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“I’m Henry. Andy said I could help.”
Not that he had to, but that he could. Interesting. “Sure. I was just starting on the salad. Why don’t you chop this lettuce, and I’ll do the tomatoes?”
“Okay,” Henry said, sounding as unsure as he looked.
Knowing that coming on too strong wouldn’t be a good idea, Jack pulled out another cutting board and got to work chopping tomatoes. He tried not to be too obvious, but he kept sneaking glances at the young man as he efficiently ran the knife through the Romaine. He clearly knew his way around the kitchen. At least they had something in common.
Henry finished the lettuce quickly, then extracted two huge bowls from a cabinet and filled them with the greens he’d chopped without Jack saying a word. “What can I do now?” he asked.
“There’s bread and garlic butter in one of those bags.” Jack pointed to the groceries he and Mason had brought in. “You could slice the bread and butter it so it’s ready to go under the broiler.”
Henry nodded and started to work. He pulled baking pans out of a cabinet beside the stove. Then he proceeded to slice the bread with a precision Jack envied. When he had it buttered and laid out on the pans, he peeked in the oven, studied the lasagnas, then closed the door. “You want me to wait a few minutes to toast this or go ahead since we’ve got several pans?”
Jack finished tossing the second bowl of salad and glanced at the clock. “Let’s wait a few minutes.”
“Okay.”
“Should we set out plates and silverware at the beginning of the serving line?”
Henry nodded. “Yeah. I mean yes, sir.”
Jack wanted Henry to be comfortable around him, not thinking of him as an authority figure anxious to bust him for something. “No need for that. Just call me Jack.”
“Um…okay.” Henry extracted a large stack of plates from a cabinet, then looked over and caught Jack watching him. “Thanks.”
Jack tilted his head, not sure what he was being thanked for—dinner, letting Henry help him, or something else. “For what?”
“For assuming I know what I’m doing. A lot of the volunteers think we’re stupid, that we don’t know how to do even the most basic task. I had a regular life before… I wasn’t raised by wolves or anything.”
Jack smiled. “I could tell. Wolves don’t usually make garlic bread.”
The kid didn’t smile at the comment like Jack had hoped. Instead, a look of devastating sadness crossed his face. Time to change the subject. “So where is the silverware?”
“Last drawer on your left. I’ll get it. You can get the cups. They’re in the cabinet right above you,” Henry said. Henry pulled the silverware organizer out of the drawer and placed it on the counter, and Jack found stacks of clear plastic cups like you might see at a water cooler in a restaurant.
When they had the plates, utensils, and glasses set out, Jack pulled the salad dressing from the fridge. “Would you check on the lasagnas and stick a few trays of toast in the oven?”
“Sure,” Henry replied.
After he’d peeked in the ovens, he pulled the first pan of lasagna out and set it on the trivets Jack had placed on the counter. “Does this look good to you?”
The cheese was melted and bubbly. “Perfect.”
When Henry had all three pans lined up, he stuck the first trays of toast under the broiler and kept a close eye on them. After they were done, Henry put the other two pans in the oven, and Jack filled a few breadbaskets he’d brought with him. They worked in silence, but Jack didn’t find the situation awkward. They were both focused on their tasks, and Henry didn’t strike Jack as the talkative type. Jack hoped he’d eventually open up more, but they’d made a good start.
Andy walked in as Jack and Henry finished setting up the serving line. “This looks amazing,” he said.
Jack shrugged. “I hope they like it.”
“Everyone should be on their way.” Andy glanced around. “Where are Trina and Dave? They were supposed to be helping too.”
Jack shrugged. “Henry’s the only one who’s been here with me.”
Henry snorted. “I bet I can guess where they are.”
“I’ll go root them out.” Andy sighed.
“Henry and I can handle it,” Jack said. “He’s been a lot of help already.”
