Senada broke away and rounded the corner to find a little boy, terrified and defiant, holding burgers in his hands. “It was only five! Pig!” he yelled back at the cook. “You’re a stupid pig!”
Pete’s face turned purple. “Why, you little—”
Senada’s heart twisted. “Hold on, Pete,” she said to the cook, then quickly assessed the boy. His clothes were worn, his cheek was smeared with dirt and he wasn’t wearing any shoes. “Are you hungry?”
The boy jutted out his chin. “So what if I am?”
She walked closer. “For starters, you could ask before taking the burgers. How old are you, anyway?”
“Twelve.”
“More like nine,” Troy muttered from behind her. “You gonna eat all those yourself?”
The kid looked at Troy warily, clearly intimidated by his size. “Maybe. What’s it to you?”
Troy shrugged and leaned against the counter. “Nothing. Go ahead. I’d just hate to see you get sick.”
“Sick?”
“Five burgers is a lot to eat.”
“It was six,” Pete insisted. “Six of my burgers.”
“I’ll cover it,” Senada said, finding the situation disturbing. “You can cook some more.” Pete grumbled as he made his way to the refrigerator.
“I wasn’t gonna eat them all,” the boy said.
Troy nodded. “You got a name?”
“Rocky.”
“You got a family?”
Rocky’s brown eyes glittered with defiance again. “Yeah. So what?”
“Where do you live?”
The boy made a quick dash for the door, but Troy was quicker. He caught the boy by the arm.
“Lemme go!”
“Where do you live?”
Rocky glared at Troy. “We ain’t got no house. It’s my mom, my sister and me. My dad’s in jail. My mom cleans rooms at the hotel, and we ain’t got no house.”
It hit Senada hard. She couldn’t exactly say why. Maybe she was still reeling from meeting someone from her father’s ranch. Maybe Helen’s words about how she should get involved with other people had finally taken hold. Either way, Senada felt as if someone had hit her in the stomach. Wake up. Things could be worse. There are other people in this world in far worse circumstances than yours.
Her eyes met Troy’s, and the steadiness of his gaze calmed her. She cleared her throat. “You didn’t say where you live,” she finally said very quietly.
Rocky lifted his thin shoulders. “For the last two weeks we’ve slept in a warehouse.”
Troy took a deep breath. He knew what he was going to have to do. “How would you like a real roof over your head for a change?”
“I don’t want social services.”
Troy gave a wry laugh. “Do I look like social services? I have access to a two-bedroom garage apartment. You think your mom would like that?”
“Maybe.”
“Yeah, well, how about I walk with you to your mom’s, and we can ask her.”
“Can I keep the burgers?”
Senada blinked, spurred into action. “Yes. Just a minute, and I’ll give you some soda.” She filled some cups, gave them to Troy. “And here are some nachos. If you want more,” she told Rocky, “let me know, and I’ll get them for you. Okay?”
“Okay,” the boy said in a surprised voice. “Thanks.”
Senada looked at Troy curiously. “This sounds like your apartment. You’re ready to go back to Tennessee?”
Troy wasn’t certain he heard hope or disappointment in her voice. “No chance, Sin. I’m headed back to that crappy hotel.” No AC. No fan. Stifling a groan, he paused. “Unless you’d like to show a little compassion and hospitality and let me stay with—”
“Sorry, no,” she managed quicker than lightning, but Troy would have sworn she found it tough to refuse him.
He chuckled. The woman was begging him to leave at every turn. Her eyes, however, seemed to be begging for something else. He was obviously suffering from delusions. “Had to try. I’ll see ya later, Sin. Lisa sent some baby pictures and told me to show them to you.”
All wide eyes and tousled hair, she clasped her hands tightly together. “Okay.”
Troy narrowed his eyes. She’d looked upset earlier, and she didn’t look any happier now.
Knowing she couldn’t care less about his sleeping arrangements, he deliberately misunderstood her concern. “Hey,” he said, chucking her gently under the chin, “don’t worry about me. It’s a terrible motel and there’s no air conditioner and I’m lonely, but I’ll be okay.”