by Sandy Hall
“Why were there so many drawers opening and shutting?”
“What are you, a detective?”
Keegan laughed. “No,” she said.
“I’ll go get us those drinks.”
Jane spent the rest of the afternoon trying to search on her phone for information on finding biological parents, but she kept losing the Wi-Fi signal. It didn’t help that almost all the information had to do with finding biological parents of people who’d been adopted. Jane wasn’t sure whether that information could really help in Teo’s situation.
Since Jane wasn’t experienced in solving mysteries, she decided the best plan for the evening was to talk to her Magic 8 Ball while streaming multiple episodes of Veronica Mars.
“Does Teo’s dad want to be found?” she asked the Magic 8.
Don’t count on it, it said.
“Hmm,” Jane said. “That’s not exactly a firm no. I shouldn’t count on it, so I won’t. What do you think, Veronica?”
Veronica obviously didn’t answer, so Jane went back to the Magic 8.
“Can I find Teo’s dad?”
Most likely, it said.
“Should I start somewhere besides the Internet?”
It is decidedly so.
“But where?”
The ball couldn’t answer questions that didn’t have yes-or-no responses, so Jane was left to figure that one out on her own.
She sat down and made a list of who might know anything about Teo’s dad.
1. Connie
2. Buck
The list didn’t get any longer that night because her favorite Veronica Mars episode was up next and Jane decided to give it her full attention.
For research, of course.
The next morning, she didn’t wake up thinking about Teo; instead, she woke up with an answer. There was someone who probably knew at least a little more than she did about Teo’s dad, and they just so happened to live in the same house. Her mom might be able to help.
It was risky, but potentially worth it in the long run. It was all about taking the right approach and asking the right questions to get the answers she needed.
The problem was that these days any conversation she had with her mother could potentially spiral into yet another argument about college. Jane had gotten really good at avoiding her mother entirely. But an argument with her mom might be worth it to help Teo.
Jane waited for Saturday morning, so she didn’t have to run off to babysit. She found her mom in the backyard, pulling weeds from the rock garden.
Jane was about to sit down in one of the patio chairs but then thought better of it. She meandered across the yard and knelt down in the grass next to her mom.
“So which ones are we yanking and which ones are we saving?” Jane asked.
Her mom looked at her doubtfully. “Well, I would highly recommend not yanking the ones with flowers.”
“What about this one? This is a weed, right?”
“It is! Good girl,” her mom said.
“I’m positive that you’re not supposed to talk to your kids like they’re dogs.”
Her mom smiled and pulled a weed.
Jane pulled a weed, sucked in a deep breath, and dove in. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Connie.”
“About what exactly?” Her mom leaned back on her haunches and looked at Jane appraisingly.
“I don’t want to be nosy, but I really, really can’t help being curious about Teo’s dad.”
“Oh.” Her mom nodded and pursed her lips.
“I guess I wondered if you ever met him.”
“Have you talked to Teo about his father?”
“It hasn’t come up.” Jane licked her lips. “The girls were missing Buck the other day when he was away on business, and I guess it got me thinking about Teo’s dad. What happened there?”
“Their lives aren’t a soap opera for you to enjoy, Jane.”
“Oh, I know. It’s just that maybe if I knew a little bit more, I might know when to tread lightly with certain topics.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Jane,” her mom said. “I have to admit I don’t know much.”
“It’s fine, no big deal.” But she knew that she’d hit the right tone when her mother continued.
“Connie and I bonded over being pregnant with you and Teo more than anything else. She was wary of telling people too much. I know she was happy that her aunt was so supportive.”
“Her aunt?”
“Yeah, don’t you remember Connie’s aunt Marta? They lived with her until Marta went into assisted living right around the time Connie and Buck got married.”
“Is Aunt Marta still alive?”
“Yes. I think they all go to see her at least once a month.”
“But that’s Connie’s aunt? Not anyone from Teo’s dad’s side of the family?”
“No, I don’t know of anyone from Teo’s dad’s side. Really, Janie, this isn’t something Connie and I talked about much. She didn’t want anything to do with him for whatever reason.” Her mom started digging into the bed with more vigor.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I do understand your curiosity,” she said, glancing at Jane.
“You do?”
Her mom shrugged. “Of course. When you start to spend time with a family like that on a daily basis, you learn a lot about them—more than you would have otherwise.”
Jane nodded, relief flooding through her. Now she just had to make her getaway, and she could chalk this whole conversation up to a success. The end was in sight.
“Thanks, Mom. Now I feel like I won’t blurt out the wrong question at the wrong moment.” Jane had already stood up when her mother turned to look at her, shading her eyes from the sun.
“I do feel like I have to point something out.”
“What?” Jane asked, even though she knew it was a trick.
“Connie hasn’t had it easy. Do you remember when you were little and Teo would come over in the evenings while Connie finished her undergrad degree?”
“Maybe?” Jane said. “I’m not sure.”
“She’s worked very hard. She’s really a role model.”
