Chapter 78

For a sharp, intense moment Henry wanted nothing more than to be there inside the noise, the hugs. This was what he had wanted all his life.

“I want y’all to meet Henry,” Jamey said as he waved Henry into the kitchen.

Henry gasped, and his heart turned over. He’s going to tell them who I am. He inhaled, as he stepped into the warmth of the kitchen, with its pale blue walls, gauzy curtains, an open spice rack between the cabinets and the sink. I bet Jamey made that for her. The room, the house, should have felt friendly, but it didn’t. He could smell and feel the rising tension.

Aunt Louisa’s arm hard across his chest stopped him. “Are you a friend of Jamey’s?”

Mrs. Currey cleared her throat, frowning. “Louisa, I told you about him. This is Henry.”

The dogs looked at Henry and growled deep in their throats, hackles up, in protective stance. The red dog was almost ready to charge. The cat, its fur and tail raised, hissed.