“My pleasure, Patrick.”
“I’ll give the phone back to Maisy now. She could have told you the news herself, but I wanted to do it, and she said she’d let me.”
Chase heard Maisy’s bedroom door close as Patrick left.
Maisy was back on the line then.
“I’ve never seen Patrick more excited,” she said. “Mom picked him up after practice and said he was like a jumping bean in the car all the way home.”
“I’m happy for Patrick.”
“We all are. He wanted that position more than any other. The only reason I can think why it was important is that both our father and Sean played first base in Little League. I guess you could say it’s a Gallagher family tradition. Either way, I’m convinced the new glove helped, and we have you to thank for that, even…”
“Even though you’d rather I hadn’t sent it.”
“Right,” she agreed, and quickly diverted the subject. “Now tell me what act of kindness you practiced today.”
This was how most of their conversations started. Maisy wanted to learn what he had done to pay it forward and he was always delighted to tell her.
“Remember the homeless man I mentioned?”
“Yes, you’ve been buying breakfast for him every morning. Is he talking to you yet?”
Chase wanted to help the man, get him off the streets and into a job so he could support himself. But he refused to do more than mumble a few unintelligible words when Chase brought him food. Because he didn’t know his name, Chase had dubbed him Guy.
“I tried again to involve Guy in conversation, and as usual, he ignored my attempt. He still refuses to give me his real name. So I told him that I’d given him one instead. I’m calling him Guy.”
“Guy?”
“Yeah. He seemed to find that humorous. It’s the first time I’ve seen him smile. It’s all about building up trust. I believe he’ll talk to me soon. I want to help him transition off the street, but unfortunately, I can’t do that until he’s willing to talk to me and make certain changes in his behavior.”
“I hope it’s soon.”
“I do, too, but it seems like it’s going to take a lot of time and patience.” There were any number of positions open in the Furst building—and if not there, then elsewhere—that would give Guy a fresh start if he was willing. To this point, he wasn’t.
Chase knew the changes in himself were significant. Being kind and generous had become almost a habit these days, as if it had always been part of his nature. Anyone who knew Chase would find his good deeds highly amusing, he supposed, not that he cared what anyone thought. These small acts never failed to lift his mood. Each felt like a gift he gave himself. He would admit that looking for some small way to ease another’s load had opened his eyes to those around him.
Guy was only one example.
Chase’s compassion for the man had only increased as he’d continued to reach out to him. He wanted to let this poor soul know someone had seen him. Someone cared.
He didn’t tell Maisy all he’d done, because it would diminish the act. He’d bought Guy a coat and a few other items of clothing and set them outside his tent. Guy never acknowledged the gift, although Chase saw him wearing the shirt and pants. That was all the appreciation he needed.
“How was your day?” Chase asked, turning the subject away from himself.
Maisy hesitated, which was never a good sign.
“What happened?” he asked, before she replied.
“It’s nothing,” she said, with what sounded like an effort to dismiss whatever concerned her.
“Maisy, please. Is it something I can help with?” He already knew the answer; she would never be comfortable asking.
“No, nothing. It’s just that I saw one of the overdue bills on my uncle Fred’s desk.”
“Have there been a lot of those?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said with a deep, heartfelt sigh. “I knew Gallagher Jewels wasn’t doing as well as it used to. My dad was the heart of the store. Uncle Fred gives it his best effort, but it seems that the business is going deeper and deeper into debt each month.”
