Housesitting with the Tighs: An Ikeaverse Installment
Title: Housesitting with the Tighs
Rating: T
Warning: vague references to child abuse
Disclaimer: don't own them.
Summary: While Bill and Laura are on their honeymoon, Saul housesits their cabin. He gets an unexpected visitor.
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Kara, Bill/Laura, Saul/Ellen
Word Count: ~2500
Beta: Much thanks to fragrantwoods for helping me with concerns with accuracy.
A/N: This is part of an open 'verse that begins with " Normaling."
A/N2: The events in this installment are occurring concurrently with the events in this spin off ' verse.
Saul popped open a can of beer and sat on the Adamas' porch swing. Between the quiet and the view, he could get used to this. He took a swig. Oh yeah, that was good stuff.
Just as he was starting to close his eyes, he heard footsteps. Loud ones.
"Hey."
It was that girl, Kara (although they called her Starbuck). "They're not here."
She smirked. "I know. They told me I could crash here."
They did mention she might be stopping by. Something about her mother. Now what? "Does your mom know you're here?"
"I left a note."
She wasn't going to say anything more. "Have a seat if you want. I'd offer a beer, but--"
"That's okay. I'll grab a coke."
She opened the door and went inside. Saul took out his cellphone. He'd need reinforcement.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kara came back out with a coke and approached the porch swing. “Okay if I join you, Mr. Tigh?” She asked after sitting.
What was he gonna say? He just nodded.
“You and the Old Man go way back, right?”
Something they could talk about, at least. “Yeah.”
“You must have some stories.”
He smirked. “Yeah, we’ve had some good times together. And with Ellen.”
“That’s your wife, right?”
He nodded. “You sure ask a lot of questions.”
“Ms. R, err. Mrs. Adama says that’s the best way to learn.”
“What are you trying to learn?”
“I just wanna hear some stories.”
He looked at her trying to decide what story to tell. He had so many, but the Old Man (or even worse, the Old Lady) would kill him for telling her some of them, especially the ones involving Ellen. Looking at the kid, it was hard to remember she was so young. She seemed so tough. He knew what that was about.
“The military can be a great place to grow up,” he said. Not the best way to start a story, but he felt like he could share something with her. Like maybe she could escape that way.
“Bill says that too. He also says it can take the life out of you.”
He nodded. “That’s true too.” He smirked. “Leave it to the Old Man to be brutally honest.”
“I like that about him.”
She said that quickly. Like an instinct. Bill mentioned how hard he had to work to win her over and how loyal she was to Laura. It seemed Bill managed to gain some of that loyalty for himself.
“Me too. I always did.” He took a sip of beer. “Alright, I got a good story.”
He proceeded to tell her about the time they were on leave in Singapore. They were nearly mugged, outnumbered 5 to 2, but Bill took three, and Saul took the other two, and they won. They’d celebrated pretty hard after that, but Saul ended the story with Bill saving Saul.
“Then what?”
He shrugged. “We went back to the ship. We were both sore and beat up pretty bad. Me especially. We spent a lot of our leave in sick bay.”
“That sucks. You guys were bad asses, though. Maybe you or Bill could teach me to box.”
“What would your mother say?”
She got up from the swing. “My mother doesn’t say much about anything. And maybe if I could box...”
Yeah he was right. So were the Old Lady and Old Man. Why weren’t they doing anything about it? “Sure kid. We could teach you how to box.” He took another swig, which turned into a chug. This girl was gonna be trouble. “After they get back. Cuz Bill is a much better teacher than me. Better boxer too.”
She sat back down and sipped her coke. She was alright for a kid. For a girl kid. He’d never related well to children. Maybe it was just as well he and Ellen never had any.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
He cut his story short. They’d probably visited some prostitutes or something. It was funny that he didn’t want to tell her that. Probably afraid of what the Old Lady would do if she found out.
