He let out a short, shuddering breath and nodded. “Will I have to switch schools?”
“I’m gonna try very hard to make that not happen. We’ll get you through your senior year and then figure out the college thing.” The college thing. Ah, yes, she certainly sounded in control and like she knew what she was doing. Perfect. But one thing at a time. “In fact, I was talking to Jason about that earlier. He has a beautiful home and he’s invited us to stay with him.”
“I knew you liked him!” A real smile this time, wide and gorgeous, the kind that crinkled up his nose. He used to grin like that in his crib. “You were always trying to be sooooo cooooooool around him, but I could tell. It was the socks, right?”
“You noticed?” She couldn’t recall being more delighted with him. “Aren’t they great? Not that it’s just his socks. It only started with his wonderful, sexy socks.”
“Barf.”
“But listen: We have options, okay? However it works out. I’ve got savings, we can go and get an apartment somewhere. Or we’ll stay with Jason. Or we’ll come up with Option C, which might be a combination of A and B. My point is, you’re not trapped here with her. None of us are. Okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“And you’ll be what you’ll be. Whether it’s chef to the stars or the next Leah Nazir or something in between. There’s not one thing holding you back, Jack. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“And I’m glad she helped you and I’m happy she’s in our family and that’s all fine. And I love you, but you made her a swan? Really?”
The grin became a smirk. “Don’t be jelly.”
“I really hate that slang.”
“That’s what a jelly person would say.”
“You know I can still kick your ass, right? Even though you’re almost as big as I am?”
“With your skinny arms and spindly legs? You’d use up all your breath being shrill and then I’d stomp you.”
“You wanna go, pal?” She was already shrugging out of her jacket. “We can go right now. Next I’ll roll up my shirt sleeves so you’ll know I’m taking this seriously.”
“Yeah, and then you’ll notice I’m not rolling up mine,” he scoffed. “I know you haven’t been in your room yet. Or you would have noticed the plate.”
“I haven’t!” she cried, delighted, instantly putting her jacket back on—it was getting chilly out. “I ran into Archer and Leah in the kitchen and then I came to find you, I haven’t been near my room!” She couldn’t sit still, so she clapped her hands like a goof applauding herself. “I haven’t had one of your swans in over a year. I can’t wait to devour it!”
“You earned it.”
“And all I had to do was devote a decade of my life to solving a murder that never happened.”
He leaned in and said in a low voice, “That’s why I made you two swans. Because for ten years, you’ve basically been our mom and our dad.”
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. She did the fake-cough thing instead. “I can get behind your two-swan reward system.” Jack got to his feet and held out a hand, then pulled her up. “You know the best part?”
“Archer’s gonna be pissed.”
“Archer’s gonna be pissed,” she agreed, and practically skipped into the house.