Her dark eyes met his, and the pain in their depths pierced his heart in the same way Andrew’s upset had minutes earlier. He gave a subtle nod and focused his attention on Andrew. “I know I’m probably a poor substitute for your grandfather. The troop will get no lunch from me, but Maybelle is looking for extra hours. She’s saving up to buy wireless headphones for her boyfriend this Christmas. It won’t be a problem for me to take off a whole day.”

Although Andrew’s chest still rose and fell with ragged breaths, he no longer looked like he was about to burst into tears. A little victory but a good start.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he told the boy. “I agree with your mom. Troop members should be able to bring whoever they want on this little outing. But if they’re so insistent on participants being of the variety who stand up when we use the facilities, I fit that bill.”

“I guess that would be okay,” Andrew said after a moment, clearly contemplating the reaction of his friends to showing up with Gabe. “Last year, Brett’s dad was out of town so his older brother came. He spent most of the day on his phone, but Brett still got credit for his hours.”

“I’m not going to be on my phone,” Gabe promised the boy.

“You don’t have to do that,” Angi said, her voice subdued. “It’s a ridiculous tradition, and time that it changed. I can—”

“Mom, please no.” Andrew wrapped his arms around her middle, gazing up into his mother’s face with pleading eyes. “Gabe can go. He said he doesn’t mind.”

“I don’t mind,” Gabe echoed.

Andrew gave Angi a fierce hug. “Please, Mom.”

Well played, kid, Gabe thought.

“Fine,” she murmured, stroking a hand through her son’s thick mop of hair. “But I’m going to volunteer to provide lunch, just like Papa used to do. I’m sure the troop won’t mind a mom bringing food to the event.”

Andrew nodded. “Sure. Maybe I’ll even get extra credit for that. Thanks, Mom.” He turned and looked at Gabe. “Thanks.”

“Go do your homework,” Gabe told him with a nod. “And remember that you have to tell your mom that you’re leaving the restaurant before you do.”

Andrew grabbed two big pieces of bear claw from the plate on the counter and then hurried out the door like he was worried Angi might change her mind.

“It’s not right,” she said when they were alone again. “He shouldn’t be made to feel bad because his father isn’t a part of his life.”

Gabe thought about whether to tell her that Andrew had reached out to the piece of trash who shared his DNA and decided against it for now. She looked fragile and fatigued, and he figured he’d wait to drop that little bomb.

“I’ve been there.” He reached for her, tugging her closer. “He’ll be fine eventually. It’s crap that whoever is running this troop still plays into those stereotypes, but you can find another time to fight that battle. Once Andrew gets his bonus hours for the tree we’re going to chop down.”