Outside on the terrace, Dennis had finally managed to snag a seat next to Rosalee when Kathryn got up to stretch her legs. He grinned at the pretty young girl and made some inane comment that made her laugh. “Tell me about yourself, Rosalee. You know, before you went to work for Amalie. Where are you from? About your family, your friends. I like to know about people we help. Are you ‘a thing’ with Jason Woods?” There, he’d asked the question that had been bugging him since he set eyes on the dark-haired girl.

“Jason and I are just friends. I was and am grateful for his friendship. Once we went into the railroad program, neither Amalie nor I could have friendships. By that I mean meaningful friendships.

“I come from a very large family. I have seven sisters and four brothers. My mom never worked outside the home, how could she? My papa has a lawn-maintenance company. My brothers all work with him. None of us went to college; we had to work, but that doesn’t mean any of us are dumb. We all read, we all study things that are important to us. My brothers could probably be horticulturists. They, along with my papa, know more about trees, plants, and growing than men with degrees. And they stand behind their work. If something dies, they replace it at no cost. My mom could be a fabulous cook in a big, five-star restaurant. Four of my sisters are married with children. There are still three teenagers at home. We all give money to our parents to help out. That’s why I took the job with Amalie because the pay was so good and for the health insurance Mr. Moss provided. I have seventy-six cousins and many uncles and aunts. Twice a year, we have a reunion, Christmas and Labor Day. I’ve missed so many of them, and that makes me sad because I have a wonderful family.

“When things got really, really bad for Amalie I asked my family for help. And here we are. They didn’t ask any questions. Family never asks questions, they just help.”

Dennis digested all of this, wishing he belonged to that big, wonderful, loving family. “So what are you going to do when this is over? Will you feel safe going back to your family?”

“Of course I will feel safe. All of my family is very protective of each other. I guess I’ll have to look for a job. Does that answer your questions?”

Well it did and it didn’t. “I was thinking, Rosalee, if you change your mind and don’t ask Jason to the gala on Saturday, would you consider going with me?”