“Do you work in there?” he asked.
Jared caught the glint of interest in dark eyes. “Yes. Do you work around here too?”
“I’m only eleven,” he scoffed.
“How about school then?”
“It finished at three.”
“And you thought sitting on a step in the cold was a good idea to pass the time.”
“I’m not cold.” He shivered a little and exposed the lie for what it was.
“Where are your folks?” Jared wondered if Rowan was right and they should take Luka into the office, or just go straight to calling the cops, because there was no way he or Rowan were leaving him sitting here.
“Dad’s at work but I had to come here and see you.”
“Me?” Jared couldn’t recall having met the kid, but there was no doubting Luka’s conviction.
“Not just you, all of you. My dad works a lot, running the bar, and he’s always looking after me, or working, and since my mom died…” He cleared his throat, the words difficult to say. Compassion flooded Jared and he edged a little closer to Luka, offering non-verbal support where he could. “I want him to have a friend, and I want him to go on a date, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a girl or boy, because my Auntie Lee says he’s bri-sextual.”
Bri-sextual? Jared folded his arms and leaned against the stair railing.
“So, I came here to get one for him, but they said that my dad would need to go in, and they wanted me to stay so they could call the cops. But I don’t need to be arrested. Plus, that man, he gave me a card, said Dad could call the number on it if he wanted, but I can’t tell Dad he needs to go in to get a friend, ’cause he’d kill me, not for real, but he’d be angry, and now I don’t know what to do.”
“Do you have your dad’s number?”
“No,” Luka said, but wouldn’t meet his eyes.
Jared read Luka’s lie—this kid was transparent. “Is there someone waiting at home for you? What’s your address?”
“I forget. Look, can I read you something?” Luka asked with a tinge of hope in his voice.
“Once you give me your address, then sure.”
“How about I read this and then give you my address.”
Jared couldn’t help his snort of laughter or admiring that Luka was a fierce negotiator. “Go on then.”
Luka took off his gloves and fiddled with a lock, and then opened it to pages filled with scribbles and doodles. Clearly it was a life journal of some sort and could well hold Luka’s hopes and dreams.
“Dear Mr. or Mrs. Bryant & Waites,” Luka began to read, and then pointed up at the plaque on the building. “I don’t know their real names, so I wrote that.”
“Good call,” Jared praised him.
Luka beamed. “Dear Mr. or Mrs. Bryant & Waites, my Auntie Lee said that you let people borrow boyfriends, and I want one for my dad. It’s his birthday next month and I think it would be a nice present because he’s very lonely and works awfully hard, and he’s always worried about me and I don’t know why because I am the best son. I would be kind to a borrowed boyfriend. I wouldn’t make a lot of noise, and I would stay over at Auntie Lee’s so Dad and his new friend could watch a movie or eat steak.” He glanced up at Jared. “Dad loves steak.”
“Me too.”
“Right, so, eat a steak… okay… thank you very much, love me. I didn’t write me, I wrote Luka.”
“Of course you did.”
“But when I went in there and showed them this they started saying they were calling the police, and one of them was all sappy and patting my head, and I don’t want that, I want a boyfriend for Dad, and I want him to smile again.”
“How about we take you home and talk about this later.”
Luka ignored Jared and instead turned to the back of the journal and pulled out a small plastic bag full of coins and notes. “I have thirty-three dollars and fifty-nine cents to buy a friend for Dad. Is that what you do?”
“What’s your address, Luka?”
“Is it enough money?” He was persistent for sure.
“Address first.”
Luka shrank into his coat, his enthusiasm visibly leaving him, and he shut the journal. Then gave the street name and number. “I go stay with Auntie Lee when Dad’s working. She’s our neighbor.” He stood and with his journal gripped hard, he took the final steps down. “Thank you anyway,” he finished.
Jared was left with a decision to make. An easy one.
He sent a thumbs up to Rowan, then indicated he was going with Luka, and then followed him. Walking Luka wouldn’t take him far out of his way, and as soon as he saw Luka safely back then he’d head home. He fell into step with Luka. What should he talk about? He thought about the few things Luka had mentioned. His mom was dead? That’s what he’d said, right? And his dad ran a bar? They walked for a while and before Jared got around to breaking the silence, to talk some more, someone shouted Luka’s name.
“I’m dead,” Luka groaned. “That’s my dad.”
Chapter Two
“You’re in early today?” Nate noted, and slid the filled shot glass across the counter to the man sitting opposite him.
“Closed a big contract this afternoon so thought I’d celebrate.” The man grinned, twisted the glass between his finger and thumb. “So, what time do you get off?” He looked at Nate through his blond bangs.
“Eight. Why?” Nate glanced along the bar as the group of women, who’d been there all afternoon, burst into laughter.
“I thought if you were free… maybe we could…”
Ah. Of course. Nate shook his head. “I—”
“Come on. It’s been months. We had fun, right? That last time?” he pressed.
Fun, huh? Nate guessed he would call it that, in
