I expected him to react or respond, but he didn’t. He just sat there, stuffing the bags full of the last of the things and handing them back to me so that I could tie them off.
“I don’t know,” I said when he didn’t respond, “I guess I just see her in all of their faces. Had she not had help, or anyone coming around to check on her, to help her back up onto her feet, Kay and I wouldn’t be here, you know?”
“Yeah,” he said uncharacteristically softly.
I shrugged as I tied off the last bag. “So yeah. I guess… I just sort of do it for her. She always had Kay and I in the homelessshelter helping with meals over the holidays. She patrolled the streets herself for a time until Dad sort of put a stop to that.”
“Why did he do that?”
“She got attacked once,” I said as I set the last bag to the side and looked up at the mountain man perched with me on top of the bed. “Not intentionally. It’s just… when you’re homeless, you’re desperate sometimes, you know? She was an easy target, and she got hurt pretty good.”
“I can’t blame your father for that.”
“Neither can I. It’s why I go with things, so they feel less desperate when I roll up on them. The homeless need to be taken care of, too.”
A small smile crooked his lip. “Yes, they do.”
I blushed a bit before I looked down and counted the bags, my head bobbing softly. There were forty-two of them, and I was satisfied that would be more than enough.
“Come on, let’s get a duffle bag to put these things in,” I said.
“We can use the one I brought back with all of Doc’s supplies in them,” he said as he stood off the bed.
He offered me his hand.
I smiled as I took it. “Thanks.”
He helped me to my feet. “No thanks needed. I’m glad that I can help.”
I expected him to let go of my hand, but he didn’t. Instead our connection dangled in between us, his thumb smoothing over my skin. I stretched my fingers a bit, and all of a sudden, without any motion of my own, his fingers slotted with mine.
My god, I loved how his hand dwarfed mine.
“Come on,” he said as he slipped his hand away, leaving my hand cold and aching for his touch, “let’s go get that duffle bag. It’ll have more than enough room for all of these.”
I nodded and fell in step in front of him. “Thanks for your help.”
“Again, no thanks needed,” he said as he held my bedroom door open for me, “I’m happy to help anytime.”
You can help yourself tomeanytime.
I had to shake the thought away as I stepped out into the hallway.
It wasn’t the time for those kinds of thoughts.
19
BRUTUS
It’s a side of her I saw more often. A softer side. One that didn’t chase me around with fucking pickle breath or make fun of the fact that sometimes my cargo pants ride up my ass crack.
Come to think of it, she really liked looking at my ass.
“What’s got you grinning?” she asked as she shoved another bag into Doc’s duffle bag.
I shot her a grin. “Just thinking.”
“About…?”
