Paints in the Street <open>

Some days Becca loved her job. Today was not one of those days. She had spent most of it hassling a source that clearly knew something but was forever dancing around the issue. Becca couldn’t quite decide if the old man was losing his marbles or just paranoid. He seemed convinced there were werewolves working at the Three Broomsticks. And considering Claire had gotten wind of the Ministry sending some letters to the establishment, it seemed likely. There was a flighty young serving girl and older man with a scarred face who cleaned tables, and Becca’s gut said one of them was likely the person in question. Possibly both, although two in one place seemed a little unlikely. Maybe she should see if Jon would ask his sister about it. Meg might know something. If there really were werewolves in the pub and the Ministry really was planning to rain down hell on them, Claire and her pro-creature colleagues were going to need as much of a heads-up as possible to scramble together a defense before the new task force beat them there.

Becca was deep enough in thought that she probably never would have even noticed Ari had it not been for the canvas on the pavement. But it was pretty hard to miss something that unusual. And then Becca recognized the face behind it. She had been around Ari Wilson briefly a few times first due to Hannah’s work and then again during Hayden’s adoption process. Normally Becca was highly skeptical of outsiders. Living through two wars had made her remarkably protective of her family. But the counselor came with pretty good references. Hannah seemed to enjoy working with her, Claire and Connor had nothing but praise after everything she had done with Hayden, Isaac and Trace had been on either side of her in school and couldn’t think of anything bad to say, and Hayden actually seemed to genuinely like the guidance counselor. Which might have been the highest praise of all given Becca’s new niece seemed to be both a tough nut to crack and a remarkably accurate judge of character.

It was the thought of Hayden that prompted Becca to cross the street toward the guidance counselor. No harm in vetting the woman just a little more. Besides, maybe she could give Becca an idea of where Hayden’s head was with the adoption and such. Hayden didn’t seem open to talking about serious subjects to much of anyone except Ari. And while Becca was willing to let that go, a fact that seemed to slowly be earning her Hayden’s trust as well, Claire was having a harder time with it. She and Becca had spent many a night discussing the issue over a glass of wine. This wasn’t Claire and Connor’s first time around. Micah had brought his own set of problems to his and Megan’s adoption, problems that had gradually been worked out. Hayden’s own trust and abandonment issues weren’t anything new. But it was taking longer to make progress given that Hayden was older and had been left more. Becca kept assuring Claire it would all smooth out eventually. Both Claire and the O’Brien crew had lost their parents, so they could all understand what it was like. But if Becca could give Claire some sign that things were improving, even just slightly, she knew it would mean the world to her sister-in-law.

The guidance counselor gave no sign of even noticing Becca as she was approached. “I may not be an expert, but the middle of the street seems like an odd place to paint,” Becca said, her tone a lightly teasing one usually reserved for friends and family. Although Ari certainly seemed to be as good as family to Hayden. And that meant something. The woman jumped visibly at the sound of Becca’s voice. “Sorry,” Becca said with a small chuckle. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” She looked down at the canvas and then up at the front of Honeyduke’s to compare the two. There was definitely a considerable likeness. Becca nodded approvingly. “Hayden said you were good. I guess she would know.” There was no question the girl was talented. Probably part of what had drawn her to Ari in the first place.

The guidance counselor didn’t seem to recognize Becca, which was fine. Becca was far better at faces than most people. And to be fair, they had never officially been introduced. Time to remedy that. Especially if she was going to continue being a part of Hayden’s life. Becca shrugged as she conceded Ari’s point. “True. Just be careful you don’t get stepped on.”

Ari held out her hand, and Becca shook it with a smile. “Becca. Connor’s older sister. I’m the crazy reporter.” It might help to have an identifier. There were a lot of O’Briens to keep track of. Connor and Claire and their kids made five, plus all four of his siblings. And then there was Trace’s girlfriend Emily, who might as well be an O’Brien at this point. (If Trace could ever find the nerve to pop the question.) Altogether that made for ten of them counting Hayden. They could most definitely be overwhelming when they were all together, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Becca’s satchel strap was threatening to slid off her shoulder, so she rolled her shoulder a bit to adjust it. “It’s Ari, right? Hannah’s pointed you out a few times, but I don’t think we ever officially met.” It wasn’t entirely unusual for Becca to swing by the hospital to interview a source or grab her little sister for a quick lunch break. Or to check in on her after crap hit the fan. Which seemed to be happening quite a lot the last few months. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Mostly from Claire and Connor, but some from Hayden. You mean a lot to her.” There was a hint of genuine gratitude in Becca’s voice. She knew from experience how hard it was to lose both parents. Sweet Hayden had already wormed her way deep into Becca’s heart, so knowing the girl had someone she trusted who could help her through everything meant a lot. Actually, it was the main reason Becca was talking to Ari so casually instead of from behind her usual professional persona. Someone who had managed to earn Hayden’s trust was probably worth getting to know. Partly just to satisfy Becca’s fierce protective instincts, but also because they just might be a decent human being. And if this line of work had taught her anything, it was that good people were in short supply.