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Chapter Ten
Emmett
“Hey, boys, who wants crispy chicken for dinner?”
The whoops of excitement as I walked into the kitchen of the house where the boys lived together was music to my ears as I set the takeout bag of food on the island in the kitchen. The boys mobbed me as Rylee Thomas came to see what all the kerfuffle was about.
“Hey, back up! We’re going to do this in an orderly fashion. Someone needs to get plates and cutlery, please.”
“Good idea, and how about we set the table?” Rylee suggested.
The boys backed away from us and went about their tasks.
“This is nice of you, Emmett,” Rylee said as she helped me set out the containers of chicken, mashed potato, coleslaw, and other side dishes that came along with two family meal packs.
“I find therapy works a little better with kids when food or games are involved.”
“I completely agree.”
I glanced over at the little blonde boy sitting on the couch like a statue. “How’s Zander doing?”
Rylee sighed. “Not good.”
“I hear he’s responding well to you, so keep trying. I’ll focus my time on the other boys, but do you mind if I take some food over to him?”
“Go ahead.”
We carried the food to the table. Rylee tried to bring Zander over to the table, but he didn’t move, so I carried a plate of food over to the living room and placed it on the coffee table.
“Hey, pal. You want something to eat?”
He shied away from me and the fear in his eyes broke my heart.
“It’s okay, Zander. I’m not going to hurt you.” I held my hands up. “I think you’d like that chicken; it has a nice crunch.” I squatted down in front of him.
Nothing.
Considering what he’d been through, I didn’t blame the kid for being afraid of me or any other man.
Rylee and I moved away.
“It’s going to take time, Rylee, but I’m sure with work, he’ll open up. He may never want to talk about his experience. The most important thing is to get him doing the basic things like eating, for starters.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “All we can do is our best.”
“You’re doing amazing work here. Are there any plans to open up more houses like this?”
“Maybe one day, if the funding comes through,” Rylee said with a nod.
“I’d love to see this become the norm. Too many kids end up lost in the system or shafted from one foster home to the next. This provides the stability and autonomy kids need. It’s why I love working for such a pioneering charity likeCorporate Cares.”
“We’re happy to have you.” Rylee clapped her hands. “Well, it’s the end of my shift. If you need anything, Jackson can help. Thanks for stopping by.”
“Any time. Have a good night.”
“You, too. Bye, boys.”
There was a chorus of ‘bye, Rylee’ and then their focus was firmly on dinner.
