Free Firestone by Claudia Hall Christian Page B

call
them?”
    “ Skills,” Jacob
said.
    “ Or be like a baby.”
Keenan nodded.
    “ Will you?” Delphie
asked.
    “ I can only try,” Keenan
said.
    “ Abi is here to help the
twins,” Jill said. “And you. She’s going to work with you in the
mornings.”
    “ Abi is a fairy and my
sister.” Keenan nodded. He thought for a moment before adding, “She
doesn’t use her skills. Because she will get in
trouble?”
    “ Because she doesn’t need
to,” Jacob said. “She’s learned to be herself, first.”
    Keenan nodded. He ate a few berries and
sniffed at the string cheese. After a few minutes, he looked
up.
    “ May I go do basketball?”
Keenan asked.
    “ Sure,” Delphie
said.
    Keenan got up. He slammed the door on his
way out. The twins woke with a scream, and Katy laughed.
    “ I’ll go,” Jacob said. He
gave Tanner to Jill and left to follow Keenan.
    ~~~~~~~~
    Monday morning — 7:35 a.m.
     
    Sitting in the back of the limousine,
Jeraine rubbed his face. Schmidty had been babbling a mile a minute
since Jeraine got into the limo. Jeraine looked at his agent and
lawyer.
    They had basically grown up together.
Schmidty’s mother had returned to Denver after his father dumped
her. She had traded his money and fame for her son. That was it. No
support, no visitation, just “give me the boy and you can keep
everything else.” Schmidty’s father had agreed only to renege on
the deal when his subsequent wives failed to bear him a son.
Jeraine had always felt like Schmidty’s mother had been screwed by
his father.
    No one ever knew how hard things were for
her. She was funny, friendly, and very pretty. Jeraine’s mother,
Dionne, had worked hard to help Schmidty’s mother get a job. His
parents had included Schmidty and his mom in everything. The adults
would send the kids out to play while the adults laughed and played
cards. Schmidty and Jeraine played together as much as two geek
kids obsessed with music could play.
    Jeraine gave Schmidty a soft smile. He was
glad Schmidty was by his side today.
    “ I’m talking too much,”
Schmidty said.
    “ Are you nervous?” Jeraine
asked.
    “ I want to kill her,”
Schmidty said. “I never thought I’d be . . .
you’d . . . me . . .
I . . .”
    “ I was just thinking that,
Jammy. Can you imagine that we . . .” Jeraine
gestured to Schmidty and himself, “ . . . are doing
this shit? Just like . . .”
    “ My mom and dad.” Schmidt
leaned back against the seat. “I thought that this morning. How did
we get here?”
    “ No idea,” Jeraine said.
“I only know that I’m not your father. And you aren’t his
lawyer.”
    Schmidty nodded and looked like he was going
to vomit. The limousine pulled over at Detroit Street and Colfax
Boulevard, where Mike Roper and a familiar-looking big guy were
standing. Mike and the big guy got into the limo. Schmidty had
wanted Jeraine to have bodyguards. Tanesha thought they could
spread the money around to some people who would appreciate it, so
she asked Mike if he wanted to do it. Mike asked the big guy.
    Jeraine glanced at the guy and looked away.
This guy was terrifying.
    “ Andy.” The big guy stuck
his hand out so Jeraine had to shake it. “You Jeraine?”
    Jeraine nodded.
    “ What are we doing?” Scary
Andy asked.
    “ We’re hoping to get Mr.
Wilson into family court without being on television,” Schmidty
said.
    “ Television . . .” Scary Andy looked from
Schmidty to Jeraine. “You mean the news?”
    “ Reality TV,” Jeraine
said.
    Mike sneered and looked out the window.
    “ The mother of Mr.
Wilson’s son is on a reality television show,” Schmidty said.
“She’s been trying to get Mr. Wilson to come on the show for a long
time. We believe that’s what the stunt with the child is
about.”
    “ You mean, she abandoned
your son so that you would be forced to be on her reality
television show?” Scary Andy asked.
    “ Improve the ratings,”
Jeraine said.
    Scary Andy