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“I know. I was six when I was in first grade.” I ran my hands over my face again. “Jesus, Candy. I have no fucking clue what to do here.”
“We take it one minute at a time. Let’s have lunch, and we can see what else he says. I’ll give Carmen a call and see if she can possibly see him soon.”
I looked at her. “Don’t you have to work?”
“I called my boss and told him I had a family emergency.”
“You didn’t have to do that, but I thank you. I don’t know how to thank you for this and being here. I don’t know what I am going to do here, Candy. I really don’t.”
She stepped closer to me and touched my face. “Your priority now has to be him, and I’ll do everything I can to help you with that. You can thank me later when things settle down.”
I didn’t hesitate to pull her into my arms and hold her close. This wasn’t about sex; this was about connecting with someone else. She held me tightly, and then David said our food was ready. The two of us collected the plates and moved to sit on either side of Harley at the bar.
He dug into his food like he hadn’t eaten in days, and Candy and I shared worried looks over his head. While we ate, we asked him simple questions like what he liked to do. What sports did he play? Did he have friends? But the only thing we learned about Harley was that he had taken care of his mom and never left their small apartment. He spent most of his time drawing or putting his ear up to the wall to listen to the neighbor’s television at night. His favorite thing to do was watch videos on YouTube before his mother’s cellphone stopped working.
Candy stood from the table. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to make a phone call.”
She nodded at me and disappeared into the kitchen area again. I had little doubt that now she was climbing the steps for privacy to call her sister.
I asked David to get me a piece of chocolate cake, and then as Harley devoured it, I called Monica, the assistant manager, and asked her to come in. Luckily, she was available and said she would be right in.
When Candy returned, she stood beside me. “Carmen will stop by my house on the way home and meet him. Depending on how he responds to her, she will either try and talk to him a bit more or set up a time to do it. I told her everything that I had learned, and she was going to see if she could find anything else out on his mother’s death.”
“That’s a good idea. Thanks.”
“Yep.” She studied him. “He needs a car seat.”
“What?”
“He is only six, and by the looks of it, he’s small for his age. He needs to be in a child safety seat.”
“But he’s not an infant.”
“No, he would sit in a booster. It protects his bones if he’s in an accident. Why don’t I run out and pick one up? I know they have them down the road.”
“Do you mind?”
“Not at all. I’ll be back in a few, and then I can take Harley to my house until you can—”
“I already have someone coming in to cover for me.”
“Oh, good.” She collected her keys from behind the bar. “I’ll be back in a few.”
I watched her leave, wondering what I would be doing if she weren’t here. I’d probably be freaking out right now, but I wasn’t.
“Where did Candy go?” Harley asked me as he shoved another bite of cake between his frosting-coated lips.
“She is running down the street to the store to get something for you. I guess you should be in some special seat in the car.”
“Oh,” he said as if disappointed. “She’s coming back, right?”
“Yeah, she is.”
I took a moment to examine the two small bags Mary had left. Candy had moved them out of the way. That was all Harley had left of his previous life—just two small bags. I guess you didn’t need much when you never left your house.
I took a moment to study Harley and noted the worn-looking clothing that he was wearing now. Were they secondhand or just completely worn out?
When Harley finished, I took him to the restroom and helped clean his face. He made funny faces in the mirror, and I laughed. Our eyes locked, and in that split second, we stared at one another, and I felt my heart swell.