“She is,” Jane agreed, looking longingly toward the house, hopeful that if she played along for one more second, she could make her escape.
“And maybe you need to keep her in mind when making your own decisions.”
Jane huffed out a frustrated breath.
“I’m serious, Janie. Don’t put off your education. Do you really want to have to go to college the way Connie did? At night, after work?”
“But I don’t even know if a traditional four-year college is really for me,” Jane said quietly.
“It’s for everyone,” her mother said, standing up and wiping her brow with the back of her wrist. “You have absolutely no reason not to go, and I don’t understand why you’re so stubborn about it.”
“Maybe if you let me explain,” Jane said.
Her mother crossed her arms. “Explain.”
But this wasn’t right. This wasn’t the moment. Jane didn’t have any of her ideas laid out in her head. She had only prepared for the first part of the conversation, not the inevitable second part.
She should have a PowerPoint presentation and index cards. That would be a way to get her mom’s attention. Then she might see that while Jane didn’t want to go to college, at least she had a plan.
“Not right this second.”
“When, Jane? Every time this comes up, you act like you have something better to do. You run away and hide in your room. Isn’t it time to face this topic?”
“Why can’t we ever talk about something else?”
“Because you need to make some decisions,” her mother said, her voice rising to a volume that scared a nearby squirrel.
“It’s too hard.”
“What is too hard?” Her mother’s eyes were steely, and Jane knew there was nothing she could say at this point that would make her mother listen.
“It’s too hard to explain it right now.”
Her mother’s expression said, I told you so.
Jane wiped her hands on her shorts. “I do have a plan. It’s just not ready yet.”
“Well, I’ll be waiting to hear all about it.”
Jane walked away, hating the way her mother had spoken to her, like she was a child and they were discussing Jane’s letter to Santa. Next time she would be ready.
Chapter 9
The Fourth of July was one of Jane’s favorite holidays. There was a huge all-day block party on her street, and then the neighbors would watch the fireworks together at the pool. But this year was a little disappointing.
Jane was at a weird, in-between age. She was too old to participate in the little-kid games, but she hadn’t made any plans outside the neighborhood, not having realized that all the kids her age had other things to do, like barbecues with friends or a day at the beach. Margo was one of those people who had plans with friends. She’d invited Jane to go with her, but Jane didn’t feel much like tagging along.
She perked up a bit when she ran into Connie as they were setting out the food at the block party.
“Hello, Jane! Gorgeous day,” Connie said.
Jane nodded in agreement. “Is Teo going to make an appearance?” She did her best to sound casual, but Teo’s presence could definitely turn the day around for her.
“Oh, he had to work. But he should be home later. The pool closes around five or six so they can get ready for the fireworks.”
Jane felt her hopes of a fun Fourth of July deflate.
Hours later she sat at a picnic table by herself, consuming a large plate of chocolate chip cookies and contemplating her next fan fiction plot. It might involve Eleven taking Veronica Mars back to 1776 for some convoluted mystery solving. She just needed to figure out why the Doctor would care about American history, being British and all. But she wouldn’t know until she tried.
Testing out that plot sounded better than hanging out at the block party for even one more minute. She polished off the last cookie and was about to stand up when Teo straddled the bench next to her.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she said, brushing crumbs off her shirt and praying that she didn’t have chocolate on her mouth. “I thought you weren’t going to be home until six.”
“Checking up on me?” he asked.
“For sure. I want to make sure you don’t drown.”
“I appreciate your concern.”
“Oh for the love of—here comes your shadow,” Jane said.
“Who? Keegan?” Teo asked, turning to look in the wrong direction.
“No, the other one.”
Teo lit up as soon as he saw Ravi. He jumped up and practically hugged him.
“Well, if it isn’t my old pal Jane Connelly,” Ravi said as he took the seat across from Jane and dragged Teo down next to him. In an ideal world, Teo would have fought Ravi’s pull and sat back down next to Jane. “She who kicked me out of my best friend’s house.”
Jane sat up straight and looked Ravi in the eye. “I’m not going to apologize. You were making me uncomfortable in my place of employment.”
Ravi placed both his hands palms down on the tabletop. “Then I have some very good news for Jane.” He looked at Teo sadly. “And some bad news for you. My grandma’s sick, and I, being the exemplary son that I am, will be traveling to Sri Lanka as my mother’s companion. Because obviously she can’t function without me.”
Jane rolled her eyes. On the one hand, she felt bad for his grandmother. But on the other hand, she’d met Ravi’s mother, and Jane was pretty sure it was Ravi who couldn’t function without his mom, not the other way around.
“When do you leave?” Teo asked.
“In about an hour,” Ravi said, looking at his phone. “In fact, I gotta get out of here. My mom just texted me, like, eighteen times, but I knew I had to say good-bye to you in person, even if it meant having to see Jane the Pain before I left.”
“‘Jane the Pain’? I feel like you’re slipping,” Jane said.
“I’ll work on it and get back to you,” Ravi said, standing up, and this time he and Teo did hug. And then he was gone.
