Jared looked down at Essie and had no qualms about attempting what she was asking. Everyone had lost someone or something, but Essie had lost it all. Now all she wanted was her lovey and what she’d called a pony box.
“Uh, what does your lovey look like?”
“It’s a bear and he’s brown. He’s probably on my bed. That’s where he stays.”
Jared nodded, making a mental note. “And what’s a pony box?”
“It’s a box for my hair ponies. It’s on my dresser.”
Jared nodded again, thinking if he could bring back these seemingly insignificant items, it would mean the world to Essie. He also knew if he brought it up to either Barry or John, they would collectively shoot down any possibility of moving off course to procure Essie’s valuables. The more Jared thought about it, the more convinced he became he would make a concerted effort to stop at Essie’s house and get the lovey and pony box. Sooner or later she was going to start talking about what happened, and then she would want some connection to her past.
Jared thought about this for a moment and decided if he could find a family photo album, he would bring that back as well. Jared wanted to be able to show the girl where she’d come from and that, yes, she had once lived in what used to be a normal world with two people who certainly loved her tremendously. Jared hoped it would help with Essie’s healing process. Jared knew he was ill prepared to play Dr. Phil with the little girl and would need all the help he could get. Shannon had been a Godsend by keeping Essie busy with schoolwork, but he thought there would come a time when the gravity of what had happened would knock the waif off her feet.
Jared wanted to be able to say he’d done everything in his power to guide and protect Essie when that day came. He knew it would not be easy and dreaded the time when that day would arrive.
“What?” she asked. He’d been staring at the pages of the math workbook with a blank look on his face.
He shook his head. “Nothing, I was just thinking about how much you’ve learned in so short a period of time working with Shannon.”
“She’s a teacher,” Essie stated flatly as if that would clear up any question in Jared’s mind about why she had been able to quickly learn all of this math.
Jared nodded and tried peering out the window without Barry noticing. It bothered him that Shannon had taken such a fancy to John, but he didn’t know why. When they’d met for the first time, he thought she was good looking, but had not been so moved as to make any sort of advance. Jared wondered if it was because he was terrible with women and, for the most part, chose to admire them from afar rather than risk rejection and the ultimate humiliation that inevitably accompanied it.
He couldn’t see John and Shannon from his position on the couch and briefly entertained the idea of casually walking outside as if to get some fresh air, but decided against it. Peeking through the curtains was pathetic enough; getting caught in an obvious move to interject himself would have been worse. Jared glanced at Barry, who was hunched over the tablet of paper, writing feverishly. He turned and shifted, trying for a better view of the outside yard, and still he could not see either John or Shannon.
He slumped back onto the couch, directing his attention to helping Essie with her math. The front door opened, and a tired-looking Calvin stepped in, dropped his rifle, and walked past the three without a word. He disappeared into the back room, where, Jared assumed, he would fall asleep in one of the beds. The fact that the man hadn’t spoken to either adult didn’t bother Jared. He had spent so much time with Bart, he was used to the communication style of those in an older age bracket.
They were old men in their seventies. Sometimes they talked, and other times they had other things to do. Jared had learned not to take it personally. Six months ago, he would have thought Calvin was a grumpy old man and probably would have made a Gran Torino joke if anyone was within earshot. Today he watched him disappear down the short hall, thought nothing of it, then went back to guiding Essie through the tumultuous waters of second-grade math.
Chapter 7
John stepped outside and realized Shannon was following him. He looked over his shoulder, saw Shannon stepping off the porch, and slowed his gait slightly to allow her to catch up. John was aware of Shannon’s tendency to fawn over him, and although internally he liked it, he knew he should tread carefully. This little growing community had a wealth of men, but was short on females. He shook his head at the thought of holding back when a good-looking woman showed interest.
He would never have displayed such control just a few months prior. He and his mates would routinely meet women at bars, sleep with them, and never see the women again. Their unit was so secretive, and they rarely admitted to being in the military; they only gave anyone their actual names. Now when there was a shortage of women, he’d somehow transformed into the perfect gentleman. Who would have thought?
Shannon caught up. “Mind if I walk out to the OP with you?”
“Not at all,” John replied.
The two walked up the road without speaking a word. John gave a low whistle, letting Calvin know he had friendlies inbound. The older man stood and let John know he had nothing to report, then walked stiffly back towards the house without giving Shannon so much as a
