Page 24 of Until Nalia

“Hey,” I answer, putting my cell to my ear. “That was fast.”

“Sorry, I just thought maybe something happened,” she says softly.

“How’s she doing?”

“Still asleep, my parents are on their way and are bringing food, so I’m going to wake her soon and have her eat something so I can give her some more Motrin.”

“That’s good.”

“Is everything okay?”

I drop my eyes to the countertop. “Billie and Coop got home a little bit ago, and Billie filled me in on what she saw happen today.”

“What did she say?”

“That she saw a kid shove Zuri, then he laughed when he saw she was bleeding.”

“He laughed?” she repeats, sounding horrified.

“That’s what she said. She also thinks the boy is Jacob Stevens’ brother, named Matthew. She doesn’t know that for sure, but I think you need to call the police department and file a report and press charges if Zuri can tell you who this kid is.”

“When she wakes up, I’ll ask her if she knows who the boy was; if she doesn’t, I’ll have her call Heather. I think she saw who it was; maybe she knows him.”

“That’d be good, baby.”

“Thanks for letting me know, and tell Billie thanks again for everything.”

“I’ll do that, and let me know what Zuri says.”

“Okay.” She agrees as her doorbell rings. “Sorry, that’s my parents, I need to get off."

“No problem, we’ll talk later.”

“Sure, have a good night.”

Dropping my cell to the counter after she hangs up, I wrap my hand around the back of my neck. “What the fuck are you doing, Logan?” I sigh.

Over the years, I’ve casually dated a few women, but I’ve never been seriously interested in any of them enough to pursue things past the occasional hook-up. My focus has been my kids and my business, so it figures that I’ve found myself fascinated with a woman who seems like she could give or take me and is going to make me work for every inch I gain with her. “Fuck me.”

Laid out on my U-shaped couch in the basement with a pillow under my head and a movie playing on the TV, I half-listen to Coop, who is sprawled out on the opposite side of the couch, talk to Zuri on his iPad. Neither of them have said much about much, their conversation has mostly involve them sharing what kind of fruits or vegetables they are growing in whatever game it is they are playing.

At one point, I did hear Coop ask if Matthew was the one who pushed her yesterday. I tried to listen for her response, but couldn’t make anything out with how quiet her answer was, so I’m honestly not sure if she even told him. Then again, when I checked in with Nalia again last night, she told me that Zuri didn’t know for sure who shoved her because there had been a whole group of boys bothering her and her friend. And the two of them had their backs to them when the incident happened. Though she also said she wasn’t sure if she believed her because when she asked her, Zuri got nervous, as if she didn’t want to talk about it.

“Dad, can we go get Sonic?” Coop asks dragging me from my thoughts and I look over at him.

“Your mom is going to be here to pick you up any minute to take you and your sister to dinner.”

“Oh, right,” he mutters.

“We can get Sonic tomorrow after school.”

“I want Sonic,” Zuri says in the background, and Coop grins, then looks at me.

“Can we eat with Zuri again like we did the other day when you picked us up?”

“Sure, if Nalia says that’s cool,” I mutter, wondering if Nalia is going to be pissed that the kids being friends means she can’t avoid me like she might want to.

“You should ask her,” Coop tells his iPad.