So here's the next chapter for you, I hope you like it. On another note yesterday I found myself with a long stretch of free time so I went back and reread all of my chapters, I now understand why everyone was getting on me so badly about my grammar. That was terrible and I was being lazy, I'm trying to chalk it up to being out of practice but I do apologize for making you read that. And of course ad usual I own nothing, enjoy.
While Henry and Jo were upstairs with Lucas, Jacob was downstairs seeking help from Abe.
"You okay kid?" Abe frowned, Jacob hadn't said much since he came into the shop that afternoon.
"It's nothing." He shrugged, reaching for his backpack.
"Your uncle again?" Abe kept poking.
"Yea, it's just he's never home, we barely talk. So it makes me wonder if he ever regrets taking me in. " Jacob admitted.
"Come here, take a seat." Abe instructed inviting the kid to one of the couches in the shop. "Did I ever tell you I was adopted?"
"No." Jacob just shook his head.
"Well I was just a baby when my parents died in the camps. I don't remember them, but anyway, I was found by a nurse who took me to the nearest doctor. The two ended up adopting me and eventually marrying." Abe explained. "We were a great family, and I had an interesting childhood. I knew both my parents loved me very much but every so often something would happen and I'd start to wonder if they ever regretted adopting me." Abe stopped for a minute, "My mom always called it an impulsive decision that would affect the rest of their lives. My pops was never impulsive, not in my lifetime at least."
"Do those feelings ever go away?" Jacob wondered. "I mean I know my uncle cares about me but sometimes I feel like more of a burden than anything else. Then the other day he asked me why I never had any friends over. I was embarrassed to tell him that even though I have friends at school I'm not all that close with them."
"You and I have a lot more in common than you think kid." Abe chuckled, "My dad has… had an unusual condition, this caused my family to move around a lot when I was growing up. So I became cautious about the friends I made. Sometimes I thought that disappointed my parents, my mom was a natural people person and my dad had an immortal charm. I know they worried about me when I didn't bring friends home, and I knew my dad started to blame himself."
"So how did you deal with it?"
"I didn't, I was a teenage boy, and personal talks with my parents were not in my repertoire." Abe confessed. "So I'm not going to tell you to go home and talk to your uncle if you don't want to, but you can talk to me and Henry if you want to. You should also know I don't think your uncle regrets bringing you into his life; you're a bright kid, with a good work ethic. I certainly don't regret you coming into my life."
"Thanks." Jacob blushed. "Did you ever ask your parents if they ever regretted adopting you?"
"No." Abe shrugged.
"They didn't." Neither one had heard Henry come down the stairs and place a hand on his son's shoulder.
"I know." Abe just nodded.
"Jo is ordering Chinese food if you'd like to stay for dinner Jacob." Henry turned to the youth.
"Sure, just give me a minute to let my uncle know." He pulled out his phone.
"Ordering delivery, how did she talk you into that?" Abe feigned shocked.
"She says she needs comfort food after a traumatic night." Henry returned.
"I don't know why she'd say that." Abe teased.
"I figured I'd give it to her." Henry agreed.
"You may keep that women yet." Abe grinned, leading the way back up stairs.
"Hey who's the kid?" Lucas looked up when he heard the other men walking back up the stairs.
"Lucas this is Jacob he works in the shop with Abe." Henry introduced, "Jacob this is Lucas he's my assistant at the ME's office."
"Nice to meet you." Jacob extended his hand.
"Does he know?" Lucas wondered accepting the handshake.
"Know what?" Jacob frowned.
"No." Henry and Jo answered at the same time.
"Oh oops." Lucas turned a dark shade of red. "Sorry."
"Know what?" Jacob was curious what did this nerd get to know that he didn't he practically lived here.
"That I'm moving in." Jo reached for Henry's arm, and despite two hundred years of hiding emotions he was visibly surprised if only for a second. "My house is more of a museum than a home. It just doesn't feel lived in the same way this does. I'm here more than I am there anyway. It's something we've been talking about for a while now and it just seems right."
"That's great!" Jacob grinned, "We should be getting something better than Chinese delivery to celebrate."
"I agree." Abe added.
"Well I already ordered so it's to late." Jo shrugged.
"Not at all, still plenty of time to make dessert." Abe disappeared into the kitchen.
"So when are you planning on moving in." Jacob took a seat on the couch, "You know I'll help move your stuff."
"Me to." Lucas chimed in.
"I'm sure it won't be right away." Henry frowned, "We still have a lot to consider."
"Like what?" Jo questioned.
"Like where everything is going to go, we need to think about furniture and belongings." Henry was trying to be reasonable.
"We have to much stuff to begin with." Abe called through the door, "We can move some of your furniture down to the shop and make a profit." Henry excused himself to help Abe.
"You are not helping at all."
"What are you talking about I think it's a great idea." Abe went about his work.
"I'm worried about Jo." Henry confessed, "And you're not supposed to make major life changes after a tragedy."
"Jo seems to be just fine Henry, in fact you're the only one freaking out." Abe sighed, "Well except your side kick out there, but I have a feeling he'd be excited by just about anything."
"That's what I'm worried about Abe, she's not reacting."
"Maybe she doesn't see it as such a bad thing." Abe suggested, "I mean, this means she doesn't have to worry about what might happen to you when she's gone. Did it occur to you that she worries about you as much as you worry about her? I know this may sound bad, but I'm happy with the way things turned out. I mean I hate that it happened, but it also means I don't have to worry about what happens to you when I'm gone."
"Abe." Henry stopped his son as he always did when that particular topic came up. "Whether or not she see's this as a good thing or not it will affect her and I don't want her to make any drastic changes until it does."
"So she's not moving in until she has a panic attack?" Abe returned.
"Not at all Abraham, just not right away." Henry frowned, when Lucas came through the kitchen door.
"Umm Jo sent me in here to let you know that the foods here." The young man looked at his feet, "And look Henry I'm sorry, I kinda assumed since he was in your living room he knew."
"It's not your fault Lucas, but just remember you volunteered to help move Jo in. I'm sure we can find lots of heavy things for you to carry that we old men just can't handle anymore." Henry smirked, causing Lucas to grin as well; this may have been the first time his boss had actually joked with him. This was turning out to be an amazing week for him.
"If the kids sticking around at some point you're going to need to talk to him though." Abe put the dessert in the oven before passing glasses off to Lucas and Henry, while he grabbed the wine. "Not now though, I think we've had enough drama for a while."