Laura was especially fierce since she ousted half the faculty and took over as principal. She’d even threatened Socrata. “I’m in charge now. One phone call’s all it’ll take,” she’d said. Socrata had stopped for awhile after that.
When the Adamas got hitched, Laura and Socrata made an agreement. They didn't think Kara knew about it, but she's sharper than people give her credit for. Since that was what she wanted, she didn’t put up a fight over that. That’s what brought her to the cabin. Socrata had that look in her eyes, and Kara knew to get out.
She called Laura, and the Old Lady said she could help housesit with Saul. From the sound of her voice, Kara gathered the Old Lady was plenty pissed. She wouldn’t want to be Socrata right now.
She turned to Saul. “I’m gonna go inside a minute.”
He nodded.
She headed inside. She could get used to this.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Laura stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon. It was majestic. Standing before something so big made her feel small. Surprisingly, she was okay with the feeling. Probably because Bill was standing there with his arm around her. "What do you think?"
"Beautiful."
She turned to him. He wasn't even looking at it. "You weren't looking."
"Oh, I was looking."
“Yeah? At what?”
“The view’s beautiful from here. The sun’s rays make your hair glisten.”
She turned to him. “I like the view too.”
Her phone buzzed. She backed from the edge, and Bill followed her. “Kara? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I left her a note and booked just like you told me. Oh, and Mr. Tigh’s okay.”
“Yeah? Good. I’m glad you’re there. Saul’s a good man. If you want to stay and house sit with the Tighs, you can. I’m gonna take care of a few things over here. You sure you’re okay?”
She could almost hear the eye roll. “Yeah, I’m fine. How are you guys?”
It was the closest she’d get to an ‘I miss you.’ “We’re great. We’re standing in front of the Grand Canyon right now.”
“Cool. Well, have fun.”
“Bye, Kara.”
Laura ended the call. Bill was at her side in an instant. “She okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. She’s with Saul at the Cabin.”
“That’s what we wanted, right?”
“Yes, it was.”
It was part of the agreement she’d made. Not her proudest moment but she believed it was what was best for Kara. Sure, she could call child services, again, and they’d remove her, but then what? She knew Kara, and the system was no place for her. She was nearly seventeen. Going into her senior year. She thrived under Laura’s and Bill’s care, so that made the most sense for all involved.
Bill questioned her motives initially. “Are you sure this isn’t about you?”
“Maybe it is. A little. But it’s mostly about her.”
He nodded. “Then you have my full support.”
She paid Socrata a visit the next day. The woman didn’t want to let her in, but there wasn’t much she could do to stop Laura: She was on the warpath.
“I’ll keep this simple. I don’t want Kara in the system. You don’t want them coming here. Again.”
“You’re the one who sent them here.”
“And I can do it again. And this time you won’t be able to fool them.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to let Kara stay with me whenever she feels unsafe. And I want it in writing.” She handed Socrata the agreement she wrote up. “Sign this, please.”
“I’m gonna read it first.”
Laura smiled. “Of course.”
She watched Socrata read the document. Prepared for the next step if necessary. Socrata picked up the pen and signed. Then she shoved the document in Laura’s face. “Take her now, if you want her so bad.”
“Thank you. I will.”
Laura found Kara on the front porch. “Want to come with me for a while?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“You wanna stay with Bill and me?”
“For how long?”
“A few days.”
“Yeah.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
Bill held her close. “Should we try to make it permanent?”
“I’d love to, you know that, but...”
“The agreement.”
She nodded. “She’ll stick it out for a year, and then she can go where she wants. And she knows she’s welcome with us.”
“Yeah.”
Laura picked up her phone and dialed Cynthia’s number. “Cynthia? Hi. It’s Laura Roslin.” She glanced at Bill. “Remember that situation we talked about?”
“With the Thraces?”
“Yes. That’s it. Kara is currently at my cabin. However, my husband and I are on our honeymoon. Our friends are housesitting for us, and Kara would like to stay with them.”
