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I chuckle as I step inside, following her to the counter. “Of course not.”

“How was your day? Are they going to promote you?”

I’ve talked to Jackie many times in the last couple of weeks, and she’s a far cry from the withdrawn, sad-eyed woman I first met in Alexander’s house. Almost like being outside those walls has finally given her room to breathe, to find parts of herself she’d lost. She’s hard not to love, I’ve quickly learned.

“Nothing official,” I tell her. “But it looks that way.”

“Wonderful,” she says, looking genuinely proud. “You deserve it. Ezra told me all about how you helped Bianca. I’ve only met her a few times, but she always seemed very strong. I envied her.”

“She is.” I reach to place my hand over Jackie’s. “But you are too. Look at all you’ve survived.”

“I think you’re giving me too much credit,” she says gently. “But I’m trying to be.”

“We’ll be here for you every step of the way,” I promise her.

“I know.” She smiles at me. “Ezra is lucky to have you.”

I shake my head. “Honestly, it’s the other way around.”

“He also told me that you’re the reason we even have a case for transferring my conservatorship.”

“I wish you didn’t need one at all.”

“Someday,” she says with confidence. “But not yet. For now, I trust my son to take care of me.”

“So do I.”

“Anyway, I wanted to officially thank you. For everything you did for us.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” I protest. “No one should be in the situation you were in.”

“Still.” She pats my cheek. “I’m grateful.”

My chest tightens with emotion, and I manage a heavy nod. “I was happy to do it.”

The door swings open behind us, Ezra stepping inside with a grocery bag in his hand. He grins when he spots us at the counter, and he shakes the bag. “Sorry. I tried to hurry.”

“You’re fine,” his mother says. “We were just chatting.”

“Jackie was telling me all your embarrassing stories,” I tease.

“Did she tell you about the time I took my clothes off at the aquarium?”

I bark out a laugh. “Do I want to know how old you were?”

“Oh, this was just last year,” he teases.

Jackie snorts. “He was three.”

“Honestly,” I scoff, “it wouldn’t have taken much to make me believe he was a fully grown adult.”

“He has always been a bit precocious,” Jackie chuckles.

“Are my ladies hungry?” Ezra sweeps into the kitchen, pullingpans from under the cabinet. “One of these days, someone is going to have to cook for me for a change.”

“But you’re so good at it,” I coo. “I’d hate to rob you of the joy of that.”

He rolls his eyes. “So giving.”