Page 55 of Up In Smoke
His hand grips mine harder and he presses his lips together. Klaus whines and nudges him, making my heart melt. Fostering him was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Seeing him and Jesse bonding has been nothing short of beautiful. It reminds me why the two of us pulled this little scheme in the first place, and I take a fortifying breath.
I can’t let this cheerful woman scare me. Getting Jesse clean will be worth whatever consequences she can dish out.
“And am I correct that you got married quite recently?” Angelica asks.
“That’s right,” I say firmly, refusing to let my nerves betray me. “Back in November.”
“Mazel tov,” she says, sounding genuine. “Now, I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but I’m sure you can guess why I’m calling, Mr. Flores. The timing of you putting Mr. Silverman on your insurance claim is just a little convenient. So it’s my job to make sure there’s no funny business going on. I hope you understand.”
“Yes, of course,” I reply.
You’ve got nothing to hide,I tell myself firmly.You’re just bending the facts slightly. Do it for Jesse. He needs you.
I swallow and lick my lips. “The truth is, we did get married to put Jesse on my insurance.” His mouth drops open, but I squeeze his hand and bring it up to hold it against my chest. “It was something we hoped would happen anyway down the line. So for the sake of Jesse’s health, we just sped up the timeline somewhat. Does that make sense?”
“It does, Mr. Flores,” Angelica says not unkindly. “Thank you for being up front with me. Now, because a flag has been raised, I’m going to need to do a little bit of poking around just so I can cross my Ts and dot my Is. But once I’m satisfied, I have no doubt we can put this whole matter to bed, and you can continue focusing on being happy newlyweds. What do you say?”
I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy to satisfy her. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars here. But hope isn’t lost yet.
“Sure, whatever you need.”
“Outstanding,” Angelica replies. “I’d like to swing by sometime in the next couple of weeks to have a chat with you and Mr. Silverman. Talk with friends and family, too. Maybe pop by your place of work as well if that’s all right? You’re a first responder, yes?”
She’s going to come here to Redwood Bay? To my apartment? Oh, crap. “Uh, yes, I’m a firefighter.”
“Wow, that’s a way cooler job than mine,” she says with a chuckle.
“I’m sure my captain will be happy to talk with you,” I say, managing her expectations. “But I keep my private life very private, Ms. Carson. My colleagues don’t know I got married. We can tell them if necessary, but I know that probably won’t look good for our case. And, um, I’m not close with my family. Jesse is estranged from his parents as well. But we’ll do whatever we can to assist in your investigation to help prove our marriage is real.”
Jesse looks as white as a sheet. I rub my thumb against the back of his hand.
“Mr. Flores,” Angelica says, sounding genuinely sympathetic. “I’m not trying to trip you up, I promise. It’s just my job to make sure everyone’s treated fairly. You don’t need to have the perfect character witnesses or circumstances for that. Just carry on as you are, and I’ll swing by when I can to put some names to faces.Often that’s all that’s needed to satisfy the company that the claim is legit. A bit of paperwork after that, then you can forget I even exist. Sound good?”
I take a breath. I’m not sure I trust this lady one bit. But what’s the alternative? Jesse and I will just have to do our best to get through this inspection and pray Angelica Carson isn’t the vindictive type.
“Yes, that all sounds reasonable,” I admit. “I’m just…I’m just very protective of my husband, that’s all.”
We might be bending some truths around this story, but at least that much is a hundred percent accurate.
A soft, sweet sigh comes from the other end of the line. “How romantic,” Angelica says quietly. “Okay, Mr. Flores. I’ll be in touch soon. You take care now.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, feeling dazed. “I hope you have a good day.”
I haven’t even finished closing the call before Jesse starts trembling all over. “We’re going to get caught,” he blurts out tearfully. “They’re going to see right through us. You’re going to be sent toprison.”
“Hey, hey, no, shh,” I say, pulling him into a hug. He grips my back for dear life and buries his face against my neck. My heart breaks, but we’re not giving up. Not even close. “I’m not going anywhere, Jesse. We’re going to get through this. We just have to make sure we’re prepared as of right now. She said a couple of weeks, but I bet they like to catch people off guard to try and get a more accurate sense of the situation. It’s nothing we can’t handle, though.”
Jesse takes a couple of breaths, then leans back, looking less panicked. “What do we need to do?”
Atta boy. I squeeze his shoulder and manage to get a little wobbly smile from him. “I don’t want to cause you any unnecessary stress,” I tell him honestly. “I know how importantstability is for you and I really want to respect your privacy. But I think we have to start by moving you into the main bedroom and sharing it.”
Sharing a bed, I mean. Sleeping beside one another. Lord, I know I’m worried about Jesse’s mental health, but what about mine? If he’s right there, am I going to be able to stop my semi-conscious self from wrapping him in my arms and keeping him there all night, every night?
I doubt it.
“Right, yeah,” he says, glancing away from me and nodding. “That makes sense. Sorry. This is all such an imposition for you.”
“What? Hey, Jesse, no.” He’s refusing to look at me, so I gently touch the side of his face. His wide eyes meet mine and I smile, butterflies swooping in my chest. The touch is simple but also intimate and I can’t bring myself to pull away. “You’re not an imposition. You’re very important to me and this is the least I can do to help you out.”