“Uh, huh. Well, I could do an ‘off the record’ visit and background check just to make sure Kara is truly comfortable.”
“Thank you, so very much.”
“You’ve been very helpful to us since you became principal, so it’s no problem really.”
They exchanged goodbyes and Laura ended the call.
“That sounds like it went well,” Bill said.
“Very well. Now, I’m gonna call Saul.”
“Sounds good. Mrs. Roslin.”
She squeezed his hand. “Mr. Roslin.”
She pushed Saul’s number in her cell phone.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Saul’s phone rang. He answered it hoping it was Ellen. “Laura? Hi. How ya doin?”
“We’re great, Saul. We’re at the Grand Canyon. Is Starbuck with you?”
“Yeah. She’s inside now. She’s been keeping me company on your porch swing.”
“Good. Listen, I just got off the phone with a social worker. She's gonna come by and make sure she’s alright. She’ll ask you and Ellen some questions too. Are you and Ellen gonna be okay with that?”
Saul dumped the rest of his beer in the grass behind him. “You can count on us.”
He could hear her smile in the phone. Anything for his best friends. It wasn’t like she was a little kid or anything, anyway. “You’re the best, Saul. Thanks. And call if you need anything. We can come home early if we need to, okay?”
“Laura, we got this. Don’t even think about coming home. I swear we’ll keep you posted.”
“Okay. Bye, Saul.”
The phone clicked when the call ended. Saul put the phone in his pocket and went inside.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
She was on the couch when Saul came in. “Hey, I just got off the phone with Laura. A social worker will be here to talk to you. And my wife’s gonna stay with us too.”
She nodded. Anything to stay here.
There was a knock on the door, followed by a woman calling Saul’s name. “Your wife?” Kara asked.
“Just in time.”
Saul opened the door, and a woman in a floral dress and blonde hair entered. “What’s the big emergency, Saul? You’re just housesitting for them.”
Saul gestured to Kara. “It’s a little more complicated. This is Kara Thrace.”
Ellen’s eyes registered understanding. “Right, Kara.” She ran to the couch. “We’ll be great friends, won’t we?”
Normally Kara didn’t make friends with people who insisted they’d be friends. This woman, however, was friends with Bill and Laura, and she was Saul’s wife, so she couldn’t be too bad. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
Ellen flashed a big smile. “I just have to talk to Saul. We’ll be back in a flash.”
The woman practically dragged her husband into the kitchen. They were certainly different than the Adamas, but she could get used to them too. Saul was pretty cool, at least.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
An hour later, the social worker came and went. She was satisfied with the living conditions of the cabin, Kara’s statement, and Principal Roslin attesting for the Tighs’ character. She conducted her own background check, which came up clean. Kara could stay with them for the duration of the Adamas’ trip if she chose.
She called Socrata for confirmation that this arrangement was indeed alright with the parent. Socrata said she had no problem letting Kara stay with ‘Ms. Perfect Roslin and her high class friends.’ After that conversation, she was even more understanding of Laura’s actions even if they weren’t, strictly speaking, legal. Someone had to look out for Kara Thrace, and the Adamas--and their friends the Tighs--were the best shot she had.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
She spoke to Kara first. “Are you sure you’re comfortable here?”
Kara nodded. “Very. The Adamas are great people, and they love kids.”
The social worker nodded. “What about the Tighs?”
Kara shrugged. “I like Saul. He’s tough but fun to talk to. Ellen seems cool too.”
“And you’d rather stay here than at home?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
The woman smiled. “That’s all I needed to know. Now, if you’ll just give me your mother’s number, I can confirm it.”
Kara gave her the number, and then she sat down, giving the woman some space. She didn’t really want to hear her mother’s voice at the moment--not even through the phone.
She watched the woman’s face as she listened and spoke. She must have been getting an earful.
