Chapter 9

“This was wonderful, thanks. Feel free to cook anytime you want to. I won’t complain.”

He gave me a shy smile.

“You hungry?” I asked, indicating the rest of the food.

“Oh, no. I ate before I left the house. That was all for you.”

“Well, then I’ll take it home and have the rest for breakfast.” I took the dish and spoon with me to the door. “Goodnight, Mack. Oh and hey, Jenna and her husband Jerome have a Christmas Eve party every year, and you’re invited. I can work until the party’s over, then you can come back here and relieve me, if you’d like to go. I think it would be good for you to reacquaint yourself with folks here, maybe meet some new people. Up to you, though.”

I caught the look he gave me. It was hard to decipher, but he seemed stunned that someone would consider him worthy of an invitation to…anything. Maybe all those years moving around and living out of his car had made him insular, since common human kindness appeared to be such a novelty in his world.