I watch him as he explains everything to me and nervously lick my lips. There’s a question I want to ask but part of me is too afraid to. Too worried about upsetting him.
“Did you…” I start.
He glances back at me when I don’t finish my sentence. He must see the worry in my eyes because he finishes my thought.
“No. I never lived here. I went to live with Ivy right around Christmas and never left. Best damn Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten.” He smiles to himself, dropping his eyes to his lap before looking back at me. “Come on, I’m starving.”
He hops out of the truck and hurries to open my door for me. Again, he offers his hand to help me out of the truck. Walking towards the food trucks, I take in the landscape a little more and smile at how happy all the kids look. It’s a massive property set in the dead center of several open acres.The home itself looks like it could be a hundred years old and almost looks like a castle. The exterior is made up of an old rock facade and a large front staircase takes you inside.
“The food trucks were my idea,” Miles comments close to my ear.
“I’m sorry?” I’m so enthralled taking everything in that I almost miss what he says.
“The food trucks.” He nods his head towards the vehicles that are lined up and serving hungry people. “They were my idea. They help raise money for Fresh Start to keep it operational.”
“Do you work here?” I wasn’t sure how he’d have time for a second job but it wouldn’t surprise me if he worked here on top of the firehouse. He has one of the biggest hearts I’d ever seen.
“Oh, gosh no.” He shakes his head. “I volunteer pretty consistently, especially in December and around the holidays. I know how hard this time of year can be as a foster kid so I like to come around, play with the kids, and help Sam and Patti where they need it.”
“Miles, my boy, nice to see you, son,” an older man calls out. He’s with a woman, both of them at least in their seventies, with sun-kissed skin and gray hair.
“Sam, I was hoping I’d see you today. Hello, Patti, you’re looking as stunning as ever.” When Miles leans in to give the older woman a peck on the cheek, shehmmsto herself and blushes.
“Oh, Miles, you charmer.” She bats him on the arm with a laugh. When she notices me standing next to him, her penciled on eyebrows reach for her hairline. “And who did you bring with you? Well aren’t you the cutest peach in the pack? What’s your name, sweetie?”
I smile at her Southern hospitality and offer her my hand. “I’m Hanna. I’m…friends with Miles.”
“Well a friend of Miles is a friend of ours,” she replies, completely ignoring my handshake and pulling me into a hug instead. She smells like the same classic perfume every old woman seems to wear. When she lets me go and I look at Miles, he’s absolutely beaming at us.
“I thought we’d take part in the food trucks and check in and see if either of you needed anything,” he says, taking a step closer to me when I pull away from Patti. Sam sees the move and smirks.
“Ahh, no, we’re all good here. Just enjoy the food and feel free to stay as long as you like.”
“Samuel, what are you talkin’ about?” his wife hisses besides him. “Tell Miles about it.”
“Patricia, not now.He has a lady with him,” the older man pushes back as if we aren’t standing right in front of them. I glance up at Miles and bite back a laugh.
Patti huffs out a breath. “Well if he didn’t want to help because he brought this pretty girl with him, he wouldn’t have offered, now would he?” Her Southern drawl comes out thick as she looks to her husband, clearly exacerbated. Then she turns to look up at Miles.
“We have a new child in tow and he’s a little closed off,” Patti starts to explain. “More often than not they tend to open up after a few days but it’s been nearly a week. He won’t come out of his room or eat with us at meals. Just prefers to take his food back to his room with him.”
“Okay, are you worried he’s a danger to himself? Hanna is a therapist, she could talk to him,” Miles offers. He glances at me to check if that’s okay and I shrug. I haven’t worked with kids since my graduate program but am happy to do so if they need it.
“Oh, that would be nice but honestly, I think he needs a man a little closer to his age to talk to. Someone who he could look up to,” she explains, looking up at Miles with hopeful eyes.
Smiling, he reaches out and gives her arm a reassuring squeeze. “Sure, I’d be happy to talk to him. What room is he in?”
“3A, at the end of the hall. Thank you, Miles. I’m sure it’ll mean a lot to him and it’s a huge help to us.”
“Of course. Hanna and I will go up and see if we can’t find him,” he finishes. Then, in a turn of events I’m not expecting, he takes my hand into his and guides us into the house.
“Good people, right?” he asks, still holding onto my hand as we walk up the steps.
“Yeah, great people,” I manage to respond.
My heart is thumping in my chest both because of the incline of the steps but also because he’s holding my hand. I could pull away. Ishouldpull away. But I don’t want to. There’s a gentle comfort from him holding onto me that I’m not ready to have disappear yet.
When we reach the top of the stairs, I point in the direction of the room Patti told us about. Exactly as she said, there’s a single door at the end of the hall with a gold plated3Anailed into it. There’s a piece of paper taped to the door with something written on it. The closer we get, the more the words become distinguishable. Whoever wrote it did so in a hurry.
