Everlasting Love

Megan was appalled. “You mean, he doesn’t want to find them? Why not? They’re his family.”

“He told me they’d disowned him, not the other way around. That’s good enough for me,” Inez said flatly. “Just because somebody’s born into a family doesn’t mean they have to stay in it if they’re not wanted.”

“Don’t you think they’re worried about him?”

From behind her a deep voice said, “No.”

Startled, Megan whirled. James was standing in the doorway, a clean-faced Bobby Joe half-hidden behind him. She forced a smile. “Hi. We were just talking about you.”

“So I gathered.”

“I wasn’t being nosy,” Megan explained. “I just wanted to understand what motivates you, what makes you the person you are.”

“Hard knocks,” he said. “Any other questions?”

“Only why you choose to hold a grudge and cut yourself off from your family,” she blurted, before taking time to fully censor her thoughts.

James huffed. “It wasn’t my decision to go away in the first place, and it wasn’t me who didn’t leave a forwarding address. If my folks don’t care, why should I?”

“How about your brothers?” Megan asked. “Have you done a search on the Internet? I’ll be bringing a laptop with me when I move in. You’re welcome to borrow it if you want.”

“Believe it or not, Camp Refuge not only has electricity, a telephone and indoor plumbing, it also has its own computer system. Your notion of us being dumb, backward hillbillies is outdated, Ms. White.”

“I didn’t mean anything like that. I was just trying to make a sensible suggestion.”

“I know.” He spoke with resignation and a quiet sigh. “That’s a big part of our problem. You’re determined to help me in spite of everything I’ve told you, and I don’t need or want any help. It’s as simple as that.”

“I’d hardly call my work simple,” she countered. “You may not take this project seriously, but I do. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to convince you I’m right and you’re wrong.” In the background, Megan heard the cook’s quick intake of breath.

James, however, began to laugh and shake his head. “I don’t suppose it’s occurred to you that we might both be a little right, has it? No, I didn’t think so.” He glanced past her into the dining hall. “Where are the rest of the boys? Did you leave them with Aaron?”

“No. Zac took them to wash up,” Megan said. The moment the words were out of her mouth and she saw the look of disbelief on James’s face, she knew she’d made a mistake.

“What? I told you to watch them.”

“You don’t have to raise your voice. They’re fine. They just went to wash their hands, that’s all.”

“You’d better hope that’s all.”

Stomping past her on his way out the front door, James was mumbling to himself. Megan couldn’t make out most of what he was saying but she did manage to catch a word or two. That was plenty.

Chagrined, she looked around the kitchen for something to keep her busy till he got back. “Can I help you with anything else?” she asked Inez.

“Nope. Everything’s ready. Why don’t you take Bobby Joe into the dining room?”

“What a wonderful idea.” Megan crouched down to be on the child’s eye level and asked, “How about it? I don’t know how you do things around here. Will you show me?”

To her delight, the fair-haired boy nodded.

Straightening, Megan took his hand. “Good. Let’s start with where we’re supposed to sit to eat, shall we? I want to be ready when Mr. Harris comes back.”

“Zac hit me,” Bobby Joe said.

“I know. That was too bad. You look fine now, though.”

“I bleeded on my shirt,” he announced, sounding proud. “Bunches. It was gross.”

“I saw. Why were you fighting with Zac?”

“’Cause he’s mean. I hate him.”

“That’s too bad. Well, maybe you’ll get to go home soon and you won’t have to see him anymore.”

“Uh-uh.”

Megan suddenly realized she’d gotten so caught up in their conversation, she’d spoken out of turn. To glean the most from her project, she knew she’d have to rely on facts, not supposition. Like James Harris, some of the children she’d be working with would never be welcomed at home—if they even had a home. Perhaps Bobby Joe was one of those.

Rather than make things worse, she tried to change the subject by pointing to one of the long tables. “So, do we sit here?”

“Yeah.” He clambered onto the bench and folded his hands while Megan joined him. Then he said, “Zac gave me a swirly yesterday.”

“A what?”

“He dunked me. My hair got all wet.”

“Oh.” Megan was starting to relax till the child added, “Yeah. Then he flushed.”

By the time James returned with the other five boys plus Aaron and Roxy, Megan had had time to imagine lots of scenarios, most of them bad. She breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, her previous work hadn’t prepared her for the challenges she was going to encounter here.

She glanced down at the angelic little boy seated beside her and smiled. He was a doll, the kind of well-behaved, eager-to-please child who brought out her maternal instincts and made her want to protect him. Too bad the would-be hood who had clobbered him hadn’t had the same kind of good upbringing.

The other boys marched up to the table and quickly took their places while Roxy flirted with Aaron in the background.

James remained standing and glared down at Megan. “Don’t you ever do that again.”

“Do what?”

“Leave the boys unsupervised. When I tell you to watch them, I mean watch them.”

She got to her feet to face him on more equal ground. “Oh, come on. They were just washing their hands. Zac said he’d take care of the littler ones, and it looks to me like he did a fine job.”

“That’s not the point. You didn’t follow orders.”

“I’m sorry, okay. I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

“You can say that again.”

“You don’t have to yell at me.”