“I know you’re not going to understand this, but I’m really going to miss him.”
Jane looked over at Teo, shocked. “Of course I get it. My best friends are off at sleepaway band camp for the summer, where there’s no cell service and the Wi-Fi signal is on serious lockdown, while I spend my days regretting that I quit playing the glockenspiel in fifth grade.”
“So you do get it,” Teo said.
“At least we have each other,” Jane said, taking a calculated risk.
It paid off when Teo smiled so broadly his dimple made an appearance.
Jane sat on her hands so she wouldn’t push her finger into it—that was how adorable his dimple was. She could barely resist the urge to touch it.
“So did you save me any cookies?” Teo asked, gesturing to the empty plate in front of her.
“No,” Jane said seriously. “But I did hear that your mom made you a plate of leftovers and put it in the fridge.”
“My fridge?”
“That’s the rumor.”
“Want to come watch me eat?”
“Only if I can bring more cookies.”
“What about brownies?” Teo asked, looking over at the dessert table. “Or maybe that apple pie no one has even touched yet.”
“It’s hard to say no to pie,” Jane said.
They stood up and walked over to take the pie.
“Wait,” Teo said, grabbing Jane’s arm. “Is there ice cream available for the pie?”
“I don’t think so. Ice cream doesn’t really go with this amount of heat,” Jane said.
“Ah, take the pie anyway. I think we have ice cream at my house.”
Jane grabbed the pie, and Teo walked in front of her like a bodyguard until they were around the corner and safely inside his house.
He held up his hand to high-five Jane, but she got so flustered she fist-bumped it.
“That’s an interesting option.” Teo looked at his hand where Jane had basically just punched him.
“I hate myself sometimes,” she said.
“Do over?” Teo offered.
“Do over.” Jane held up her hand, and this time Teo fist-bumped her palm.
“Thanks for that,” she said.
He winked dramatically and then went to rummage in the fridge.
“She took a lot of food for me,” Teo said, surveying the plate that was piled high with various salads and three different kinds of meat.
“I think she might be trying to fatten you up.”
He patted his abs. “Probably.”
After about an hour of eating the block-party leftovers and more than their fair share of pie, Jane and Teo decided it was probably time to rejoin their neighbors.
“Are you going to the fireworks?” Teo asked as they exited his house.
“Honestly? I’m tired of basically everyone. I think I’ve had enough togetherness for one day. I had been planning to go inside and watch the Macy’s fireworks on TV.”
“Are you tired of me, too?” Teo asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at Jane from the corner of his eye.
“Well, no. You don’t count.”
“Then what if we watched them from your roof? I bet we’d have a sweet view from up there.”
Jane glanced at her roof and then back at Teo.
“Seriously?”
“Sure. I don’t really feel like going down with my family, but I don’t really feel like sitting around by myself, either.”
“Especially with your shadow Ravi out of the country,” Jane said, a teasing lilt to her voice.
“Exactly,” Teo said, playing along.
When their parents left for the fireworks, Teo begged off by saying he was tired, and Jane said she would keep him company. It was that easy.
“Now we just have to get
onto the roof without killing ourselves, and we’re golden,” Jane said as they walked up her front steps.
“Jane, even if you fell, there’s no way you would die. You might break your legs, but you would survive.”
“Not helping,” Jane said.
“Your house is exactly the same,” Teo said as they entered her front door.
“My parents painted. And put in new carpeting.”
Teo shrugged. “It looks nice. I like it more than what my mom and Buck did to our house,” he muttered as they walked up the stairs. Jane mentally took stock of how her bedroom looked at that moment and hoped that she’d at least made her bed that morning.
“I think your house looks awesome. Like something from a magazine.”
“Yeah, but is that really a good thing? It has no character. It’s cookie cutter.”
Jane giggled. “I think you’ve been watching too many episodes of House Hunters.”
“Maybe I have,” he said with a grin.
She peeked into her room before letting Teo in and let out a sigh of relief when she realized it wasn’t a total disaster.
“How are things with Buck?” Jane asked as they climbed out her bedroom window and then settled on the roof with their backs against a dormer.
“What do you mean?” Teo asked, tensing up a little.
“I don’t know. It’s weird because you guys seem to get along, but sometimes he’s like…” Jane paused, searching for the right word. “Just trying way too hard. Like a brand-new teacher who’s just got out of college and wants to talk about how he was a big football hero a couple years ago.”
Teo threw his head back and laughed. “Wow. You totally nailed it. He’s really weird around me, right?”
“Oh, totally. I think he really wants to be bros with you.”
“Gross. I don’t want to be bros with Buck.”
“But think about it. Like, when he tries to talk to you about baseball or lifting weights. Or the other morning when he tried to bond with you over the supermodel on the Today show.”
“You’re so right. I never put it into those words before, but that’s totally it.”
“I’m intimately familiar with awkward family dynamics.”
“You, with the two parents and the sister and the actual white picket fence?” Teo asked.
“Well, that’s from the outside. The inside is a whole other story.”