It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

number and put the phone to my ear. After a few rings, she finally answers
with a very groggy hello.
“Hey. I found him.”
“Who is this?”
I briefly close my eyes while I wait for her to wake up and remember her
son is missing. After a few quiet seconds, she goes, “Atlas?”
“Yeah. I found Josh.”
I can hear rustling from her end like she’s hopping out of bed. “Where has
he been?”
I really don’t want to answer that. I know she’s his mother, but I feel like
it’s none of her business where he’s been, which is an unusual opinion to
have. “I’m not sure where he’s been, but he’s with me now. Listen… I was
wondering if he could stay here for a while? Maybe give you a break?”
“You want him to stay there with you?” The way she puts the emphasis on
that last word makes me wince. This is going to be harder than I thought.
She’s the type of person who fights for the sake of fighting, no matter what
outcome she really wants.
I could enroll him in school and make sure he attends,” I offer up. “Take
the truancy heat off you.” It’s quiet on her end, like maybe she’s
contemplating that.
“Such a martyr,” she mutters. “Bring him back. Now.” She ends the call.
I attempt to call her back three times, but she sends the calls to voice mail.
“That didn’t sound promising,” Josh says. He’s standing in the doorway of
the kitchen. I’m not sure how much he heard on my end, but at least he
couldn’t hear her end.
I slide my phone in my pocket. “She wants you back today. But I’ll call a
lawyer tomorrow. Hell, I’ll call Child Protective Services if you want me to.
There’s just not much I can do on a Sunday.”
Josh’s shoulders drop when I say that. “Will you at least give me your
phone number?” He asks that like he’s scared I’m going to say no.
“Of course. I’m not going to abandon you now that I know you exist.”
He picks at a hole in his sleeve, avoiding eye contact with me when he
says, “I wouldn’t blame you for being mad at me. I cost you a lot of money.”
“You did do that,” I say. “Those croutons were expensive.”
Josh laughs for the first time this morning. “Dude, those croutons were
fucking delicious.”
I groan. “Don’t use that word.”