And that had hurt him. Hope wondered if this had made him into the man he was today. The man who needed constant approval. The man who was always the first to help others.
“Parents have a lot to answer for.”
“True that,” he muttered as they reached the Hoot.
Walking inside, they found Jake, Annabelle, and Brad seated at the table they’d left. Annabelle was looking at her photos.
“Usually you ask permission to look at people’s stuff.”
Hope’s words were waved away with an elegant flick of a wrist.
“I’d heard you were good, Hope. Your mom’s always dropping little hints about your achievements, but I hadn’t seen any of your work before today. These are really good.”
“Thanks.” It always gave her a little jolt when she heard Millicent had been praising her work.
She took the seat Newman held out for her, then felt a hand on her shoulder.
“You doing okay there, sweet cheeks?”
“Sure, thanks, Buster.”
He squeezed and then released her.
“Now I suppose you want another one of those insipid teas.”
“Just water thanks.” After her crying jag, she felt dehydrated.
“So when’s the next assignment?” Annabelle asked. “Where are you flying off to next?”
“Yes, and on that, we’ve all been walking around the fact that Wildlife are here but you’re not working with them,” Jake added. “So care to tell us why?”
Hope looked at Newman, but his expression gave nothing away, and he remained silent, which told her he wasn’t going to say anything. The choice of full disclosure was hers. Could she lay open her life before these people like that? Do something she’d never done before, and actually ask for help?
“I—ah, I kind of ran into trouble.” She said the words so quickly, they merged into one.
“Yeah?” Brad joined the conversation. Like Newman, he’d been sitting in silence until then. “Who do we have to beat up for you?”
Hope looked around the faces before her and realized that they were actually interested in what she had to say. She wouldn’t say she was close with any of them, but that didn’t matter because she was one of theirs. A Howler, therefore she mattered. It was a humbling thought, and an unsettling one.
Hope had always believed herself an island. Isolated. It would take some effort to change that mindset.
“Ha, thanks, but not necessary.”
“Yet,” Newman added.
“So someone does need a touch-up?” Jake said, suddenly serious.
“Yeah.” Buster arrived again, and put a glass of water before her. “He needs a lesson taught to him all right.”
“Okay, so spill, Hope. I don’t like that Buster knows something I don’t.” Annabelle looked determined.
“The thing is, I really don’t think there’s anything that can be done, and I’m not entirely comfortable with all this.” Hope waved her hand around the table.
“This being confiding?”
Hope nodded in response to Annabelle’s words.
“You’ll get used to it. My suggestion is just say it quickly. It’s less painful that way.”
