the coffee to be poured and the thick slices of banana bread to be served on plates around the kitchen table. They chatted for a few minutes, and he wasn’t surprised to find out that they had also come to The Eastern Shore after Sid’s last assignment in Norfolk.
Finally, in a lull in the conversation, he asked, “You mentioned about the shelter closing?”
Betty and Sid shared a look and both sighed. “We’re going to have to relocate very soon. Our son-in-law has become quite ill, and our daughter and grandchildren need help. They have a large house in North Carolina that includes an in-law suite. We hate leaving this area and the shelter that we worked so hard to establish. But…”
“I understand.” He hesitated, a multitude of thoughts striking him one right after the other. “What… what would it take for the shelter to keep running?”
Betty snorted and Sid laughed. “Probably somebody just as crazy as we are!”
Joseph’s lips curved, and he leaned back in his seat.
“Sid handles the books, which aren’t overly complicated, although we do receive money from grants, local sources, and donations, as I said earlier. He also helps out with some of the daily care. I work most every day and run a group of volunteers that help. Sam Collins donates her time checking out and inoculating the animals that come through. It’s a lot of work, not a lot of glory, but as we say, when we go to bed at night, we feel as though we’ve done a little bit of good in the world.”
“I’d say the two of you have done a lot more than just a little bit of good, but I understand your sentiment.”
As Sid and Betty continued to talk, a tiny seed planted deep inside Joseph’s chest. The seed of an idea that no matter how much he tried to squash it, it began to grow. An hour later, he shook hands with the older couple. Climbing onto his bike, he headed home, anxious to check on the kittens. One there, he pulled out his phone. “Jason? Got something I want to talk to you about.”
17
Joseph parked outside Zac and Maddie’s house, seeing Jason’s vehicle already in the drive. Maddie flung open the door before he had a chance to knock, and a grin slipped across his face as he bent and kissed her on the cheek.
“Don’t worry about me and Rose being here,” she assured. “We know you want to talk to Jason and Zac, and we’ll just be in the kitchen.”
“No, no, it’s fine.” Stepping inside their house, he spied Zac, Jason, and Rose in the living room.
Rose smiled her greeting and turned to Jason. “Babe, help me up, and I’ll sit with Maddie in the kitchen for a while—”
“No,” Joseph repeated, his hands in front of him. “Please, I’d like for you to stay. I could probably benefit from your input as well.”
Seeing the curious expressions and side glances moving between the others, he accepted the beer Zac handed to him and settled into one of the comfortable chairs. Maddie moved to sit next to Zac, and the attention he always shunned landed on him.
He puffed out his cheeks as he blew out a breath, his thoughts jumbled as he now sat staring at his friends.
“Did I ever tell you how Jason and Joseph and I became friends?” Zac asked, looking toward Maddie.
Joseph smiled, recognizing his friend taking some of the pressure off by diverting the attention for a moment. Maddie turned toward Zac and shook her head. Jason was also grinning as Rose shifted her attention toward Zac as well.
“Joseph and I were both assigned to the same ship as firemen. Our duties weren’t like what a civilian firefighter does. Certainly, we were trained to put out fires, but we also worked with a lot of the machinery. We were certified as Damage Controlmen and almost always had the same shift. Jason joined us not long afterwards, but he’d gone through the mechanical apprenticeship. We got to know each other about the same as you do most of the other people around, but it was one night… one very drunken night—”
Maddie laughed, rolled her eyes, and Rose snorted, but Zac continued.
“We spilled our guts over way too much alcohol.” Shrugging, he grinned. “But that solidified a friendship.”
Jason leaned back with his long legs in front of him, his arm around Rose. Joseph waited to see if Zac was going to continue the story but realized that