Cate heard a knock on the door and called, "Come in."
"Hey, Cate," Baze called out as he entered.
"I'm in the kitchen," Cate said.
Baze made his way into the kitchen.
"What are you doing here?" Cate asked.
"I wanted to talk to you about this whole Bug situation," Baze replied.
"You mean that our sixteen year old daughter is living with her boyfriend, who dropped out of high school and drives a motor bike?" Cate said unhappily.
"You forgot the whole neck situation," Baze said, making a face. "What are we gonna do?"
"I don't know that there's anything we can do," Cate replied.
"We have to do something," Baze said.
"She's emancipated." Cate shook her head. "She can do what she wants."
Baze frowned. "So that's it? You're just…OK with this?"
"No! I'm not OK with any of it," Cate said defensively. "I tried to talk to her. I offered to pay for an apartment. She wouldn't listen to me."
"Maybe she'll break up with him," Baze said hopefully. "She's sixteen. When we were in high school, the average relationship lasted…what, a month?"
"Or less," Cate said pointedly, remembering that Baze had impregnated her and then blown her off completely.
Cate knocked on the door of Bug's apartment.
Tasha opened the door. She frowned when she saw Cate.
"Hi," Cate said.
"Hi," Tasha said, her tone bored.
"Is Lux here?" Cate asked.
"No," Tasha replied unhelpfully. She started to shut the door in Cate's face, but Cate stopped her, preventing the door from closing with her foot.
"Where is she?" Cate asked.
Tasha rolled her eyes. "School," she said. She left the door open behind her and retreated into the apartment.
"I'll wait until she gets back," Cate said firmly, following Tasha.
Cate studied the apartment. She'd been too preoccupied to notice anything the previous day.
Now she realized that the only piece of furniture in the apartment was a mattress. Cate wondered if she should buy furniture for Lux, but hated the idea of buying Lux a bed to sleep in with Bug.
Lux preferred living here with practically nothing to foster care. Cate wondered how much worse foster care had been.
"Cate, what are you doing here?" Lux's voice dragged Cate back from her thoughts.
"I wanted to talk to you," Cate said.
Lux glanced at Tasha uncomfortably. She didn't want to talk to Cate in front of Tasha. Tasha had made her feelings about Cate very clear the previous night.
Lux nodded. "Why don't we go for a walk?"
Tasha glared at their retreating backs, angry that Lux wouldn't talk to Cate in front of her.
Lux had only known Cate for a few days. She'd known Tasha since they were little kids. What could Lux possibly talk to Cate about that Tasha couldn't hear?
Lux and Cate walked along the beach. Lux stopped at her favorite bench. This was where she always came to think. She sat down and Cate sat beside her.
"I wanted to talk to you about what you said yesterday," Cate began. She waited for Lux to make eye contact before continuing.
"I didn't give you up because I didn't care about you. I gave you up because I did care," Cate said.
Lux looked unconvinced.
"I was trying to do what was best for you," Cate said.
"No," Lux argued. "You weren't trying to do what was best for me. You did what was best for you."
"I just, I wanted you to have a better home than I could provide at sixteen," Cate tried again.
"Yeah, well, I didn't," Lux muttered.
Cate stared at Lux, tears in her eyes.
Lux stood up. "I didn't have a better home, Cate! I was in a hospital for three years! And then I was in and out of foster homes and group homes!"
Cate nodded sadly. "They told me you would be adopted. That there were these waiting lists. I didn't think I had to check."
Lux fought back tears. "You didn't think about me at all. You just, you gave me away like I was nothing. We never understood how our moms could hold us in their arms and then just give us away."
Cate swallowed. She'd never actually held Lux because she knew that if she did, she'd want to keep her. She had never told anyone that, but she felt compelled to tell Lux now. "Can I tell you something?"
Lux looked at Cate expectantly.
"I never held you," Cate confessed.
Lux looked away. She knew Cate hadn't even considered keeping her, but she was surprised Cate hadn't even wanted to hold her. Cate really must not have wanted Lux.
Cate noticed Lux's expression and said quickly, "The nurses, they wanted me to. But I knew if I did, I'd want you."
Lux looked up, surprised. "Would that have been so bad?" She asked quietly.
"I didn't think it was what was best for you," Cate said. "My mom was a drunk. My dad left us when I was little and never contacted us. I didn't know how to be a good mom. How could I? I'd never had a good example and I was sixteen."
Lux nodded.
"I'm sorry I didn't check on you. And I'm sorry I wasn't there for you back then. But I'm here for you now. If you need anything," Cate said.
Lux smiled slightly.
Cate hugged Lux, rubbing her back gently.
Lux didn't feel like going back to the apartment. She knew Tasha would be waiting to quiz her. She decided to take Baze up on his offer to stop by and hang out.
Baze opened the door, surprised to see Lux. "Hey." He grinned.
"Is now a bad time?" Lux asked.
"No," Baze replied, holding open the door.
They made their way to the sofa.
"Do you want to hang out?" Lux asked hopefully.
"We never watched Panda Sees," Lux added, naming the YouTube video they hadn't gotten a chance to watch the first time Lux had shown up on Baze's doorstep.
"I have a better idea. What do you say to putt putt?" Baze suggested, hoping to prolong his time with Lux.
