A Time To Give

“Why didn’t you say something? I would have pitched in.”

“I suggested that to Emily. She said you work too hard all day and shouldn’t be doing manual labor at night.”

He stood. “I don’t work that hard. I’m going back, if that’s all right.”

With Alice’s consent, Ben carried his dirty dishes into the kitchen. Guests were required to bring back their own plates. He remembered setting up that edict for Cassidy Place. But some people still often left their mess for the volunteers. Emily didn’t usually complain about it, but on occasion he’d seen her confront a customer for his thoughtlessness. The sight of her dragging a big guy back and making him clean up after himself was amusing.

The kitchen was hotter than usual tonight, probably because the April evening was still warm. Volunteers bustled in and out, preparing food or picking up plates. Emily scraped dishes while another worker loaded them into the dishwasher. Ben recognized the man as Jimmy, the guy who ran security on the floor.

Emily looked up as Ben crossed to them and aimed a megawatt smile his way. “Hi, Ben. Finished with your meal?”

He bused his plate, then rolled up his sleeves. “Yes. And I’m going to take over for you. You like being out on the floor better than working inside.”

Her smile brightened. “How do you know that?”

“You told me once. Come on, I’ll do KP with Jimmy.”

She and the other man exchanged a look.

“What?”

“Jimmy has a date. He wasn’t supposed to be here this late tonight.” She glanced to her helper. “If Ben’s going to work, you can leave.”

The young, handsome black man shrugged. “You sure?”

“Go.” She handed an apron to Ben. “Want to clear or stack?”

“Stack.” That way he might not have to see her face, flushed by the heat, or her hands, long and slender. He wondered if she’d blush like that after sex. What her hands would feel like stroking his back. Over the past year, he’d had dreams….

“Ben, are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” he said, feeling his body tighten at her nearness. Damn, this wasn’t good.

Whipping on the white apron—she wore a matching one over her cropped pants and shirt—he began his task. They fell into easy conversation as they always did when he let himself relax with her. “No dance tonight?”

“I left work early for once and went to the four o’clock class. I changed there.”

“What kind of dance do you take?”

“Ballet, tap and jazz, all on different days. Though tap gives me some trouble. It always did.”

“Always?”

“Uh-huh, I’ve been taking lessons on and off all my life.”

“Nice hobby.” He’d like to see her dance.

“How about you? Got any hobbies?”

He used to. He played racquetball with Trey, went running with his dog, liked a game of pool. “No, not really.”

She scraped dishes. “Do you live alone, Ben?”

“Um, yeah.” He took a plate from her hand. “You?”

“It’s just me and my dog.”

“You have a dog?” Harriet’s shaggy face came out of nowhere. He’d loved that animal so much.

“A cocker spaniel.” Emily’s expression turned tender. “She’s a beauty. She likes to be coddled, so I call her My Lady. Lady for short.” She smiled. “Lady and the Tramp has always been my favorite story.”

“Ah, I should have known you’d like happily-ever-afters.”

She started to say something but a rush of people entered the kitchen, clattering dishes in front of her. Emily conversed with the guests who handed over their plates, then continued the conversation with Ben when things slowed down. “Why did you react when I told you about my dog?”

“I had one once.” She’d been a stray mutt hanging out at the soup kitchen. Eventually, Ben had taken her home.

“What happened to it?”

“I gave her away when I wasn’t able to keep her.”

“I’m sorry. That must have left a hole in your life.”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t want to talk about his dog or think about anything else he’d lost. Luckily, things got busy again. In no time, the evening was over. Dishwashers were usually the last to finish, so the place emptied out quickly, leaving him and Emily alone in the kitchen. When the last plate was clean, he whipped off his apron. “I’ll go see if Alice needs help out there.”

Just then the older woman bustled in. “No, we’re done. One of the stragglers stacked the chairs. But there’s a mess on the floor from a family with kids that the janitors aren’t gonna like.”

“I’ll get a mop and take care of it.”

“That would be great,” Alice said.

Emily watched Ben’s back as he disappeared through the doorway.

“Have fun tonight?” Alice asked.

Chagrined, she felt herself blush. “I like working with him.”

“I like him.” Alice sat on a stool. “I wonder what his story is.”

“Me, too.” Emily crossed to the dessert cooler and removed chocolate cake for the two of them. “He seems so smart, so well spoken. He talks like an educated man. I can’t believe he needs to come here.”

“I was thinking the same thing. His clothes are definitely Salvation Army, though.”

“I wonder if he was always poor.”

“Maybe not. A lot of people who use Cassidy Place were once better off. Ben has a job, but we don’t know how much it pays. Sometimes people just come for the company. Like that Helena who always flirts with Ben.”

Helena, the tall, slender woman with mounds of streaked hair. No one had any idea where she came from. She did indeed make cow eyes at Ben.