Page 23 of The Dating Charade

Cassie took a sharp breath. There was a very real possibility that Star wouldn’t be coming back to Haven. Not a certainty, no, but at least a fifty-fifty chance. Who knew where the teen would end up. She never spoke about extended family; no support groups ever came to her side at the Haven’s array of get-togethers. The Haven was big on encouraging as much family involvement as possible, and yet it was never Star’s mother or uncle or grandmother who showed up to volunteer at a dodgeball tournament or start that (albeit failed) community garden. Without family, she and her sisters would be merging into the system. And if the foster family lived farther out—and odds were they would—would they actually commit to picking Star up from the Haven every day? Of course not.

For that matter, was there really a family out there who would take all three? And one a teen? All they would hear would be the ominous word fourteen before the fears and statistics started whispering. They wouldn’t know what a mother Star was—how Deidre looked to her as if she could carry the city on her shoulders, how Star had always kept an eye out for her at the Haven, even when she was busy doing her own teenage thing.

Potential fosters had never heard Star cackle at her own jokes, had never seen the way she welcomed new girls into the Haven and helped them feel at home. It was a gift of hers, a way of sensing the needs of others without a whiff of explanation. Few could do that.

The possibility that Star—Star—had not only gone through this trauma but would now face the potential of being stripped away from her sisters . . .

The silver frame beneath her thumb crackled in protest and she released the pressure, looking down.

Cassie knew what she must do.

She should feel terrified. But instead she felt her body rushing forward, expelling her through the hall and out the apartment door.

“Rachel!” Cassie called, stumbling down the steps as she felt her phone ding inside her coat pocket.

8

Jett

Jett let go of the pull-up bar in his doorway. It was out of character for him to be impatient, but he simply couldn’t wait one more minute.

He rubbed a slick palm across his chest as he picked up his phone.

Had a great time tonight.

Jett hit backspace rapidly until the terrible sentence disappeared. Had a great time tonight? Of course he’d had a great time. They’d parroted those exact words back and forth several times before even hitting the parking lot.

Home safe and sound?

Nope. Women prone to old-fashioned chivalry would take that as considerate and protective, but Cassie—the woman who prided herself on walking through dark parking lots behind her not-so-suburban workplace—would be more likely to write him off altogether.

He backpedaled until he stared yet again at a blank screen. He took in a deep breath, waited five seconds far too long for inspiration, then dropped the phone on the bed. Ten more pull-ups on the doorway bar and he reached for the phone again.

If you lose Wednesday, are you going to skip out on dinner afterward? Best to know if I’m going to need to call a backup date.

He read it again. It wasn’t exactly a Robert Frost original, but it was better than nothing.

Pressing Send, he tossed the phone on the bed for another set, aware that with every pull-up his ears strained to hear a muted ding against the black comforter.

A ding came, but it wasn’t from his phone.

Jett heard the TV turn down in the living room. The door opened.

“Jett, you got company!”

Jett arched his head back mid-pull-up but only saw Sunny blocking the doorway. He sped up to finish the set, wiped his hands against his sweats, and started down the small hall. When a set of curly blond heads dodged around Sunny, however, he broke into a jog—running until he slid to a halt on his knees and wrapped the twins in his arms.

Dakota and Drew squealed as they squirmed to be free from his embrace, all the while giggling. Drew broke loose and stole a couple of feet away before Jett snatched him by the back of his coat. Drew wailed in glee, his blue snow boots dragging back into the hug.

“Look at you! What big kids you are! Did you miss me?”

Dakota flung her arms around his neck while Drew made for another getaway. Jett closed his eyes momentarily, Dakota’s soft, platinum-blond curls covering his face. He kept one hand on the back of Drew’s coat, feeling Drew tug and laugh.

“We need to crash here tonight.”

And just like that, a frost far colder than the twenty-four-degree air swept into the living room. Jett opened his eyes. Looked up to his sister.

“Hello, Trina. It’s good to see you.”