Lux grinned. "I say I'm gonna kick your butt."
"Not a chance," Baze said as he grabbed his keys.
Baze soon found out Lux took after him. They were both competitive. They exchanged good-natured insults as they played.
Lux did a victory dance when she won. "How's it feel to be beat by a girl?" She taunted.
"Please. I let you win," Baze retorted.
Lux smirked.
"I thought that's what dads were supposed to do," Baze said.
"Then you'll be able to win the next round?" Lux challenged.
"No problem," Baze said easily.
They lost track of time, playing until the putt putt course was about to close.
"Are you hungry?" Baze asked hopefully.
"Yeah," Lux replied.
Baze drove to an ice cream parlor nearby and bought them both ice cream cones. They sat at a table outside and ate.
Baze hesitated. He'd wanted to bring up Lux's living arrangement all evening, but was scared he'd make Lux mad.
"How's your new apartment?" Baze broached the subject, choosing his words carefully.
Lux narrowed her eyes suspiciously, wondering if Baze was going to try to convince her to move out like Cate had. "Good."
"Any problems?" Baze asked hopefully.
Lux gave Baze a hard look. "No."
"There are four of you in a one bedroom apartment?" Baze asked conversationally.
"Yeah." Lux nodded.
"Math and Jaime get in my way and we all have our own rooms," Baze commented.
"I've shared rooms with way more than three people before," Lux said, remembering group homes where she'd had a bunk bed in a crowded room filled with unwanted kids.
Baze frowned. "That's gotta be…crowded."
"At least now I'm sharing with people I like who actually care about me," Lux said.
Baze gave up. "How's your ice cream?" He asked, changing the subject to more neutral territory.
"Good." Lux grinned.
"You have a little something right there." Baze smirked, motioning toward a glob of whipped cream above Lux's lip.
Lux's eyes widened. "I do?" She checked her reflection in the napkin dispenser and used a napkin to wipe her mouth.
Baze drove Lux back to Bug's apartment, hating that he was delivering his daughter to Bug. "The arcade tomorrow?"
Lux nodded, smiling up at Baze.
"OK." Baze grinned. He ruffled Lux's hair affectionately.
Lux braced herself as she turned the door to Bug's apartment. She knew Tasha and possibly Bug and Gavin would be waiting to grill her.
"Where have you been?" Bug demanded as soon as Lux opened the door. He looked angry. She hated when he got this way.
"With her new parents," Tasha said before Lux could respond.
Lux shot Tasha a dirty look.
Bug frowned. "You've been at school and then, what, playing house with Cate and Baze all day?"
"So? They're my parents." Lux crossed her arms in front of her chest defiantly.
"So Gavin and I have been working all day," Bug shot back. "With you and Tasha living here, utilities are gonna be double. I'm not gonna be able to make rent."
"Yeah, maybe you should get a job instead of enjoying the good life with your rich mom," Gavin suggested, glaring at Lux.
Lux frowned thoughtfully. "Even if I get an after-school job, I won't make enough to live off."
"So drop out," Tasha said simply.
Lux's frown deepened. She was the only one of them that actually liked school. She'd always done well despite changing schools so often as she moved from foster home to foster home.
"Or hit your new mom up for money," Gavin suggested.
Bug's expression softened slightly. He knew Lux didn't want to drop out. "We could sell this." He ran his finger over the necklace she was wearing. It was the one Ryan had given her for her birthday.
Lux jerked away. "No. It actually means something to me."
Cate was waiting for Baze in Open Bar when he got home.
She looked less than thrilled as Math tried to entertain her.
"What are you doing here?" Baze asked.
"Looking for you," Cate replied. "Where have you been?"
"With Lux," Baze said.
"With Lux? What were you guys doing?" Cate asked, feeling a bit envious.
"Playing putt putt," Baze replied.
"Did you ask her?" Cate asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"She came over to hang out and I suggested putt putt," Baze said, giving Cate an odd look.
Cate frowned. Lux had wanted to spend time with Baze.
She knew she shouldn't be jealous of Lux's relationship with Baze. She wanted Lux to have a father figure in her life. But she was totally and completely jealous.
"What do you need?" Baze asked curiously.
"Oh, I, uh, wanted to know if you had any more thoughts on how we can get Lux out of that apartment," Cate said.
Baze shook his head. "I talked to her about the living arrangement tonight, but it didn't go well."
Cate smiled triumphantly. At least Baze hadn't been able to get through to Lux when she couldn't. That would've made her feel really insecure.
Baze stared at her. "I'm sorry. Are you happy she's living with a spider-neck guy?"
Cate's smiled faded. "No. I just, I had an idea. If we do anything too obvious, Lux will get mad. But if we drop subtle hints and try to break them up…"
Baze caught on and nodded. "Then she'll move out on her own."
Cate nodded, smiling slightly. "And we'll be the good guys who pay for a studio apartment instead of the bad guys who didn't want her living with her boyfriend."
"I'm in," Baze said easily. "And I'm taking Lux to the arcade tomorrow so that will be perfect. I can start working on her."
Cate frowned. "You're hanging out again tomorrow?"
Baze nodded, not picking up on Cate's disappointment. "See you later."
"Yeah. See you later," Cate said, forcing herself to smile.