“We’ll save it,” I blurted out, too upset at Eddie’s hunched shoulders and the hurt in Dean’s eyes. “I get being realistic and I get the frustration, but I think we have to fight for it and not give in because this guy has money to throw around.”

Eddie ran a hand through his hair, then gave me a slightly mischievous grin. “I can’t help being the grumpy old man in this scenario. I’ve just seen more things that make me pessimistic than optimistic. Things get tough around here. But hell. Guess I could call some Army buddies and run it by them. Even if we just make this Oswald asshole squirm for a bit it’ll be worth it.” He reached into his back pocket. “Your sister and niece saw me at the diner, and Juliet drew me this.”

I took it with a smile. “She told me the other night she wanted to draw you a picture.”

“Yeah, well, I appreciated it. Really did. Don’t know why Pam has three heads, but what do I know about art?”

Eyebrows raised, I glanced down at the sheet of paper and confirmed that, yes, Juliet had drawn what looked like a stick figure of Eddie and a messy swirl of colors that was Pam. The swirl had three floating circles—each with a set of whiskers—and the house she drew over them had flowers and trees growing out of the roof.

“Oh, Eddie, it’s beautiful,” I said, showing it to Dean. A genuine smile pulled at the ends of his lips, and I went warm all over at the sight of it. “What are you going to do with it?”

“Frame it,” he said seriously. “Juliet said she’d draw me another one, so I might get a couple frames at the store just in case.”

I handed it back to him. “I’m taking quite a few pictures with me to Texas too. No three-headed cats, but a lot of drawings of our family eating at the diner.”

He folded it carefully and placed it in his pocket. “She’s a good kid. That whole family of yours are all keepers.”

Eddie shuffled off toward his house, and I couldn’t help but wonder about his story and what came next. The block seemed to be taking care of him just fine, but would he ever allow himself to be helped by a program like the one Rowan wanted Dean to run?

With a sigh, I pulled the door open behind me, and Dean held it open but stayed planted outside. His hesitation was obvious in the way he couldn’t keep eye contact. I did spot his focus land on my backpack.