counter eating while the others filled the drab seating area. Gerome’s furniture reminded Tucker of what was in the apartment he and Cheryl were sharing, and he wondered where on earth it had been purchased—maybe uglyfurniture.com? At least the idea put his curiosity about Gerome and his friends at bay… for like thirty seconds.
“Thank you for having us over,” Cheryl said between nibbles on her slice of pizza. “Joshie has been asking to play with Coby for days now.” She smiled and set her plate down on the coffee table.
“It’s no problem. Coby has been asking the same.” The two boys had their heads together. They were adorable. Tucker wondered how much longer the two of them would sit and eat before they began running the cars and trucks along the floor.
“If it’s okay, I’m going to go back and lie down for a while,” Cheryl said, patting Tucker on the shoulder. “Will you watch him?”
“Of course,” Tucker agreed, and Cheryl left after giving Joshie a quick kiss on the top of the head. He watched her go, biting his lower lip.
“You’re worried about her,” Gerome said.
Tucker nodded. “She’s been really tired and listless for days now. I thought it was because she’d been ill, but she says she feels okay. And yet she sleeps so much. She worked today, and that must have wiped her out.” At least he hoped that was all it was.
“Have you talked to her?” Gerome asked gently.
He shrugged. “She says she’s fine and just needs a chance to catch up on her rest. Sleeping in a tent all the time isn’t the best recipe for quality relaxation. The camp really never quieted down, and though most people learn to sleep even with the noise, it isn’t really restful.” He still would have expected her to have been able to get over this. “I asked about finding a doctor, and she said she was fine and that I shouldn’t worry.”
“Then there isn’t much you can do,” Gerome said. “Just keep an eye on her, and hopefully this will pass. Maybe she isn’t used to working. Today was her first day, and she was probably really busy. There’s been a lot of change for all of you, and that can take a lot out of some people.” He got up. “Do you want another piece?” Gerome got them each another slice of the pepperoni and mushroom.
Tucker hoped Gerome was right. “I guess I’m just worried,” he said. “She didn’t eat very much either.”
“Maybe she had something at the restaurant before she came home,” Gerome offered, and that made sense. Tucker just wished he could shake the uneasiness that seemed to surround him. Gerome was a great guy, kind and strong, and Tucker really wanted to be able to trust him, but there were too many things left unsaid. They left Tucker wondering what was coming next.
“Look what Coby gave me,” Joshie said as he hurried over, a Matchbox car clutched in his hand. “He’s nice.”
Tucker turned to Daniel, who nodded. “We went through some of his toys, and Coby wanted Joshie to have something to play with,” Daniel explained. “I also went through some of Coby’s clothes, since Joshie is a little smaller than him, and I have a bag of things that should probably fit him in the car. Coby is growing so fast right now that I swear I’m getting him new clothes all the time.”
Tucker smiled and nodded. It sucked to be poor and not be able to afford the most basic things for the important people in his life. “Thank you.” It bothered him. Not that Daniel wasn’t nice. His actions were out of kindness. What pissed Tucker off was the fact that the kindness was necessary. Cheryl should be able to provide for Joshie, and in a fair world, she’d be able to, and the help that she needed to do that would be available. As it was, all three of them had fallen through the cracks of a system that was supposed to help them but only put obstacles in their way.
“Do you want some more pizza?” Gerome asked as he got up to grab a beer.
Tucker shook his head and asked for some water. His maudlin mood seemed to have taken over, and he figured it must be because of the beer. He hated feeling this way. But damn it all, he knew where he stood when he was in the tent camp and on his own. He knew