Fireside Susan Wiggs (best free ebook reader for android .txt) 📖

who were deported for voting. Or taking a class in English without proper documentation. Sometimes, people get in trouble just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“She was at work,” he said. “Same as every day.” He knew what the real problem was—his mom had brown skin and spoke English with an accent.

“I’m sorry, AJ. The system is extremely flawed, and sometimes people like your mother pay the price.”

So here he was, a few thousand miles from the only home he’d ever known, living in this crazy house with a group of strangers.

And here was the weird thing—it was sometimes like having a great big family.

Of course, he would consider it way cooler if he wasn’t so worried about his mom. If he was back together with his mom, maybe if he could live at a place like this with her, then that would be awesome. He’d always wanted a bigger family, even though he knew brothers and sisters fought with you and took your stuff. He just liked the noise and the feeling of being surrounded by a big group of people in a place where he belonged. After Bruno left, it was just AJ and his mom, which meant it was really just AJ most of the time, because he was home alone so much while Mom worked.

Being in this snow-white small town, in this big crazy house, meant that at least while he waited for her to come home, he wouldn’t be bored. So that was something. The house itself was like a mansion out of an old-fashioned novel, both elaborate and slightly creepy. The place had a turret—a round tower three stories high, and old-fashioned rooms with tall ceilings and carved woodwork. The furniture was old, too, but well cared for, and the yard was crisscrossed by fresh tracks from some small animal or other. And the whole thing was presided over by Mrs. van Dorn. She had an open face and kind eyes, and she was a pretty good cook, judging by the nightly dinners around here.

All in all, it wouldn’t be too bad, except for the thing with his mom.

At dinnertime, AJ helped himself to a plate full of spaghetti and meatballs, and a side of salad with big toasted croutons. He took his seat next to Bo in the brightly painted dining room. Music drifted from a speaker behind a plant, mingling with the murmured conversation of people greeting each other, complimenting Mrs. van Dorn on the food. It was weird, in a good way, to be living with this group of people. One big not-happy-but-at-least-not-bored family.

Mrs. van Dorn sat at the head of the table, with her back to the swinging kitchen door. To her left was a guy called Dino Carminucci, the manager of Bo’s baseball team, some outfit called the Hornets. To Mrs. V’s right was the Hornets’ catcher, Bagwell, who went by the nickname Early. Bagwell usually played winter baseball in the Dominican Republic, but he had a wrist injury and was sitting the season out.

Across from AJ sat Daphne McDaniel. He silently called her “Daffy” on account of the pink hair, tattoos and facial piercings. She worked at Mrs. Bellamy-Shepherd’s law office, even though she didn’t look like the type to be doing office work. What she really liked was anime. She was obsessed with drawing, and even had a series going called “Steel Angel.”

At the opposite end of the table sat Kim, who was Mrs. V’s daughter. With her long red hair and that face, she was like a movie star or something. She was even prettier than the Miss Texas he’d seen at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It was hard not to stare at her, but AJ was pretty good at being cool. And Kim just acted like a regular person, although Bo seemed to make her nervous. AJ wondered what was up with that.

“More milk?” Bo offered, startling him.

“Uh, no thanks.” To tell the truth, AJ pretty much hated it here. He didn’t quite know what to make of Bo. What kind of guy had a kid and then blew him off for twelve years? Sure, he was trying to figure out a way to help AJ’s mom, but that was just so he wouldn’t have to deal with AJ anymore.

AJ figured the feeling was mutual, although Bo acted all buddy-buddy with him, even razzing the attendance clerk at the school AJ had no intention of going to. A school full of strangers. He might have to give in and go, though. More than anything, he wanted to keep the focus on getting his mom out of detention. The quicker that happened, the better for everyone.

The people at Fairfield House didn’t ask him a bunch of nosy questions, so that was something. There was no reason for them to be interested in where he came from and how he’d ended up here. He just wanted to get back together with his mom. Every time he thought of her, he got a lump in his throat, big enough to hurt really bad. He tried not to think about his mom and concentrated on the meal and the people around the long table.

At a pause in the conversation, Mrs. van Dorn turned to smile at AJ and then Bo. “Now that you’ve had a chance to settle in, is everything all right?”

“Absolutely, ma’am,” Bo said immediately. “Isn’t it, AJ?”

“Yeah, sure. Um, yes, ma’am.” AJ figured a show of good manners would get him further than copping an attitude.

“Well, we’re very glad to have you, aren’t we, Kimberly?”

“Absolutely.”

“We’re much obliged to you,” Bo said. “Dino and Early told me you’re the best cook in Avalon, and they weren’t pulling my leg.”

Mrs. van Dorn’s eyes lit even brighter. “When my daughter said you were a charmer, she wasn’t pulling my leg.”

Bo grinned at Kim. “A charmer? Did you really call me a charmer?”

“Indeed, I did.” She was trying to act all cool, but AJ