Page 6 of Ewan

I like this little guy.

“He’ll be down for it. Trust me.”

I smile at his choice of words.

I like his grown-up man talk.

“I trust you,” I say with a smile, and his admiring stare lingers on me.

Colley was one of my quieter students at the beginning of this year, and his mother didn’t expect much from him spending time in a community, but after a few weeks, he became more open and social.

And he truly enjoyed the time he spent in class.

His mother, as abrupt as she can be sometimes, has been grateful for my paying extra attention to him.

A few words travel our way.

“Can you do that?” Elisa asks, and hope flickers in my soul. “You can get a costume?” she goes on. “Okay. You know where to find us. We’re at Bradley’s.”

They hang up, and she turns to us with the narrowest smile on her lips.

“He’s on his way,” she says, and I search her eyes when she sets her hand on my forearm. “That’s all we can do tonight. Don’t worry. Things will be fine,” she adds in a warmer voice. “Now let’s go and greet the guests.”

Moments later, we all walk to the main room.

Crisis averted.

2

EWAN

“Rough night, huh?”the barista, a woman with a cat tattooed on her neck, tosses at me.

She flicks her chin to the empty glass in front of me.

“Do you want another one?” she asks.

I slowly run the edge of my teeth over my bottom lip, pondering and glancing at the neon clock pinned on the wall behind the bar.

“Sure. Why not?”

She turns around and pours me another drink.

It’s the same drink.

Whiskey neat.

“Don’t forget about the water,” I rasp, and she glances at me, her hand already around an ice cold water bottle.

“It’s fine,” I say when she moves to untwist the cap and pour the water into a second glass. “Don’t need that. Besides, I hate clutter,” I explain, and her smile wavers.

“As you say.”

She wants to provide a good customer experienceandstay on my good side.

At the same time she can’t help herself, and she sneaks a peek at me from time to time.

She’s new here.

---