When the social worker ended the call, she confirmed everything was on the up and up. Kara knew that wasn’t exactly true but said nothing. Ms. R, err, Mrs. Adama was great at bending the rules. It was one of the things Kara liked most about her.
The woman said she needed to talk to the Tighs. Kara nodded and sat back against the sofa, as the adults went into the kitchen.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
“Are you sure, you want responsibility for a 16 year old girl?” the woman asked Saul.
Did he? Well, strictly speaking, probably not, but she was alone and needed someone who had her back. He knew what that was all about. Besides, he promised Laura, and he didn’t break promises to his best friends. “Of course. She’s a great kid, and besides, who else will do it?”
She nodded. Maybe that was the right answer. He was never good at these things. Bill or Ellen usually did the talking for him. “What about you, Ellen?”
Ellen answered with a gleeful “We’ll have so much fun together. I’ve always wanted a niece or little sister. She can be the one I never got to have.”
He didn’t know that about his wife.
“Well, the background check came up totally clean.” He nearly did a doubletake. The woman smiled and continued. “You’re doing a great thing for her. You’re good people.” She handed him a card. “In fact, if you’re interested, there are many children who could use people just like you.”
He nodded. Glad to appear trustworthy to someone aside from Bill and Laura. “We’ll certainly think about it, ma’am.”
They exited the kitchen, and the social worker went to Kara once more.
“You have a nice setup here, Kara.”
Kara nodded.
The woman gave everyone a final wave, and she left.
Ellen sank down onto the sofa with exaggerated exhaustion, as Saul sat in the adjacent chair. “What should we have for dinner?” Ellen asked Kara.
Kara shrugged. “Whatever.”
Ellen lowered her voice and said, “I have to admit, I don’t really cook.”
Kara smirked. “Me neither.”
“Let’s get Saul to take us to dinner.”
She winked at Kara and turned to her husband. “Saul, dear, I think we should celebrate.”
He chuckled. They were always ‘celebrating’ something. “Let’s go, then. I’m starving.”
Next Installment
Rating: T
Warning: vague references to child abuse
Disclaimer: don't own them.
Summary: While Bill and Laura are on their honeymoon, Saul housesits their cabin. He gets an unexpected visitor.
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Kara, Bill/Laura, Saul/Ellen
Word Count: ~2500
Beta: Much thanks to fragrantwoods for helping me with concerns with accuracy.
A/N: This is part of an open 'verse that begins with " Normaling."
A/N2: The events in this installment are occurring concurrently with the events in this spin off ' verse.
Saul popped open a can of beer and sat on the Adamas' porch swing. Between the quiet and the view, he could get used to this. He took a swig. Oh yeah, that was good stuff.
Just as he was starting to close his eyes, he heard footsteps. Loud ones.
"Hey."
It was that girl, Kara (although they called her Starbuck). "They're not here."
She smirked. "I know. They told me I could crash here."
They did mention she might be stopping by. Something about her mother. Now what? "Does your mom know you're here?"
"I left a note."
She wasn't going to say anything more. "Have a seat if you want. I'd offer a beer, but--"
"That's okay. I'll grab a coke."
She opened the door and went inside. Saul took out his cellphone. He'd need reinforcement.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kara came back out with a coke and approached the porch swing. “Okay if I join you, Mr. Tigh?” She asked after sitting.
What was he gonna say? He just nodded.
“You and the Old Man go way back, right?”
Something they could talk about, at least. “Yeah.”
“You must have some stories.”
He smirked. “Yeah, we’ve had some good times together. And with Ellen.”
“That’s your wife, right?”
He nodded. “You sure ask a lot of questions.”
“Ms. R, err. Mrs. Adama says that’s the best way to learn.”
“What are you trying to learn?”
“I just wanna hear some stories.”
He looked at her trying to decide what story to tell. He had so many, but the Old Man (or even worse, the Old Lady) would kill him for telling her some of them, especially the ones involving Ellen. Looking at the kid, it was hard to remember she was so young. She seemed so tough. He knew what that was about.
