Читать книгу Lakeside Romance - Lisa Jordan - Страница 14

Chapter Five

Well, he’d managed to last the week without falling apart or hurting anyone. He deserved a medal or something, didn’t he? Or at least a quiet weekend without answering anyone’s demands. Other than a house showing first thing in the morning, he had the rest of the weekend to himself.

Putting up a tough front was draining.

From out on the community center’s front steps, Sarah’s laughter swirled through the open door and tugged at his heart. She did a fist bump with one of Amber’s little brothers. She definitely had a way with these kids. They respected her, which had made the week a bit more bearable. He admired that, yet a sense of caution continued to stay at the forefront of his mind. He wasn’t about to let his guard down.

“Yo, Mr. S. You got a minute?” A hesitant voice spoke behind him.

Alec turned away from watching Sarah to find Daniel standing in the community center kitchen doorway. With neatly trimmed blond hair, a shoulder pressed to the doorjamb and a thumb hooked through the belt loop of his baggy cargo shorts, the kid didn’t appear to pose a threat.

“What’s up?” Alec crossed his arms over his chest and pressed his back against the stainless-steel industrial-sized deep sink.

The fifteen-year-old shifted his gaze to the outdated linoleum, then looked at Alec with eyes full of curiosity and...a touch of vulnerability. His neck reddened. “I was wondering... I mean...well, how did you get to be a good cook?”

Alec dropped his eyes to the menus he and Sarah had been working on for next week. “I didn’t really have a choice. I lost my dad when I was fifteen. He was a marine and was killed by friendly fire.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s tough, man.”

Alec slipped his hands in his front pockets. “It was. After Dad’s funeral, I realized I needed to take care of my mom and little sister. We could eat PB&J only so long...know what I mean?”

Daniel laughed softly and stepped into the room, his eyes serious and tone sobering. “Yeah, I do. My parents were killed in a crash over Christmas. My kid brother, Toby, and I live with my grandma. She’s tired after working all day and not in the best of health. I feel like it’s up to me to be the man of the house, I guess.”

Oh, man.

Something inside Alec shifted as he looked at the quiet kid who he’d seen treat others with respect but keep to himself. “I’m sorry for your loss.” Alec crossed the room and set a hand on the kid’s bony shoulder. “How are you doing?”

Daniel shrugged and looked off into the distance. “Okay. We left Pittsburgh and moved to Shelby Lake to live with Gram.” His eyes filled and his chin trembled. Clenching his jaw, he sniffed and ran a hand under his nose. “My dad and I went to Pirates games and stuff. Mom made these great pierogies. She promised to teach me someday...” His voice trailed off as he sniffed again. “I miss our house, my friends, the cool places to grab a bite.”