“Why?”
“Wanted to surprise you with an Icee after your shift. You really do this three or four times a week?”
“Try to.” I steered her by the elbow around the corner toward the store. “They’re already starting out life in tough shape, and their parents aren’t around. Well, most of them aren’t, unless they get clean. So…”
“You hold them. To help them bond. Feel love.”
“They deserve some help. Many will have learning disabilities, will be raised in foster homes or adopted out if their parents can’t get clean.” I took a long draw on my drink. “Thanks for this, by the way. It was exactly what I needed.”
“Well,youdeserve it.” She backhanded my shoulder. “Shit! Is that your bad side?”
I keeled over, groaning, even though it was totally the wrong shoulder. Not to mention it was pretty healed up by now. But it was fun teasing her. I was still in shock that she’d come here and was hanging with me.
“Wait. It wasn’t…you ass.” She hit my shoulder again with a little more force. “I’llmakeit hurt, though.”
I spun her around by the wrist. Surprisingly she countered by grabbing my wrist at the ulnar nerve, effectively weakening my grip.
“Holy cow. How’d you do that?” I couldn’t help but smile with pride.
“Waitress, remember?” Her face hardened, and she stared ahead as her jaw tightened.
I could tell it was so much more than that. “You’re off work tonight, huh?”
“Yep.”
“You can hang with me at the store if you want.”
“And get attacked and stabbed? I’ll pass.”
But she still followed me.
“You asked how I got involved in the baby thing.”
She sipped her drink, eyes fixed on me. That was totally intimidating, too. Nobody knew this story, and a twinge of doubt at telling her ignited in my chest.
But my mouth must have known she needed me to take the first step in this whole relationship thing, because it started spilling. “The little one in there was Anthony. Born addicted to crack. Withdrawals so severe we didn’t think he’d make it. Almost didn’t.”
“But he will now?”
“Hopefully. Long road ahead.” I took in a deep breath, finding my courage. “But he’ll need all the help he can get. Like I did.”
“You?”
“I was Anthony.”
“A big guy like you?”
“I like to think I had a me when I was detoxing in the NICU. Someone there who was investing some time in me and that’s why I turned out…okay.”
“I think you turned out pretty well, actually.”
“A compliment from the tough and mysterious Sarah Ryder?”
“Didn’t know you knew my last name.”
“Well, I tried to find out as much as I could about you when you first came. Was curious.”
“And now?”