“This is beautiful,” I tell him, but he doesn’t lift his head to look me in the eye. He never does. “Jared,” I call softly, waiting for him to look at me. “Thank you,” I say softly when he finally looks up. “I’m going to put this on my desk so I can look at it every single day.” His eyes meet mine, but he doesn’t smile back. He nods and moves over to wait near the other kids. He doesn’t join in with them as they talk loudly; he lingers on the periphery, watching as they goof around with each other. I can tell from the way he stares at them sometimes that he wants to be a part of the group, but he’s still finding his feet. He’s not ready to let his guard down just yet, and that’s okay. The fact that he even wants to be around them is something to be happy about. From what I've learned so far, he’s not used to being around other people. His mother kept him at home, never socializing with anyone, and he’s only just learning that there is a big world outside of the cramped, dirty apartment his mom kept him locked in.
I hope I can help him in some way because seeing him hurting like this hurts me too. I’d love nothing more than to pull him in for a hug, but I’ve been doing this long enough to know when to respect boundaries. And the ones Jared has put up to protect himself are pretty damn high.
There’s a knock at the door right before it’s pushed open. The noise level doubles as each and every one of the boys vies for Rylee’s attention. Even Jared’s somber face lights at the sight of her. She’s one of the counselors, and from what I’ve seen so far, she’s the boys favorite. She and I have become quite friendly over the last few weeks, and her easy-going ways have gone a long way to helping me feel like part of the team.
Once the boys have been shuffled out of the room and directed to clean and get their homework done, Rylee helps me pack away the art supplies that are scattered around. I catch her up on the progress of my last few sessions. She gets the written reports, but it’s good to be able to talk about things face-to-face sometimes.
“Oh here, let me give you this before I forget,” she says, turning back from the doorway and handing me a small white envelope.
“What’s this?” I ask, sliding my finger under the flap of the thick, embossed envelope.
“An invitation to a charity night Corporate Cares is holding this weekend. I meant to drop it over to you last week. Can you make it?”
“I think I can fit it in my hectic schedule.” I laugh lightly because Rylee knows I'm new to town and have no friends here at all.
“Great. It will be a good opportunity for you to get out and meet some people.”
“You sound just like my mom.” I groan.
“It’s a habit from being around these guys all the time. Not to mention my own boys at home.” She smiles, the affection for her kids clear in her voice. “So you’ll be there then?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
CHAPTER THREE
BROOKE
Running my hands down the satin dress that’s clinging to my body, I turn back and forth in the full-length mirror. Today is one of the days I’ve missed having Bailey here the most. Well, I miss her closet more than anything right now, if I’m being completely honest with myself.
Shopping for a black-tie event without her has been a nightmare. I even resorted to FaceTiming her from the changing room a few times just to get her opinion on dress after dress. As soon as she saw me in this dress, she told me to buy it. She refused to hang up the phone until I walked to the cashier and paid for it right there and then. Now, standing here, dressed and ready to go, I think she was right.
The mocha silk wraps around my body like a second skin. The top is held up by thin straps, but the deep V that crisscrosses over my breasts is much more revealing than I'd usually be brave enough to wear. The skirt is long, hitting my legs mid-calf, but the silk moves like water when I walk, letting one leg peek out with each step. The heels I have on are probably going to cause my feet to hurt before I even get there, but even I can see how they make my legs look long and toned.
Checking I have everything in my small clutch as I wait for the Uber to arrive, I swipe on a nude lipstick. This is my first night out in as long as I can remember, so I went all out and got my hair done at a salon. My hair is stupidly thick and long, and I could never get curls like this on my own. Even attempting it by myself would have been a waste of time.
***
“You made it!” I’ve just stepped in to the lavish ballroom when Rylee walks over to greet me. “And wow! You look incredible.” She makes me blush a little with her kind words.
“Thank you for inviting me. This place looks amazing,” I reply, looking around
