She nodded, the point of his chin biting into her head. Her stomach rumbled, and she hoped he didn’t hear it.

“‘Son,’” he said, lifting his tone to a fond falsetto, “‘when you’ve lived twenty more years and raised your own child, then maybe you can go demanding to know things that aren’t any of your affair. Until then, I can look after my own self and so can you.’”

Andra smiled. “I think I like her. I bet she’d scare the hell out of me.”

“She’d probably make you a pie. You’d be fine.” He kissed the top of her head. “Sorry. Here I am talking away and starving you. She’d whup my ass for that. You’re probably three days underfed as it is.” He turned away and started assembling dishes. “Kept thinking you’d come up to the main house for supper, but you never did.”

“I like it better when it’s just us.”

He smiled, not looking up from what he was doing. “Me too, Andie-girl. Me too.”

Sixteen

Usually after they did the dishes, LJ walked home. But this time, it was Andra’s turn, and she didn’t leave. Instead, she kept pointing to things around his apartment, asking where he got this thing or that, the story behind the few small objects he’d brought with him. Reading the backs of his western novels, smiling at his Miles Davis and Rage Against the Machine CDs, and teasing him about his outdated stereo. He talked until he thought for sure he’d lose his voice, telling some true stories and some outlandish ones, and some that were a bit of both.

When she smiled, it made him feel good. He couldn’t stand to send her home when he knew all it would take was one call from his mama or one knock on his door from Andra’s father, and he might never get to see her again. As far as Bill knew, LJ had chosen to keep the job and walk away from the woman. His boss had no idea how impossible that choice would prove to be for LJ. Give up himself, his life, his dream. Or give her up.

How could he, when he couldn’t even look away from her face?

Andra was different tonight. Bolder. He couldn’t tell if it was because they hadn’t seen each other much this week or because he’d kissed her. He was afraid it might be because she’d seen through the cracks of him to some of the damage he usually kept hidden. He tried to be the one who always had a grin and a joke, because so many people had it worse than he did. But with Andra, maybe it helped her to know she wasn’t the only one with too much darkness in her rearview mirror.