Chapter Seven #2
“You can’t make me go with her!” Clara backed up. “You’re not the boss of me.”
He arched his brows. She reminded him so much of Sloane at that age. “Of course I’m not. But I am a lawyer, and I have to do things the right way, or you will end up in foster care. Is that what you want?”
“No!”
“Okay, then. Believe me. Sloane will want to meet you.”
Clara’s chin lifted. “How do you know?”
“She’s my best friend,” was all he said, even though that was currently under debate. His gut twisted in a knot. It didn’t matter if they were siblings. Sloane would never turn her back on a young girl who needed a home. He held out his hand. “My name is Jonas Lohmen.”
Clara shoved her hands in her jeans pockets.
All right, then. “We have to make sure Sloane is your sister.” For Sloane’s sake, and for the teen scowling at him. He didn’t want either one to be disappointed if it turned out the two weren’t half-sisters.
Clara perched her hands on her hips. “The letter was addressed to Sloane Michaels at Michaels’ Garage on Main Avenue in Strawberry Ridge.”
Yup. That was his Sloane Michaels.
“How old are you?”
“Thirteen.” She stacked her hands on her hips. “How old are you?”
Jonas snorted. Clara would get on famously with his brothers. And with Sloane too. “Thirty-six.”
“You’re kind of old.” Yup, the kid spoke her mind, just like Sloane.
He dialed Sloane.
Clara watched his every move. There was no trust there. Jonas didn’t blame the kid. Hopefully, he could change that.
Legally, he was obligated to let the social services worker know as soon as possible that he had her runaway in custody.
So to speak. He also knew Sloane would want to see the girl, and after their last conversation, he would be in bigger trouble than he already was if he gave the teen back to CDHS before Sloane could see Clara.
She picked up immediately. “Jonas, I don’t want to—”
“Don’t hang up,” he interrupted. “This is important, Sloane. I need you to come to my office. Right away.”
“Why? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. Something’s come up that I think you should know about.” He didn’t want to tell her over the phone that he was sheltering a kid who, according to all the info he had so far, could be her sister.
Fortunately, she didn’t ask questions. “I’ll be right there.”
“She’s on her way.” He shoved his phone back in his pocket and smiled at Clara. “Not nervous, are you? She doesn’t bite.”
“What if she doesn’t like me?” Clara asked weakly as she dropped into the chair in front of the desk.
“Do you kick?”
“No.”
“Do you get in fights at school?”
She hesitated. “Only when I’m being bullied.”
“You’re bullied? By who?” Jonas didn’t like that.
The kid shrugged.
“Okay. How do you do in your classes?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“Then I think she’ll like you, but how about we wait and see?
” Being caught between meeting a sister you didn’t know and being taken into CDHS protection had to be frightening.
Crossing his mental fingers that he wouldn’t have to wrestle the teen to keep her here until Sloane arrived, he said, “Don’t move.
I have to call Ms. Owens now. If we don’t do this according to the rules, it could jeopardize your stay with Sloane.
” And his license , though that wasn’t his primary concern at the moment.
Sitting up straight, Clara narrowed her eyes at him.
“I know. I’m not the boss of you,” he said calmly and dialed the number on the card.
“Hello?”
“Nora Owens?”
“Yes.”
“This is Jonas Lohmen. We met just a bit ago in my office.” He wished he could have this conversation without Clara watching him so closely as she held her breath. From the obstinate look on her face, if the kid could bolt, she would.
“The lawyer. Did you find her?”
He could try to keep her location to himself for another few hours, at least until after Sloane and Clara met, but from experience, he knew that wouldn’t end well. “She’s here.”
“I’ll be right there,” Nora said.
He met Clara’s shuttered gaze. “Listen, Nora. She’s here to find her sister.
I’m pretty positive I know who she is. She’s on her way here now.
” He nodded at the teen in an attempt to reassure her.
She had to have someone on her side. “You know when runaways are forced into a foster home, where they don’t want to stay, they run, and many of them become homeless.
We have a chance to connect these two sisters. Isn’t that what CDHS wants?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Then, “I could get in trouble for this, but okay. We’ll play it your way, Mr. Lawyerman. But I need to see her tonight to make sure she’s okay, meet this sister, and call my boss.”
“We can do that. We’ll meet at Sloane’s house.” He gave Nora Sloane’s address and then hung up.
Just as he did, the door behind him rattled, and a hand slapped on the glass as Sloane tried to get in.
“Here’s Sloane.” Jonas unlocked the door and stood back.
Maybe he should have alerted his friend to what she was about to walk into. It was too late now. Hopefully, she wouldn’t clock him on the arm, which she didn’t hesitate to do when he overstepped.
“What’s wrong—”
Jonas had backed up to the point that Clara was hidden behind him. She peered around his back. Sloane’s brown eyes widened before she looked at him, more than one question shooting his way.
“Sloane, this is Clara. She showed up at my office a little while ago—”
Her gaze returned to the teen. Her eyes round with her own questions, Clara dug into her pocket and pulled out a wrinkled envelope. Circling Jonas, she held it out to Sloane.
Sloane sat on one of the chairs that lined the window wall. Glancing at Clara, who said nothing, she opened the envelope and took out a sheet of paper. Her brows pulled together as she began to read.
Clara stayed next to Jonas. He put an arm around the girl’s shoulders and edged her over to sit beside Sloane.
Sloane looked up, her eyes shiny, and asked Clara, “Have you read this?”
Clara twisted her fingers together in her lap and nodded.
“Tracy says you’re my sister. How do you feel about that?” Sloane asked gently.
“I don’t know you,” Clara said, a note of anger in her voice.
Her gaze steady on Clara’s face, Sloane took a breath and reached for her sister’s hand. “Then I think we’d better get to know each other, don’t you?”
“I suppose so.”
Jonas kept his distance.
“I would be okay if you wanted to live with me. At least give it a try.” Sloane took Clara’s hand in both of hers. “We could be a family.”
If the kid agreed, Sloane would be getting exactly what she wanted.
Something broke open in Jonas’s chest. This was his Sloane. Always leading with her heart. Why hadn’t he realized...
He would do everything he could to help her and Clara stay together.
“I’ll have pizza delivered to your house.” Too absorbed with the newness of having a real sister, neither responded.
Not for the first time since she’d told him they couldn’t be friends, his heart beat harder.
Watching the sisters together, he knew there was nothing casual or out-of-habit about what he felt for Sloane Michaels.
He’d always known that. As soon as the dust settled with this new development in her life, he was going to make sure she knew it too.