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Anger, like nothing he’d ever felt, consumed him. “I thought those were outlawed.”
“Not in Arizona. I have been trying to research being gay, but the internet is full of…well, it’s full of a lot.”
Sam groaned. “I don’t know where you’re researching but you should be very careful.” A thought struck him. “How old are you?”
“Nineteen,” Mickey supplied. “My mom let me stay until I graduated this past May.”
“Where are you staying?”
Mickey squirmed.
Damn it! This was worse than he thought. “Do you have a safe place to sleep?”
“I’m okay,” Mickey was quick to assure him.
Where was Adam or Susie when he needed them? “That’s not what I asked.”
“I bought an old car when I was in high school. I have some money saved from the fast-food restaurant I worked at when in school too. I’m managing.”
Sam wanted to bang his head on the table in front of him. Instead, he took a deep breath to sort through all the thoughts rattling around in his head. The first thing was getting Mickey into a place to live. Sam had the apartment above the shop where Caden had lived. Then he would get Mickey some training and put him on the schedule. He’d seen Susie do this for people throughout the years, but Sam wasn’t prepared for all of this. He knew what the right thing to do was and Sam didn’t have a choice but to step up. Susie had gone out of her way to help him and now it was Sam’s turn to do the same.
“If you accept the job, we’ll get to training you right away. There’s an apartment upstairs that Caden just moved out of, and we’ll get you set up there as well. It will be part of your pay so while you’ll get less of a check, you’ll have a place to live, and all the utilities paid.”
Mickey’s eyes widened while filling with tears.
“If you have any questions about the arrangement, I suggest you talk to Caden. He lived and worked and made it work, so he can give you some advice.”
“Why would you do this for me? I’m a nobody.”
Sam shook his head. “That’s someone else talking. You are not a nobody and I need you to remember that. You are special and important and now you belong to us. You’re part of the crew and like I said we take care of our own. We’ve all been through some shit, but it made us stronger.”
Tears fell from Mickey’s eyes. “I miss my family. And my friends. No one was willing to go against my mom. I’ve felt so alone for so long.”
“I know.” Sam rose and hugged Mickey to his chest as he rocked the boy. “You’re not alone any longer.”
The door opened and Sam patted Mickey’s back. “Don't go anywhere. As soon as Adam and Caden get back, I’ll take you upstairs and we’ll make your schedule.”
“Okay.”
Sam hurried around the counter to greet the two older women who had bundled for the cold and were currently unwrapping the scarves from around their necks. He touched his own scarf as a reminder of his Daddy. He had so much to tell Carson and maybe get his advice on. There had to be something more they could do to help Mickey.
“Ladies, welcome in. What can I get you?”
The shop grew crowded, and Sam was running around trying to take orders, make drinks, and serve pastries. He didn’t say anything when Mickey stepped behind the counter and quickly sanitized his hands before he plated up pastries that Sam had pulled from the display case.
Even without any previous training, Mickey helped Sam through the small rush. Once all the patrons were settled with their food and drinks, Sam nudged Mickey’s shoulder. “Thanks for helping out.”
Mickey shrugged but his smile was wide. “It’s the least I could do after everything you offered me. I want to take you up on the job and apartment. I want to be part of the team.”
“You already are,” Sam assured him. “You did good.”
The door opened and Sam sighed. Where were Adam and Caden?
Two men in cheap gray suits entered and Sam did his best not to give away anything on his face and put on his best customer service smile. The two men approached but Sam did not like the smirk on the first man’s face or the way his beady little eyes watched him.
“Can I help you gentlemen?” he asked politely.
The front man’s grin widened, which was just smarmy. “Samson Stewart?”