“The military can be a great place to grow up,” he said. Not the best way to start a story, but he felt like he could share something with her. Like maybe she could escape that way.
“Bill says that too. He also says it can take the life out of you.”
He nodded. “That’s true too.” He smirked. “Leave it to the Old Man to be brutally honest.”
“I like that about him.”
She said that quickly. Like an instinct. Bill mentioned how hard he had to work to win her over and how loyal she was to Laura. It seemed Bill managed to gain some of that loyalty for himself.
“Me too. I always did.” He took a sip of beer. “Alright, I got a good story.”
He proceeded to tell her about the time they were on leave in Singapore. They were nearly mugged, outnumbered 5 to 2, but Bill took three, and Saul took the other two, and they won. They’d celebrated pretty hard after that, but Saul ended the story with Bill saving Saul.
“Then what?”
He shrugged. “We went back to the ship. We were both sore and beat up pretty bad. Me especially. We spent a lot of our leave in sick bay.”
“That sucks. You guys were bad asses, though. Maybe you or Bill could teach me to box.”
“What would your mother say?”
She got up from the swing. “My mother doesn’t say much about anything. And maybe if I could box...”
Yeah he was right. So were the Old Lady and Old Man. Why weren’t they doing anything about it? “Sure kid. We could teach you how to box.” He took another swig, which turned into a chug. This girl was gonna be trouble. “After they get back. Cuz Bill is a much better teacher than me. Better boxer too.”
She sat back down and sipped her coke. She was alright for a kid. For a girl kid. He’d never related well to children. Maybe it was just as well he and Ellen never had any.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
He cut his story short. They’d probably visited some prostitutes or something. It was funny that he didn’t want to tell her that. Probably afraid of what the Old Lady would do if she found out.
Laura was especially fierce since she ousted half the faculty and took over as principal. She’d even threatened Socrata. “I’m in charge now. One phone call’s all it’ll take,” she’d said. Socrata had stopped for awhile after that.
When the Adamas got hitched, Laura and Socrata made an agreement. They didn't think Kara knew about it, but she's sharper than people give her credit for. Since that was what she wanted, she didn’t put up a fight over that. That’s what brought her to the cabin. Socrata had that look in her eyes, and Kara knew to get out.
She called Laura, and the Old Lady said she could help housesit with Saul. From the sound of her voice, Kara gathered the Old Lady was plenty pissed. She wouldn’t want to be Socrata right now.
She turned to Saul. “I’m gonna go inside a minute.”
He nodded.
She headed inside. She could get used to this.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Laura stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon. It was majestic. Standing before something so big made her feel small. Surprisingly, she was okay with the feeling. Probably because Bill was standing there with his arm around her. "What do you think?"
"Beautiful."
She turned to him. He wasn't even looking at it. "You weren't looking."
"Oh, I was looking."
“Yeah? At what?”
“The view’s beautiful from here. The sun’s rays make your hair glisten.”
She turned to him. “I like the view too.”
Her phone buzzed. She backed from the edge, and Bill followed her. “Kara? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I left her a note and booked just like you told me. Oh, and Mr. Tigh’s okay.”
“Yeah? Good. I’m glad you’re there. Saul’s a good man. If you want to stay and house sit with the Tighs, you can. I’m gonna take care of a few things over here. You sure you’re okay?”
She could almost hear the eye roll. “Yeah, I’m fine. How are you guys?”
It was the closest she’d get to an ‘I miss you.’ “We’re great. We’re standing in front of the Grand Canyon right now.”
“Cool. Well, have fun.”
“Bye, Kara.”
Laura ended the call. Bill was at her side in an instant. “She okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. She’s with Saul at the Cabin.”
“That’s what we wanted, right?”
“Yes, it was.”
