, the auburn-haired teenager was already far too familiar with trouble.
He stared at her with a mix of frustration and affection.
She was a good kid. Misguided, sure, but deep down, she was all heart.
Marley didn’t quite understand boundaries yet.
Or most folks didn’t appreciate a trespasser, even if the trespassing involved trying to trap the cat who had been skulking around the town mechanic’s parking lot.
“Look, kiddo, I need you to stay out of trouble for a while longer,” Jake said, his voice gentle but firm. “You know they’re looking for any reason to put you into the system.”
He knew the warning would fall on deaf ears. Marley’s parents had relinquished their rights when she was only twelve and vanished, leaving her at his office door. She’d waited all night for him. It had been a simple transition for Marley to stay with him.
At first, the arrangement was only meant to be until he’d filed all the proper paperwork, but Jake was in no rush to put Marley into the system.
Jake had known Marley even before she became a permanent fixture in his life. Her parents were scam artists, always chasing the next con and dragging Marley along for the ride. They preyed on the vulnerable. It never ended well for anyone involved. Somehow, he seemed to be involved.
Her parents could barely take care of themselves, much less a growing teenager who seemed to be on the opposite side of whatever scheme they had going on.
If he’d been a gambling man, he’d have bet Marley wasn’t even biologically theirs, despite the birth certificate stating otherwise.
She was too kind, too bright, too… good.
Even if she got into a bit of trouble once in a while, usually it was harmless trouble.
When Marley appeared on his doorstep, a crumpled piece of paper was the only thing they’d left her with before driving out of town. For the first time in his life, Jake was capable of committing murder. If he could get away with it, he wouldn’t hesitate if he ever laid eyes on her parents again.
“Fine. I’ll try,” Marley mumbled, chewing her bottom lip. A sign, he’d learned, she was nervous. “Do you think they miss me?”
Jake’s chest tightened as she looked up at him, those big brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“I don’t know, kiddo,” he replied truthfully.
She nodded solemnly, seeming to accept the truth as if it were wisdom passed down through the ages.
“You’re right. They probably don’t.” Her shoulders slumped forward.
The ache in his chest squeezed harder at her quiet words. He barely resisted rubbing the spot. As he was reaching across the desk to offer a half-awkward, half-affectionate pat, she perked up, a smile blooming across her face.
“Do you want to hear about my new idea?”
Jake groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. This never ended well, but instead of voicing his concerns, he motioned for her to continue.
“Okay, so you know how the library and bookstores throw out books?”
This can’t be a good sign.
“Yeah…” he said warily.
“So I was thinking I could, like, take those books and bring them to the homeless shelter in the city. Or maybe build one of those cool little free libraries. Like, start at the lake. Everyone loves to read by the lake!”
Jake inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sent a quick, silent prayer for patience.
“Marley,” he began, trying to keep his tone even. “Are you saying you’re going to dumpster dive?”
She tilted her head at him as if he were the one missing the point. Marley reminded him of a pure golden retriever, with enthusiasm lighting up her face. Jake knew better than to argue when she got like this. His role was no longer to stop her. It was to ensure she did it safely and legally.
“Well… yeah,” she replied, as if the answer were obvious.
Jake slumped in his seat as tension crept up his neck.
“Have you thought about just… asking the librarians for the books, instead of diving into their dumpsters?”
Marley furrowed her brows. “Huh. I didn’t even think about doing that.”
Massaging his temples, he muttered, “Of course you didn’t.”
“I should ask them!”
“Yes, you should.” He panicked as she jumped up from her seat with renewed energy. “During business hours, Marley!”
She dropped back down, picking at invisible lint on her oversized pants. “Oh, right.”
Jake watched her quietly. She was self-conscious, like most teenagers, and he did not know how to handle it. He wasn’t old enough to have a kid, much less a thirteen-year-old.
“Why don’t we go look at what we’d need to build this little free library, yeah?”
The joy lighting up Marley’s face warmed Jake’s heart in a way he couldn’t quite explain.
“Yeah, I’ll start a list!”
She darted off into the adjoining room, her usual study space when Jake didn’t have clients. It was Saturday morning, and the office was empty save for the endless pile of paperwork Jake never seemed to dent.
“Don’t forget we have—”
“Dinner at The Lotus. Got it!” Marley yelled over her shoulder, already absorbed in the hand-me-down phone Jake had scrounged up from Minnie last year.
Minnie, or Minh, worked at her family’s restaurant. The Lotus was a beloved fixture in Willowbrook, and Sunday night dinners there had been a tradition for as long as he could remember.
Minnie’s little brother and his best friend, Thao, let Jake tag along when they were younger, after Thao found out Jake was home alone most nights. After school, Jake and Thao would walk from the school grounds to The Lotus. Even though Thao was no longer around, Jake still stopped by every week.
They’d met in first grade when Thao was seated next to Jake. Though English was Thao’s second language, they instantly bonded over their love for anime and comic books. Jake spent more time with the Lien family than with his own. All of his fondest childhood memories involved the Lien family.
Minnie would always bury herself in books, too busy with her studies to spend time with them. Thao’s twin, Gia, on the other hand, was always the third wheel to their shenanigans. She had been a wild one. Younger than Thao by a few minutes, but sharp. Spirited.
Jake used to find it amusing how annoyed Thao would get whenever Gia tagged along, even though he was fiercely protective of his twin.
She argued like a lawyer in her native language, winning her point, her entire being glowing with victory when she did.
Like a blooming flower basking in the sunlight.
She was a firecracker. A spitfire. Mischief always danced in her eyes.
Jake envied the closeness between the siblings.
He was an only child. A blessing, in hindsight.
He couldn’t fathom having to worry about a sibling when his parents hardly noticed he existed.
Thao and Gia had something special. So, even though Thao would moan and groan about how embarrassing it was to have his little sister tag along everywhere, Jake knew he secretly loved having her around.
They were so in sync with each other and would often finish each other’s sentences. Two peas in a pod.
Though Jake had loved spending time with Thao, just the two of them, it was a completely different experience when Gia joined.
She made everything feel exciting. Even if they were only hanging out at Moonshadow Falls and daring each other to jump over the cliffs.
She knew how to turn things into a fun game.
The way her brown eyes would light up when he’d join in on her games used to make his heart flip inside his chest.
The last time Jake had seen Gia was after the… incident. Her eyes had been full of tears. His words still haunted him.
“This was a mistake.”
Words he could never take back.
She’d left town soon after and never looked back. She’d taken a piece of him with her.
He’d lost both of his best friends that summer.