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I didn’t want to make him any madder, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “And you do?”
He didn’t reply. He turned and bent, swiping his hat and gloves off the floor, then walked to the door and stopped, but he still wouldn’t look at me. As he fixed the hat on his head and yanked his gloves back on, he said, “I’ll be here to pick you up at six. Earlier if the storm hits sooner. If he comes back, you had better call me.”
“I will,” I said, because now I knew that there was a hell of a lot more to this than Frank was letting on.
* * *
“Hey.” Brady called on his way back to Wisper from Wind Reservation, talking really loudly into his cell phone. “This storm’s s’posed to be a monster. The snow’s already startin’. I’m on my way home from the res now. My mom’s gonna stay with her cousin out there.”
“Okay, but drive slowly. I can’t handle it if you get hurt.”
“Okay, boss,” he joked. “I’m glad you’re staying at Ace’s House tonight. Theo ordered a bunch of sleeping bags and supplies. We’ve got a huge generator, we got that big ol’ fireplace, and we got food. There’s a bunch of people plannin’ to come. When the power lines go down, it can be days before they get ’em back up and runnin’ for some of the more rural residents.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to be alone. But, um, do you mind if I bring a dog?”
“A dog? I guess so?” He laughed. “I doubt Theo will care, but whose dog?”
“It’s Frank’s dog, Grum.”
“How’s it goin’ with you two?”
“Well…”
“Well what?”
“I don’t know. There’s something bothering him. I have no idea what it is. He won’t talk to me, and it’s affecting… us.”
“Ooo, so it’s ‘us’ now?”
“I thought it was, but maybe I was wrong.”
“And the age thing?”
“It doesn’t matter. Age doesn’t matter at all. He’s such a good man, Brady. I think I… Well, I like him. Like, a lot.” I kicked my boot against the bottom of the check-in desk as I leaned over it. “And now that I’ve figured that out, he’s pulling away.”
“I’m sorry, Sam.”
I sighed. “It has something to do with that kid. The one Theo told Frank about—Murphy.”
“Oh, really? Did Frank find him?”
“No, but he was here. He’s been breaking into the library at night. He cut his stomach trying to climb a fence, and I think it’s infected, but Frank scared him off again. And now Frank’s angry with me for not calling him right away. He’s really worried about Murphy. You don’t know Frank though; he’s really strict. I just didn’t want the kid to get arrested. It’s not his fault he’s homeless.”
“I’ll be there to get you in about fifteen minutes, and we’ll go pick up the dog. Then you can tell me all about it. Maybe the kid will reach out tonight. Everybody’s talkin’ about the storm. I’m sure he knows it’s comin’.”
“I’m leaving the library unlocked just in case. The county might fire me for it, but I don’t care. If he comes back here, I want him to be able to get in without hurting himself again.” I looked out at the dark, ominous afternoon sky already spitting snowflakes. “Okay. I’ll close up. See you soon.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
SAMANTHA
“Grum! No!” The silly dog launched himself at Theo, and they both landed on the hardwood floor in the hallway at Ace’s House. I rushed forward, arms out, trying to help. “I’m so sorry.”
I thought it might be a good idea to give Frank some space, so I called him and told him Brady was picking me up. He followed through on his promise and called Brady himself to make sure Brady was aware of the situation, even though I’d already told Brady. I wasn’t three years old. I could speak for myself. But he was still so angry, so I hadn’t argued.
As soon as Brady and I walked in the front door at the center, Grum pulled on his leash, detaching it from his collar by sheer will, and I was holding my breath, expecting to get yelled at for bringing such an unruly puppy into the community center. Instead, Theo laughed, and then he just lay there, rubbing his hands back and forth vigorously over Grum’s fur, while Grum gave Theo’s face a tongue bath.
“I don’t think an animal has ever reacted to me this way,” he said, laughing. “Usually, it’s my sister they love. She’s always had a special connection with them.”