It was part of the agreement she’d made. Not her proudest moment but she believed it was what was best for Kara. Sure, she could call child services, again, and they’d remove her, but then what? She knew Kara, and the system was no place for her. She was nearly seventeen. Going into her senior year. She thrived under Laura’s and Bill’s care, so that made the most sense for all involved.
Bill questioned her motives initially. “Are you sure this isn’t about you?”
“Maybe it is. A little. But it’s mostly about her.”
He nodded. “Then you have my full support.”
She paid Socrata a visit the next day. The woman didn’t want to let her in, but there wasn’t much she could do to stop Laura: She was on the warpath.
“I’ll keep this simple. I don’t want Kara in the system. You don’t want them coming here. Again.”
“You’re the one who sent them here.”
“And I can do it again. And this time you won’t be able to fool them.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to let Kara stay with me whenever she feels unsafe. And I want it in writing.” She handed Socrata the agreement she wrote up. “Sign this, please.”
“I’m gonna read it first.”
Laura smiled. “Of course.”
She watched Socrata read the document. Prepared for the next step if necessary. Socrata picked up the pen and signed. Then she shoved the document in Laura’s face. “Take her now, if you want her so bad.”
“Thank you. I will.”
Laura found Kara on the front porch. “Want to come with me for a while?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“You wanna stay with Bill and me?”
“For how long?”
“A few days.”
“Yeah.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
Bill held her close. “Should we try to make it permanent?”
“I’d love to, you know that, but...”
“The agreement.”
She nodded. “She’ll stick it out for a year, and then she can go where she wants. And she knows she’s welcome with us.”
“Yeah.”
Laura picked up her phone and dialed Cynthia’s number. “Cynthia? Hi. It’s Laura Roslin.” She glanced at Bill. “Remember that situation we talked about?”
“With the Thraces?”
“Yes. That’s it. Kara is currently at my cabin. However, my husband and I are on our honeymoon. Our friends are housesitting for us, and Kara would like to stay with them.”
“Uh, huh. Well, I could do an ‘off the record’ visit and background check just to make sure Kara is truly comfortable.”
“Thank you, so very much.”
“You’ve been very helpful to us since you became principal, so it’s no problem really.”
They exchanged goodbyes and Laura ended the call.
“That sounds like it went well,” Bill said.
“Very well. Now, I’m gonna call Saul.”
“Sounds good. Mrs. Roslin.”
She squeezed his hand. “Mr. Roslin.”
She pushed Saul’s number in her cell phone.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Saul’s phone rang. He answered it hoping it was Ellen. “Laura? Hi. How ya doin?”
“We’re great, Saul. We’re at the Grand Canyon. Is Starbuck with you?”
“Yeah. She’s inside now. She’s been keeping me company on your porch swing.”
“Good. Listen, I just got off the phone with a social worker. She's gonna come by and make sure she’s alright. She’ll ask you and Ellen some questions too. Are you and Ellen gonna be okay with that?”
Saul dumped the rest of his beer in the grass behind him. “You can count on us.”
He could hear her smile in the phone. Anything for his best friends. It wasn’t like she was a little kid or anything, anyway. “You’re the best, Saul. Thanks. And call if you need anything. We can come home early if we need to, okay?”
“Laura, we got this. Don’t even think about coming home. I swear we’ll keep you posted.”
“Okay. Bye, Saul.”
The phone clicked when the call ended. Saul put the phone in his pocket and went inside.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
She was on the couch when Saul came in. “Hey, I just got off the phone with Laura. A social worker will be here to talk to you. And my wife’s gonna stay with us too.”
She nodded. Anything to stay here.
There was a knock on the door, followed by a woman calling Saul’s name. “Your wife?” Kara asked.
“Just in time.”
Saul opened the door, and a woman in a floral dress and blonde hair entered. “What’s the big emergency, Saul? You’re just housesitting for them.”
