“You have my number. If anything comes up, I’ll do my best to answer right away.” I’m glad he doesn’t press the subject any further. I don’t want to have to pretend to be sad.
I press my lips together and nod my understanding, curious if he only means while I’m with Sienna or if he’s insinuating that he’s happy to be a shoulder for me to cry on as well. I’m not about to tell him I don’t have any tears left to shed, but I amconsidering what other excuses I could come up with to talk to him outside my allotted time with her.
I’m also curious how much we’d have to talk about. He has to be at least a decade older than I am even though he doesn’t look like it. I briefly question if my attraction to him has anything to do with mydaddy issues. That very well could be the case, but recognizing it doesn’t change the fact that he is super fucking attractive.
He stands, exuding a quiet confidence that holds my attention without any effort on his part. And it’s not just his looks; it’s the way he listens, the way he seems to value our conversations, and how he appears genuinely interested in what I have to say.
He looks at me like he can see what I am thinking. His gaze carries a weight that is slightly unnerving. It makes my heart beat a little faster, which is annoying because I literallyjustbreathing-exercised it into submission like five minutes ago.
I wonder if my eyes reflect the same interest I see in his.
8
HIS GIRLS…
QUINN
Adjustingto Sienna's daily routine has seriously been such a breeze over the last few weeks. My new little nugget is a tiny ball of sunshine in human form—always giggling and flashing her cute gummy smile. She was already a pro-level easy baby before I came into the picture. It's like she was born to just chill and enjoy life.
Grammy, as Jack affectionately calls his mom, cared for Sienna while he was at work up until I came into the picture. It wasn’t meant to be a long-term thing, but Jack says she loved babysitting and claims it keeps her young, despite the fact that as much as she adores Sienna, she has a really hard time keeping up with her endless energy and general baby curiosity.
She can’t walk yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she found a way to dismantle the entire house board by board if given the opportunity to try.
The not walking part probably won’t be the case for much longer, because she seems to be the kind of baby who hits all their milestones just a little earlier than others, based on what Jack had told me. She issofreaking smart for an eight-month-old, and finding new ways to keep her entertained is such a fun challenge.
She naps like a champ, so splitting my time between her and schoolwork is super simple, which is my current situation.
Dealing with CRIM is becoming increasingly frustrating. I’m constantly tempted to ask Jack for help or study tips orsomething; it’s starting to feel like I might not make it through the semester otherwise. I’ve never struggled in any of my other classes before, and I don’t want to come across as boasting, but I know I’m intelligent. This is just a completely new and unexpected thing for me. Still, I don’t bring it up to Jack again because our relationship is already complicated enough with him being both my professor and boss. I remind myself it’s only two more months. All I have to do is scrape by.
The tension between Jack and me has grown, an unspoken connection lingering in the air every time we’re in the same vicinity. I am here a lot during my off hours caring for and playing with Kronk. I often catch Jack watching us with a bemused look on his face. I can’t quite figure out if it’s because he’s entertained by our endless shenanigans or if he’s just as confused about his feelings for me as I am about mine for him.
I have to force myself not to melt into the floor under his attention.
It’s a constant dance of half-smiles and lingering glances, a magnetic pull that feels both exciting and terrifying.
He wasn’t exaggerating about the house being utterly unsettling. I highly doubt it’s haunted as he claimed, but there are definitely some creepy sounds that come from it. Probably because it’s old as fuck.
With my laptop open on the coffee table, I glance over at Sienna sleeping peacefully on the couch next to me. Her tiny body is sprawled out, one arm framing her head, and her little chest rises and falls with each breath. I gently stroke her soft hair before resting my hand on her. I know I should have put her in her crib, but I feel so much more at ease keeping her close.
My mind has always been consumed with intrusive thoughts about death, and they have never really bothered me. In a way, death is like the male lead in a really good romance novel—dark, mysterious, and inevitable. It’s the only certainty in our chaotic lives.
But taking care of this small, delicate baby amplifies those thoughts tenfold. Every move and decision I make feels like it could have life or death consequences and I vividly picture things like me dropping her while coming down the stairs or her just, yanno, stopping breathing.
Do all parents experience this overwhelming fear and doubt? Not that I am her parent, but I definitely have some parent-like responsibilities.
My mind is elsewhere—teetering somewhere between counting Sienna’s respirations, the bloody crime scene being described on the screen of my laptop, and the call I got from the detective in charge of my dad’s case this morning.
They arrested someone last night—the second arrest so far—and they are confident that several more will follow soon. Both suspects so far have been students, and the authorities believe that the rest of those involved were as well. They’re hoping to get one of them to admit to something or point them in the direction of others who tagged along, but so far they’ve said approximately nothing.
The investigation has been a slow grind, mostly because the small-town police department just doesn’t have the resources. It took them over three weeks to make the first arrest because they’re working with a skeleton crew and struggling with budget issues. This means forensic tests and other crucial investigative steps have been delayed.
We still haven’t even gotten the final results back from his autopsy, only his cause of death and significant injuries, and thatwas only because those things had immediate implications for the investigation.
One other major issue was the surveillance footage from the parking garage. It would’ve been a big help, but the cameras had been disconnected just beforehand and now there’s a gap in the evidence there.
Despite this, investigators were able to gather some important details from other sources. Witnesses and security cameras from nearby businesses helped piece together a timeline and identify suspects who were around when the murder happened.
The break in the case came when forensic analysis matched some items found on one of the suspects with evidence from the crime scene. This included distinctive marks on their clothing and personal items that matched descriptions from witnesses. Plus, investigators found damning evidence on the suspects’ phones, including incriminating texts and location data.
