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“Okay. I still need to figure out where they are, but if you’re okay, I’ll put them on clean-up duty.”
Henry rolled his eyes. “We’ll just have to do the dishes over after they leave.”
“Everyone helps out. That’s the rule here.”
“Sure. Some people just suck at it.”
Jack gave him a sympathetic smile. “I’ve had some roommates like that.”
“Yeah?”
“Definitely.”
A group of kids came in then. They had the hardened look Jack had come to expect of kids on the street, the look that hid their vulnerability, that protected them from having someone guess they were shaking on the inside. Henry didn’t have that façade. Everything about him screamed normal middle-class lifestyle except his eyes. When he wasn’t careful, they took on the haunted look of a kid who was running from something. What was his story?
Jack and Henry passed plates along, filling them and then setting them by the cups where they could be picked up by the kids as they came in. The kids filled their cups with tea or water and headed to tables. Some sat together and others kept to themselves, giving off clear signals for others to keep the fuck away.
Since becoming a cop, Jack had met so many kids like these, lots of them right on the edge of self-annihilation from drugs, alcohol, prostitution, or other means they’d used to survive on their own. At work, he had to distance himself. He couldn’t let sympathy for their plight cloud his judgment as he tried to assess how they might or might not have been involved in a crime.
Now, he finally had a chance to be a friend rather than someone who had to focus on upholding the law. Would this be a temporary break for him? Could he volunteer like this after hours if he went back to wearing his badge? Would these kids see him the same once they realized he was a cop, or would they shut down? He’d managed to get past that instinctive reaction plenty of times before, even when wearing his uniform. Hopefully he could do that here, at least with Henry. But what would happen once they realized he was gay? For several of these kids, that might be worse than his being a cop.
You’re getting ahead of yourself again. Relax.
“You okay?” Henry asked. His concern melted Jack’s heart.
“Yeah. I am.” And he was.
“Rough day?”
“Rough couple of months.” Jack suddenly realized what he’d said. He was telling a kid who was staying in a shelter because he had nowhere else to go but the streets thathehad it rough. What the fuck? He had a job—sort of—two men who loved him, and a house in an awesome neighborhood. So he’d been shot. So he was confused about what he wanted. He still had it so good.
Henry patted him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
Jack was supposed to be the one doing the encouraging. Who was this amazing young man? “Things are getting better, and this has already helped.”
“What? Being here?” Henry looked like he couldn’t believe it.
Jack nodded. “Yep.”
“It’s a good place for what it is, but don’t you have something better to do?”
Jack looked him right in the eye. “No, I don’t.”
“Huh,” Henry snorted.
“Make yourself a plate already so we can serve dessert.”
“You made dessert?” Henry’s eyes widened, and he suddenly looked like a kid instead of a young man.
“I did. Tiramisu. It’s my favorite, so it’s kind of my specialty.”
“OMG, I haven’t had tiramisu in years, not since…” Henry stopped himself.
Jack wanted to know more, but he didn’t dare push. There was a time for questions, and this was not it.
Andy walked over to where Jack and Henry were eating standing up. He’d been circling the room, checking in with various kids. “Mind if I introduce you to everyone?”
Jack shook his head. “No, that’s fine.”
