Well, that was a good point.The old freewill versus omnipotent God argument.“I don’t think anyone wouldaccuse you of not taking responsibility for this.So, yes, do that.But also let yourself move on.”Mark stopped.He hadn’t meant totake the conversation this far.He’d just thought it would beeasier for Alex if Cain stopped prostrating himself whenever he sawMark.Anything beyond that was none of Mark’s business.“Anyway,please do call me again, if you think Alex needs me and I’m notaround.Thank you for doing it tonight.”
“Thank you for coming.”Now that Cain waslooking at Mark, there was something compelling in his gaze.“Thankyou for helping him.”
“Okay, okay,” Alex interjected.“I thank bothof you.Everyone thanks everyone.Now, let’s get going, okay?Themosquitos are coming out.”
“You’re such a softy,” Cain said as hereached out and roughly mussed the boy’s hair.“I hope they havesheets with the right thread count at the shelter.”
“If they don’t I’ll ask the concierge to findme some,” Alex replied haughtily.He walked beside Mark as theyheaded for the gate, but paused when they reached it as if it wereone threshold too many for him that day.
Mark didn’t let himself think about it, hejust reached out and wrapped an arm loosely around the kid’sshoulders, then shook him gently.“You’re going to be okay,” hesaid, and he felt at least some of the tension drain from the thinbody.
“Yeah,” Alex said, and he pulled away fromMark, pushing himself ahead through the gate.
As Mark followed, he heard a quiet skitteringnoise coming from beside him.He looked over to see a fat greysquirrel running along the top of the wooden fence that enclosedthe yard.It stopped when he stopped and sat up on its haunches.Itstared at him for a moment, then chittered something unintelligiblebefore flipping its tail and turning to scamper away into thedarkness.
“Are squirrels nocturnal?”Mark asked outloud, but the night gave him no answers, so he gave up and followedAlex to the car.
He’d broken one of his vows that evening.He’d stretched the trust of a friend and advisor possibly beyondthe breaking point, opened his church up to more hostility from anangry member of the community, and possibly betrayed the memory ofhis own brother.He slid behind the wheel and looked over at Alex’sstrained, puffy face, and he couldn’t make himself believe that hehad done the wrong thing.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Elise had started trusting Lucas with theentire first shift, lately.He fed the animals, gave medications tothose who needed them, and opened the doors to their outdoor pens.It was nice to be alone with the animals, and strangely peacefulconsidering how much noise an ark of hungry beasts could make.
But he was still always glad to see Elisewhen she arrived.She generally brought him a travel mug full ofcoffee, for one thing, but it was also good to have someone to talkto about the animals, someone who could make whatever judgmentcalls he found too difficult.And on the morning after Alex’svisit, it was good to have someone to share his worries with.
Not that Elise was as sympathetic as Lucasmight have hoped.“He’ll be fine,” she said when she’d heard aboutMr.Wilson’s explosion.“Scotty Wilson has always had a big mouth,but Alex is tough.”
“He’s refusing to go home.He spent lastnight in some youth shelter.”
“Good for him.Not the shelter part, but goodthat he’s getting out of that house.”
“Yeah, but he’s got nowhere to go.And he’snot supposed to be volunteering out here, not… Well, I wanted totalk to you about that.Father Webber was saying that it’d be bestif they could get Mr.Wilson to go along with whatever plan theyhave, and, uh…Mr.Wilson doesn’t like Alex spending time with me.So I was thinking that maybe I should start going home when myshift is over, instead of hanging around.That way Alex could stillvolunteer, and Mr.Wilson wouldn’t be pissed.”
“Because the kid’s got a crush on you?”Elisesounded like she couldn’t quite believe the stupidity.
“I guess.”Lucas hadn’t really known thatElise was aware of that little awkwardness.But knowing Alex, thekid had probably been gushing to her about it any chance he got.“And, you know…because I was in trouble, before.In jail.”
“You weren’t in for anything to do withteenage boys!”She stopped herself, then looked as close toembarrassed as Lucas had ever seen her.“I looked you up,” sheconfessed.“After you’d been here a few weeks.I just couldn’timagine…well, I still can’t imagine you doing something like that.I guess you were a different person then.”
“I hope so.”There wasn’t much more he couldsay, and Elise seemed satisfied.
“Well, I’m not giving up my two-volunteerafternoons just because Scott Wilson is an idiot.I have a longlist of chores to get done and Alex isn’t much good with powertools.”She squinted at Lucas, then shook her head decisively.“No.You’ll keep volunteering in the afternoons for as long as you want,and Alex will too.Now, you get that screening stapled back up onthe owl enclosure.I’m going into town.”
And that was that.She whirled decisively andstrode toward the house, and after staring after her for a moment,Lucas returned to his job.He had no idea what she was up to, buthe was pretty sure Scott Wilson had a bit of a surprise coming hisway.
When the battered pickup bounced back up thedriveway a few hours later, Elise only waved in Lucas’s directionbefore starting to unload the bags of groceries from the back ofthe truck.He’d made the mistake of going down to help with thatchore once before and been roundly scolded for it.He was there tohelp with the animals—she wasn’t an invalid and didn’t need anyassistance with the daily tasks of living.So he kept working, andthe next time he looked toward the house it was because anunfamiliar car was carefully weaving around the potholes in thegravel driveway before coming to a stop in front of the house.
None of Lucas’s business, of course, butwhether Elise liked it or not he was going to keep a bit of an eyeon her, just like he would on anyone else.So he was looking rightat the car as Father Webber climbed out of the driver’s side andAlex practically exploded from the passenger seat.
“Luke!”Alex bellowed, waving his armswildly.“Luke!I’m going to livehere!Elise says I can staywithher!”
Elise had come out onto the porch now, andLucas squinted in her direction as he walked down the hill.She sawhis look and shrugged her broad shoulders.“Now I can get him to doeven more work!”she yelled, but it was too late.She’d revealedher softer side to everyone there, and she seemed to realize therewas no point in fighting too hard to cover it up again.Still, hervoice was firm as she told Alex, “Get your stuff in the housebefore you go running off to the barn.Turn left at the top of thestairs and your bedroom will be at the end of the hall.”
He grinned at Lucas, then at Elise, andhastened to obey.
It still felt awkward being close to FatherWebber but it would have been even more awkward to stay away, soLucas continued down to the house.The priest was standing withElise on the porch when Lucas arrived, and he stood at the bottomof the stairs and looked up at the two of them.Alex was shuttlingbelongings up the stairs as Lucas asked, “It was that easy?His dadagreed?”
Father Webber looked tired, and sounded thesame way as he said, “I wouldn’t call it easy.But…” He grinnedtoward Elise.“When somebody called his mom in Vancouver, droppedhints with his boss and recruited his ex-mother-in-law to thecause?He bent a little.”
