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He nodded. “When we can. That’s the whole point of this program. To not only teach them the life skill of cooking, but to equip them with some experience for securing a job in the culinary arts once they have to move out on their own. At least they’ll have a chance to support themselves.”
Every minute she spent with him impressed her more and more.
“Megan’s finally found a foster family that understands her.” He stared at the young girl who kept looking at him with stars in her eyes. “She’s been bounced around for years, every few months moved to a new family. I think this time she’s found a match.”
She knew exactly what it felt like to be overlooked, and she even had two biological parents. In her eyes that seemed not to sting so much. “Do they get adopted? Kids their age?”
His face hardened. “It’s very rare. We know the statistics. My brothers and I had lost all hope of finding a real family. Then Vivian came along.”
“Do you ever think of taking in a foster child?” She didn’t know if she had it in her to take in a teenager. She knew firsthand what a handful her own siblings could be, but they were family. She couldn’t imagine taking in a stranger. More importantly, if a woman was going to have a life with Jack Vaughn, she needed to know what was in store for her. Not that she would ever have a life with him. It was pure curiosity.
“I think about it. I feel guilty about it. But I move around too much. Foster kids need stability.” There was that guilt card. She knew all about that one.
“You shouldn’t feel guilty. You’re giving back. Just because you aren’t opening up your home doesn’t mean you’re not making a difference.”
He nodded, but she knew he didn’t take her words to heart. It was something he needed to come to terms with on his own.
The timers on the ovens went off almost simultaneously. The cooking time was up and the group spent the next forty-five minutes eating, laughing, and making fun of her inedible macaroni and cheese. Witnessing the program in action gave her a new appreciation for the work all four brothers did. They gave up their time and money to give back the same way their mother had. It was admirable. Jack was admirable. Worth so much more than he gave himself credit for.
The kids eventually filed out one by one, each making an effort to say an individual good-bye to Jack. Even Sterling got a couple of hugs.
As soon as the last kid shuffled out, Jack asked, “Are you ready for the second part of our date?”
Her stomach danced with excitement. “Let me guess, back on the motorcycle? To drive to a hot-air balloon? That will take us to a spaceship?”
Jack shook his head, laughing at her.
“Hah, no.” He grinned. “Come on. I want to show you something.” Jack wrapped his arm around her waist. “You were right about the motorcycle though. Ready to get back on?”
She sighed. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She had no idea what kind of surprise Jack had in store for her, and when they parked a fair distance from a set of buildings, she became even more confused.
These weren’t just any old buildings, they were apartment buildings—more specifically, ones that she recognized as low-income units subsidized by the government for people on assistance.
“What are we doing here?” Night had fallen and their surroundings were illuminated by the streetlights overhead.
“This is where I came from.” He removed his helmet and put it between his stomach and the bike. She followed his lead.
Cars were parked in front of the building entrances, music blaring from inside. Kids played on a playground in the middle of the complex, laughing and just…being kids.
Where he came from? She didn’t understand. “You lived here?”
“I never knew who my dad was. I lived here with my mom and my grandmother. My grandmother raised me. My mom was too busy partying and doing drugs to pay attention.”
She didn’t pretend that the life of a foster child was easy, but she never thought the man she was with now could have ever endured such a horrible childhood.
“My grandmother died when I was ten and a week later, my mom dropped me off with Children’s Aid and never came back. Until…” He paused, taking a deep breath. This was intimate information. Even more intimate than his relationship with the kids from the program. And somehow, she didn’t think he divulged it to any of the random women he’d been known to date.
“You don’t have to tell me all this.”
“I know.” He turned his body around as best he could to look at her. “I want to tell you. I want someone in this world to know me. Not Jack the Madewood brother, but Jack who comes from the ghetto.”
Her heart swelled. Sterling nodded and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. She wanted him to know she cared. That for the next few minutes, he was safe.
“My mother showed up again when I was seventeen when she figured out Vivian had taken me in. She was still using. Still broken. I got her into rehab. She even finished the program. I lent her some cash to start a new future.”
Why did Sterling have the sinking feeling this story didn’t end with a happily ever after?
