Chapter 11
As evening began to settle over the suburban neighborhood, casting a warm, amber glow across the hardwood floors of the entryway, the atmosphere inside the house shifted from one of guarded hostility to a tense, tentative domesticity. David had ordered several boxes of pizza from a local Italian restaurant down the street, spreading the cardboard boxes out across the large dining room table. It was a humble, unpretentious meal that felt wildly out of place in the high-end modern kitchen, yet it served as the great equalizer for a family struggling to bridge a twelve-year chasm of silence and grief.
Eleanor eventually drifted in from the patio, her posture still stiff and defensive, though she chose a seat near the end of the table far away from Jax. Leo sat quietly between Jax and David, cautiously reaching for a slice of pepperoni pizza while casting quick, darting glances around the table. Martha sat at the head, gently sipping a glass of water and watching the interplay between the adults with quiet attentiveness. For several minutes, the only sound in the room was the rustle of cardboard and the quiet clinking of plates, the elephant in the room casting a massive, undeniable shadow over every bite.
"So," David cleared his throat, setting his paper plate down and looking directly across the table at Jax. "What happens tomorrow? You can't just camp out in a half-furnished house with an eight-year-old boy indefinitely. Does he have school lined up? Registration papers?" Jax nodded, swallowing his food and wiping his mouth with a napkin before answering. "I handled the paperwork before we left Nevada, David. He's enrolled at the elementary school three blocks away. Starts Monday morning." Eleanor let out a sharp, cynical breath, shaking her head. "You expect us to believe you have your life that organized? Just like that? No warrants, no hidden debts, no sudden midnight disappearances?" Jax didn't flinch. He met Eleanor's cynical stare with a quiet, unflinching resolve. "Check me out all you want, Eleanor. Call every court house between here and Reno. I've got nothing left to hide."
