Page 46 of Noah

"Almost thirteen."

"Cutting it close."

"His mom wanted to be sure. Plus, it was difficult for Kyle to talk to a psychologist. His mom said he got enough words out to convince the doctor, though."

"It was important to him. He cut through the noise. He was absolutely sure."

"She says he's happier now. Not as volatile. Sometimes reads aloud to himself at home."

"That's encouraging. I'm looking forward to hanging out with him."

"Do you want to meet his mom? She should be here any second."

The suggestion made my heart beat a little faster. I worried about saying the wrong thing.

"You don't have to," Jamal added.

"I want to."

"Perfect." As if on cue, a young woman made her way down the hall. She was delicate like Kyle. The difference was, she was smiling and there was a lightness about her.

"Michelle, I want you to meet someone," Jamal said and motioned to me. "This is Brody. He's new to our volunteer program, he's a criminal lawyer, and he's on the autism spectrum."

"Oh, goodness." Michelle held one hand to her chest. "It's an absolute pleasure to meet you. I'm assuming you've met Kyle already. How did it go?"

"He responded well to Brody," Jamal answered for me.

"I lent him my emotion and response cards. My mom made them."

"That sounds like a promising resource. Thank you."

"I showed him how to use them. I'd recommend role-playing with him."

"We do a little of that already. I'll see how I can incorporate the cards."

I had nothing else to say, so I nodded my head.

"Okay, Brody. Once that criminal record check is done, I'll give you a call," Jamal said. "We'll discuss when you're able to come into the centre."

I looked at Kyle's mom. "It was nice to meet you."

She said it back and then I left. I wasn't sure if I should go home or head back to work for a couple of hours. I'd be going to the pub tonight. I'd be seeing Noah again. The past couple of days of seeing each other had brought us closer. That kiss we'd shared had started something new. The conversation we'd had afterward added a whole new layer to what we were building.

It felt good.

I was too excited to head back to the office. Both with my growing attraction to Noah and my decision to volunteer for a cause I hadn't known I felt so passionate about.

I stayed parked outside the youth centre and called my mom.

"Brody," she said. "I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"I've been busy."

"Lots of cases?"

"Among other things." I could barely contain the thoughts buzzing around in my mind. Collecting the words would be challenging if I wasn't speaking to my mom.

"That sounds intriguing."

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