Linda’s eyes narrowed. “Ms. Soledad, you do realize that Rodney is an adult?”
“Yes, but I am his guardian.”
“Actually, we are paid to do that, and we look out for his best interests. We wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”
“So, you’re saying what I say has no weight? Because I can sue the shit out of you if you assume that.”
Well, there went being calm about this. Brie really needed to get her temper in check, but she was having such a crummy day. She had media day that afternoon, which meant seeing that douche canoe Vaughn Johansson. Then she had to figure out how she was going to get her couch into her apartment by herself, unless she called Mekena and Markus, which she hated doing. They were so obsessed with each other that getting them out of the house was hard most of the time.
She could suck up to Jensen, but she still hadn’t apologized for being a complete bitch to him. Then she had all this stuff going on with Rodney, and she was just stressed. She didn’t want anyone seeing her brother without her permission. She didn’t trust anyone. People were disgusting nowadays, and Rod was so freaking impressionable.
Which was why she hadn’t heard him talk about anything but moving in to Mr. Way’s community for Down syndrome adults.
“No, ma’am, I never said that. I said, he is an adult. He wants to feel normal, he wants to have friends. Lord knows, the people here don’t have the patience for him. One visit with Mr. Way, and the boy was lit up like a Christmas tree. He was so excited. So happy.”
“Then why didn’t I hear about it? You guys have kept it from me.”
Chrissie looked to Linda and then back to Brie. “Because he told us not to tell you.”
Brie’s eyes went wild. “Excuse me?
“Because I knew you’d act like this. Freak out for nothing. He’s my friend, B!”
Letting her head fall back at the sound of Rod’s voice, she sighed heavily. “Rodney, give me a minute, please.”
“Don’t be mean to Linda or Chrissie. They just did what I said. I am a man, Brie, remember?”
“You don’t let me forget,” she called, looking over her shoulder at him. He was wearing a Titans jersey with cut-up jeans, looking every bit the football fan, which made sense since he was going to the game with some of the older guys from the home.
Swallowing past her pride, she closed her eyes. She wanted to remember that he was an adult, that he could make his own decisions, but it was so hard when all she saw was a little boy with Down syndrome, being made fun of for not being like the other kids. A little boy with so much love and hope for this world and slowly but surely being torn down by it. It was her job to protect him, to love him, but was she smothering him?
“Give me a minute,” she asked, and he rolled his eyes before going into his room. She turned back to Linda and Chrissie. “So you watch him when he is with this guy?”
Chrissie nodded. “I do. Sometimes I go with them.”
“She has a thing for Mr. Way,” Linda provided, and Chrissie went red.
“He’s so dreamy. Big, dark eyes and those lips… Lord almighty!” Brie just kept staring at Chrissie, which forced her to look away before she continued. “Anyway, they usually sit outside, talk for hours, and play cards. I think he makes Rod feel normal, good about himself, and Rod likes that.”
Holding her gaze, Brie asked, “Do you know he has his own community for people like Rodney?”
Chrissie nodded as Linda said, “We do, and we really think Rodney would do great there.”
“And you weren’t going to tell me?”
“Rodney said he would.”
Frustrated, she sucked her teeth and shook her head. “From now on, I want to know when people come through here that aren’t family. Which is everyone except me, and I guess, Mr. Way.”
Both ladies nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And make sure he is watched. I don’t trust this guy.”
“He is very sweet. Good man, so caring and brings gifts for everyone here. I even went to the little community to visit Mrs. Mendel’s son, and it’s a beautiful little place. Rod would love it.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “I know he would.”
Without another word, she turned on her heel and went into Rod’s room, slamming the door. Rodney looked up, his eyes wide as he placed his phone on the bed. “You told them to lie to me?” she accused.
“Not lie, hold back.”
“Rodney! I don’t need this right now. I’m stressed with work, with your heart surgery, with everything. And you’ve got people holding back stuff from me?”
“I didn’t want you to get mad.”
“Well, that didn’t work, did it?”
Rodney glared as he threw his hands up. “I am a man!”
“I know. But you are my responsibility.”
“I am a man,” he yelled once more, slamming his hands to his head as he fell back in the bed. “You treat me like a baby!”
Rushing to him, she took ahold of his wrists, holding them back, trying to stop him from hurting himself. “Rodney! I know this. Please understand that I know you are a man. But in my eyes, you are my baby brother, and I have to watch out for you.”
“I am a man, though. I am supposed to watch out for you.”
Her heart melted. “You do,” she said in a soothing voice, rubbing his wrists as she pulled him into her arms. Thankfully, he went willingly. His heart was pounding in his chest, slamming into hers as they embraced. His tantrums never lasted long, only enough to scare Brie a bit before she got control, calming him down. She understood why he was upset. But at the same time, he couldn’t lie to her. She wouldn’t allow it. Not when his safety was at risk. “You know why I’m upset?”
“’Cause I lied to you about Nate?”
Her brows came together. “Is it Nate or Mr. NateWay?”
“I like using both.”
Rolling her eyes, she leaned her head toward his as she drew in air through her nose. “I don’t know him, and it scares me.”
“He’s nice.”
“I don’t know that, though.”
“But I do.”
Rod was so damn stubborn, always right in his eyes, and it drove Brie batty. She desperately wanted him to realize that anyone could take advantage of his sweetness, his good heart. She was determined never to allow that to happen again. He looked up at her, and she got lost in his sweet blue eyes as he begged, “I want to live at NateWay. I saw pictures online. Nate has even let me talk to some of the people, and they are so cool. I want to go, Brie, please. I want to.”
