“I didn’t sign up for all theseerrands,” Junie said, like she’d heard someone say it that way on TV.
Gus fell asleep on the drive home, and Shiloh couldn’t decide whether to risk waking him by carrying him inside, or to sit in the car with him and let him finish his nap. She opened the front door for Junie and moved the groceries to the porch.
As Shiloh was coming down the porch steps, Cary was walking up her sidewalk. She stopped in her tracks, genuinely surprised to see him. “Hey...”
“I didn’t thank you,” he said.
“I’m pretty sure you did.”
He shrugged. He still wasn’t wearing a coat. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Shiloh came down from the last step. “You can always call me, you know—if you ever need help back here.”
Cary nodded his head. He looked away.
“This...” Shiloh said. “Last night...” She didn’t know how to say this. “It doesn’t nullify, from my perspective, the fact that you couldcallme”—her eyes were suddenly full of tears—“if you ever needed help.”
Cary was looking up the road, toward his house. His hands were on his hips.
Shiloh wiped her eyes.
“I spent the whole morning arguing with her...” he said. He sounded almost wistful. “I’ve been trying to get access to her bank account—she gives everybody money and then can’t pay her bills. I have to send her wires, like she’s in a foreign country.” He ran his hand over his hair. “But she signed the papers at the bank just now.”
“That’s great,” Shiloh said.
“It’s a huge relief. We’re talkingyearsof arguing about this... The guy at the bank might turn me in for elder abuse—I think he thought I was scamming her—but I’m so relieved right now, I don’t even care.”
Shiloh nodded.
Cary glanced over at her. “You left your car door open.”
“Gus is still in there,” she said. “He’s asleep.”
“Oh.” He looked wrong-footed.
“I’m going to carry him in.”
“I can get him for you.”
“I’ll manage,” Shiloh said. Then she realized that accepting the offer would get Cary inside her house, at least for a few minutes, and not walking away from her. “But... I guess if you don’t mind?”
Cary walked to the back seat. Shiloh met him there. “If he freaks out,” she said, “just hand him to me.”
Cary unbuckled Gus and smoothly transferred him to his arms. Gus stirred and lifted his head, making that panicked face kids make when you move them while they’re sleeping. His arms and neck contracted. He whined. Then he settled on Cary’s shoulder, relaxing again.
“Do you remember where my mom’s bedroom is?” Shiloh whispered.
Cary nodded.
She shut the car door and jogged ahead of them to open up the screen.
Cary walked straight through the living room and dining room, past Junie, into Shiloh’s mom’s room, and laid Gus down onto the bed.
Shiloh patted Gus’s back. “It’s okay, Gus-Gus.”
He stayed asleep.
She and Cary walked out of the room and left the door ajar.
