Valentine Wishes (Baxter Academy Book 1) by Jane Charles Read Free Book Online

his skateboard. Hit his head hard enough to put him in a coma for a few days.”
    “Closed head injury?”
    She nods. “Traumatic. He’s had so many problems since his accident and we’ve tried everything to help, but nothing does. His mood swings are out of this world. He gets headaches all of the time. His concentration is crap and school has been a struggle. We’ve tried every medication there is, physical therapy, a neuropsychologist, everything.”
    She takes another drink of wine. I’m sorry I brought the subject up. I wanted this to be a fun night. Not a downer.
    “I’m just hoping his senior year of high school is better than his junior. I know he’s not looking forward to going back and would be happy never to step foot into a classroom again. I can’t really blame him since reading brings on massive headaches that can make him sick. But, there aren’t any other options open. He’s got to graduate. After that, he can do whatever he wants.”
    I think I get where she is going with this. “So, you think to hang back his senior year and help out, so he doesn’t struggle too much.”
    “Yep.”
    That shouldn’t be her responsibility. “What of your parents?”
    Her eyes darken and I want to kick myself. Didn’t she say she lived with her grandmother and brothers? She’s never once mentioned parents.
    “They died when I was ten. There was a gas leak and took out three houses on our block. Mom and Dad happened to be home at the time. Me and my brothers were in school.”
    “Jacqueline, I am so sorry.”
    She shakes her head. “It was a long time ago.”
    I get that she doesn’t want to talk about it. I wouldn’t either.
    “That’s when we moved from Chicago and in with my grandparents.”
    As the grandfather doesn’t live at the house, I am assuming he’s gone too. I sure as hell am not going to ask.
    “Grandma doesn’t think Theo can do any wrong. Of course, she babies him because of the injury and what it’s done to him, but she’s in her mid-sixties and shouldn’t have to be the sole person responsible for my brother.”
    “Something tells me she can handle it.”
    Jacqueline grin. “Well, she did raise eight kids, so she probably can.”
    “Wow! That’s a large family.”
    She’s grinning again. Thank goodness I didn’t ruin the mood with my questions. “And most of them live along the lake on Baxter Lane.” She leans in. “I like to call it the commune, sometimes compound.” The she leans back. “I mean, I love my brothers, but I don’t want to live right next door to them for the rest of my life.”
    I can’t find anything I don’t like about Jacqueline. Usually there’s a weird quirk, or belief that I know will eventually get on my nerves, but with her, nothing so far. In fact, the more I talk to her the better it gets.
    She’d actually give up a job to stay home for her brother. I know few people who would do that. And, even though bad things have happened to her, I don’t sense any depression. Not that kind that you check out on your family for days.
    I shake the thought. I will not think about my mom. Not tonight.

Chapter Seven
    “ O h my God , I don’t think I’ve eaten this much ever.” If I have another bite of anything I just might explode. “But I did manage not to get any sauce on my dress.”
    “You’re not exactly a sloppy eater,” Brett points out.
    “It’s usually a given that if I’m wearing white and having Italian, sauce ends up somewhere it shouldn’t.”
    We’ve been here two hours, have eaten bread, bruschetta, antipasti salad, spaghetti, lasagna and somehow I managed to even eat the tiramisu. On top of that, we drank a bottle of red wine. I’ve learned that Brett played baseball through high school, first base, but not good enough to play in college. Also, his Boy Scout days weren’t just in grade and middle schools like most boys. He went all the way through high school, attaining the highest rank of Eagle Scout at the end of his