“Yes, but I am his guardian.”
“Actually, we are paid to do that, and we look out for his best interests. We wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”
“So, you’re saying what I say has no weight? Because I can sue the shit out of you if you assume that.”
Well, there went being calm about this. Brie really needed to get her temper in check, but she was having such a crummy day. She had media day that afternoon, which meant seeing that douche canoe Vaughn Johansson. Then she had to figure out how she was going to get her couch into her apartment by herself, unless she called Mekena and Markus, which she hated doing. They were so obsessed with each other that getting them out of the house was hard most of the time.
She could suck up to Jensen, but she still hadn’t apologized for being a complete bitch to him. Then she had all this stuff going on with Rodney, and she was just stressed. She didn’t want anyone seeing her brother without her permission. She didn’t trust anyone. People were disgusting nowadays, and Rod was so freaking impressionable.
Which was why she hadn’t heard him talk about anything but moving in to Mr. Way’s community for Down syndrome adults.
“No, ma’am, I never said that. I said, he is an adult. He wants to feel normal, he wants to have friends. Lord knows, the people here don’t have the patience for him. One visit with Mr. Way, and the boy was lit up like a Christmas tree. He was so excited. So happy.”
“Then why didn’t I hear about it? You guys have kept it from me.”
Chrissie looked to Linda and then back to Brie. “Because he told us not to tell you.”
Brie’s eyes went wild. “Excuse me?
“Because I knew you’d act like this. Freak out for nothing. He’s my friend, B!”
Letting her head fall back at the sound of Rod’s voice, she sighed heavily. “Rodney, give me a minute, please.”
“Don’t be mean to Linda or Chrissie. They just did what I said. I am a man, Brie, remember?”
“You don’t let me forget,” she called, looking over her shoulder at him. He was wearing a Titans jersey with cut-up jeans, looking every bit the football fan, which made sense since he was going to the game with some of the older guys from the home.
Swallowing past her pride, she closed her eyes. She wanted to remember that he was an adult, that he could make his own decisions, but it was so hard when all she saw was a little boy with Down syndrome, being made fun of for not being like the other kids. A little boy with so much love and hope for this world and slowly but surely being torn down by it. It was her job to protect him, to love him, but was she smothering him?
“Give me a minute,” she asked, and he rolled his eyes before going into his room. She turned back to Linda and Chrissie. “So you watch him when he is with this guy?”
Chrissie nodded. “I do. Sometimes I go with them.”
“She has a thing for Mr. Way,” Linda provided, and Chrissie went red.
“He’s so dreamy. Big, dark eyes and those lips… Lord almighty!” Brie just kept staring at Chrissie, which forced her to look away before she continued. “Anyway, they usually sit outside, talk for hours, and play cards. I think he makes Rod feel normal, good about himself, and Rod likes that.”
Holding her gaze, Brie asked, “Do you know he has his own community for people like Rodney?”
Chrissie nodded as Linda said, “We do, and we really think Rodney would do great there.”
“And you weren’t going to tell me?”
“Rodney said he would.”
Frustrated, she sucked her teeth and shook her head. “From now on, I want to know when people come through here that aren’t family. Which is everyone except me, and I guess, Mr. Way.”
Both ladies nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And make sure he is watched. I don’t trust this guy.”
“He is very sweet. Good man, so caring and brings gifts for everyone here. I even went to the little community to visit Mrs. Mendel’s son, and it’s a beautiful little place. Rod would love it.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “I know he would.”
Without another word, she turned on her heel and went into Rod’s room, slamming the door. Rodney looked up, his eyes wide as he placed his phone on the bed. “You told them to lie to me?” she accused.
“Not lie, hold back.”
“Rodney! I don’t need this right now. I’m stressed with work, with your heart surgery, with everything. And you’ve got people holding back stuff from me?”
“I didn’t want you to get mad.”
“Well, that didn’t work, did it?”
Rodney glared as he threw his hands up. “I am a man!”
“I know. But you are my responsibility.”
“I am a man,” he yelled once more, slamming his hands to his head as he fell back in the bed. “You treat me like a baby!”
Rushing to him, she took ahold of his wrists, holding them back, trying to stop him from hurting himself. “Rodney! I know this. Please understand that I know you are a man. But in my eyes, you are my baby brother, and I have to watch out for you.”
“I am a man, though. I am supposed to watch out for you.”
Her heart melted. “You do,” she said in a soothing voice, rubbing his wrists as she pulled him into her arms. Thankfully, he went willingly. His heart was pounding in his chest, slamming into hers as they embraced. His tantrums never lasted long, only enough to scare Brie a bit before she got control, calming him down. She understood why he was upset. But at the same time, he couldn’t lie to her. She wouldn’t allow it. Not when his safety was at risk. “You know why I’m upset?”
“’Cause I lied to you about Nate?”
Her brows came together. “Is it Nate or Mr. NateWay?”
“I like using both.”
Rolling her eyes, she leaned her head toward his as she drew in air through her nose. “I don’t know him, and it scares me.”
“He’s nice.”
“I don’t know that, though.”
“But I do.”
Rod was so damn stubborn, always right in his eyes, and it drove Brie batty. She desperately wanted him to realize that anyone could take advantage of his sweetness, his good heart. She was determined never to allow that to happen again. He looked up at her, and she got lost in his sweet blue eyes as he begged, “I want to live at NateWay. I saw pictures online. Nate has even let me talk to some of the people, and they are so cool. I want to go, Brie, please. I want to.”
