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Mayor Marsha walked up and s man I’m Mayor Marsha and you’re Gideon’s son" She held out her hand

"Carter," the teen said, shaking hands with her "How did you knoas here?"

"I know everything, Carter After you’ve been here a while, you’ll accept that" She looked between him and Gideon "I see the resemblance Based on your wide-eyed expression, Gideon, I take it you didn’t know about Carter"

"No," Gideon said "I didn’t"

"Then you have a lot to take in" The mayor turned to her "You’re exhausted, dear This has been quite the weekend But successful Your first festival went extremely well" She turned back to Carter "I admire your initiative However, I’m sure you’re aware there are consequences for your actions"

Carter sighed "I didn’t want to go into the foster care system You hear stories, you know?"

"I do know But there are also laws, and you’re still ato reassure them"

"How did you know I left a note?"

She smiled "Didn’t you?"

Carter nodded "I’er, which is worse Believe me, I know" She patted hiht"

"I have my dad"

"It’s not that siht with a foster fauardians know that you’re safe In the e I know With no father’s name on your birth certificate, we’ll need to confirm the relationship with a DNA sample"

"Like in the movies?" Carter sounded iet a cheek swab It’s all very high-tech While the tests are being run, we’ll get your father approved as a foster parent We can figure out the rest as we go"

Carter slung his backpack over his shoulder His expression turned wary "I’d rather stay with hi to a strange place was frightening Even if Carter had done it by choice, he didn’t know anyone, nor could he believe everything was going to work out

She thought about offering herself as a foster parent but knew she would have to go through the approval process, just like Gideon And that couldn’t happen on a Sunday night

"You’re not to worry," the ently "I think you’ll like these foster parents Pia and Raoul Moreno have three children of their own Peter, their oldest, was in foster care and they adopted him Raoul used to be a football player He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys"

Carter brightened "For real?"

Felicia nodded "I know his wife Pia’s very nice It’s just for tonight, Carter" She thought about how to make him feel safer "I have a prepaid cell phone at the CDS office" She had several, along eapons and ammunition Not that Carter would need any of that "Why don’t I activate one and drop it by Pia’s house? I’ll give youhappens, you can call et you"

"You’d do that?"

"Of course" She htly touched his shoulder "You traveled a long way by yourself to find your dad Now you’re here and everything is strange It’s going to take a while until you feel like this is home"

"Thanks," Carter said He started toward her, then stopped himself Instead he looked at the oing to walk You’ll find we can walksixteen don’t want a car What is it with a young ? Can you explain it?"

"Wheels are cool," Carter told her as they rounded the corner

Felicia waited until their voices had faded, then looked at Gideon "An unexpected development," she said

He swore under his breath "He justshowed up at the radio station I didn’t knohat to do, so I ca He can’t live with uy A father?"

He gave a laugh that was more bark than huo live with someone else"

Felicia placed her hand on his ar the nerve point that would trigger a more relaxed response in his sympathetic nervous system

"Did Ellie have any family?"

"I don’t remember" He drew in a breath "I don’t think so She was an only child and her parents were dead I reuy she would want to take horip "You can’t cal to I want to help, Gideon You can do this"

"I can’t He needs to find so to put your son in foster care?"

"Better there than withwhat he needs"

"You have plenty of spare bedrooht about Carter and how he acted so brave and together, but inside he one, he was alone in the world Gideon was his last chance

"My parents handed me over to the university when I was four," she said quietly "It tooktime to understand what that meant But by the time I was seven, I realized I was completely alone in the world There was no one Carter’s older, but he’s still very much by himself He needs stability He needs his father"

Gideon shoved his hand through his hair "I get nightoing to kill someone or have a heart attack and die A kid? No way If you’re so worried, you take hiht longingly If Carter were hers, she would be delighted to welcoain, then shook his head He started to walk away, then turned back

"You’re right I know he’s ure this out" He looked at her "Can you help? Can you stay with h this?"

"Of course, but reith a mother and father, in a hoe of that kind of relationship"