Saul gestured to Kara. “It’s a little more complicated. This is Kara Thrace.”
Ellen’s eyes registered understanding. “Right, Kara.” She ran to the couch. “We’ll be great friends, won’t we?”
Normally Kara didn’t make friends with people who insisted they’d be friends. This woman, however, was friends with Bill and Laura, and she was Saul’s wife, so she couldn’t be too bad. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
Ellen flashed a big smile. “I just have to talk to Saul. We’ll be back in a flash.”
The woman practically dragged her husband into the kitchen. They were certainly different than the Adamas, but she could get used to them too. Saul was pretty cool, at least.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
An hour later, the social worker came and went. She was satisfied with the living conditions of the cabin, Kara’s statement, and Principal Roslin attesting for the Tighs’ character. She conducted her own background check, which came up clean. Kara could stay with them for the duration of the Adamas’ trip if she chose.
She called Socrata for confirmation that this arrangement was indeed alright with the parent. Socrata said she had no problem letting Kara stay with ‘Ms. Perfect Roslin and her high class friends.’ After that conversation, she was even more understanding of Laura’s actions even if they weren’t, strictly speaking, legal. Someone had to look out for Kara Thrace, and the Adamas--and their friends the Tighs--were the best shot she had.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
She spoke to Kara first. “Are you sure you’re comfortable here?”
Kara nodded. “Very. The Adamas are great people, and they love kids.”
The social worker nodded. “What about the Tighs?”
Kara shrugged. “I like Saul. He’s tough but fun to talk to. Ellen seems cool too.”
“And you’d rather stay here than at home?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
The woman smiled. “That’s all I needed to know. Now, if you’ll just give me your mother’s number, I can confirm it.”
Kara gave her the number, and then she sat down, giving the woman some space. She didn’t really want to hear her mother’s voice at the moment--not even through the phone.
She watched the woman’s face as she listened and spoke. She must have been getting an earful.
When the social worker ended the call, she confirmed everything was on the up and up. Kara knew that wasn’t exactly true but said nothing. Ms. R, err, Mrs. Adama was great at bending the rules. It was one of the things Kara liked most about her.
The woman said she needed to talk to the Tighs. Kara nodded and sat back against the sofa, as the adults went into the kitchen.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
“Are you sure, you want responsibility for a 16 year old girl?” the woman asked Saul.
Did he? Well, strictly speaking, probably not, but she was alone and needed someone who had her back. He knew what that was all about. Besides, he promised Laura, and he didn’t break promises to his best friends. “Of course. She’s a great kid, and besides, who else will do it?”
She nodded. Maybe that was the right answer. He was never good at these things. Bill or Ellen usually did the talking for him. “What about you, Ellen?”
Ellen answered with a gleeful “We’ll have so much fun together. I’ve always wanted a niece or little sister. She can be the one I never got to have.”
He didn’t know that about his wife.
“Well, the background check came up totally clean.” He nearly did a doubletake. The woman smiled and continued. “You’re doing a great thing for her. You’re good people.” She handed him a card. “In fact, if you’re interested, there are many children who could use people just like you.”
He nodded. Glad to appear trustworthy to someone aside from Bill and Laura. “We’ll certainly think about it, ma’am.”
They exited the kitchen, and the social worker went to Kara once more.
“You have a nice setup here, Kara.”
Kara nodded.
The woman gave everyone a final wave, and she left.
Ellen sank down onto the sofa with exaggerated exhaustion, as Saul sat in the adjacent chair. “What should we have for dinner?” Ellen asked Kara.
Kara shrugged. “Whatever.”
Ellen lowered her voice and said, “I have to admit, I don’t really cook.”
Kara smirked. “Me neither.”
“Let’s get Saul to take us to dinner.”
She winked at Kara and turned to her husband. “Saul, dear, I think we should celebrate.”
He chuckled. They were always ‘celebrating’ something. “Let’s go, then. I’m starving.”
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