Restore My Hearing and My Heart novel Chapter 6

The next second, Cassidy stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jackson. He tried to push her away at first, struggling for a few moments, but soon gave in anyway.

Bonnie, watching what was happening, quickly headed back into the house. Seeing she was coming, I stopped watching their little show.

I cut myself a slice of cake and sat in the living room, pretending nothing had happened.

She picked up a piece of candy, about to pop it into her mouth, then seemed to hesitate before asking me, "Mommy, can I have one?"

Bonnie loved sweets, but her teeth weren't in great shape. Eating too much always made them ache, so I often kept an eye on her. Maybe this was one of the reasons she resented me.

I nodded. "Go ahead. No one's going to stop you anymore."

She looked at me with a brief, strange look, then happily munched away without thinking twice. Before long, Jackson walked in. Seeing Bonnie devouring candy, he looked somewhat puzzled.

"Hey, Quinn. There's been a lot going on at the company lately. I need to step out for a bit again. Stay home and wait for me. Once I'm done, I'll spend a few days with you."

He looked at me, full of anticipation. He seemed to expect a warm reply, but I knew I was destined to disappoint him.

"Go ahead. Take care of your work," I said before turning to Bonnie. "You should go with your daddy and play in the company's kids' room. I have some things to handle."

Bonnie froze for a moment. There was none of the usual warmth in my voice, none of the affection she was used to seeing in my eyes.

Jackson looked uneasy again, but the sound of a car horn blaring outside made itself known. We both knew it was Cassidy hurrying him along.

His face held a gentle smile, and his words were always soft and measured. Only when he spoke about the children did a hint of seriousness cross his features.

"This place is really remote. Most people, when they hear about it, simply don't want to come. So, it's usually only older locals who've had some schooling themselves who take up teaching here.

"But now, everyone is getting old, and they won't be able to teach for many more years. Sometimes, it's not even about teaching—they can't even remember the things they're supposed to teach."

According to Hansel, people would decline coming as soon as they heard about the place. Even those who reluctantly came usually only stayed for a couple of days before giving up due to the harsh conditions.

To leave for education, one needed money; to have money, one needed education; and to get education, one needed to leave.

Here, the conditions were so harsh that no one was willing to come and provide the children here with education.