the library to see a group on computers. Computer activity was monitored so that kids couldn’t go places they shouldn’t, but they still had access to explore and learn. And then there were all the books. He saw several kids sitting and lying on the floor reading. One of the things he loved about the center was that anyone could grab a book, lie on the floor and just read. No one was going to yell at them about it. There were bean bag chairs and rugs and comfortable chairs spread throughout the library. There were workstations with computers, and netbooks they could check out, too. There were gaming consoles as well, and, along with the gym, there was no reason for any kid to ever get bored here.
Plus, they offered water and juice to drink. Other than needing to eat, a kid could spend an entire day here.
Rafe wondered what it would take to provide food for the kids during the summer months when school wasn’t in session.
It might help kids who wandered aimlessly without parental guidance in the summer. If they could provide low-cost meals to the kids—even sandwiches for lunch—they might be able to keep the kids here, and out of trouble, for the day.
He checked his phone and realized he needed to hightail it out of there.
He hit the gym on his way out to say goodbye to the kids he’d played basketball with, promising to stop in on his next day off.
“Try to work on your endurance,” Jamal said. “Maybe you can keep up with me.”
Rafe laughed. “Yeah, I’ll see what I can do.”
After he got into his truck, he made a few calls to some of the members of the community, and some people who knew other people that were higher-ups in the community, to see what they could do about providing summer lunches for the kids. Several were on board with the idea, and they agreed to meet with him next week to talk about it. He’d get Becks and his brothers involved, too, because he knew they’d get shit done.
Now that he had that plan rolling, he stopped at the store to buy supplies for the barbecue tonight. He’d already talked to Jackson and Kal, who were picking stuff up as well, so he grabbed chicken breasts and thighs along with the ingredients to make his sauce.
All the brothers made their own versions of their favorite barbecue sauce, which usually worked out great when they had parties, because then everyone got to try something different. Of course, Rafe thought his was the best—a little spicier than what his brothers made. He couldn’t wait to try it out on Carmen to see what she thought about it.
He drove home. Jackson and Kal were already there, crowding up the kitchen with their shit.
“I see you’re already making sauce and rub,” he said as he unpacked his groceries.
Jackson shrugged. “You’re late. You snooze, you lose, man.”
“Yeah,” Kal said. “Where’ve you been?”
“I worked out and then I spent some time at the community center.”
“How’s it going over there?” Kal was chopping onions but stopped to look up at him.
“Good. What do you guys think about offering lunch there? Like sandwiches in the summer for the kids.”
Jackson looked at him and nodded. “It’s a great idea. It would keep the kids there for the day who wanted to stay. How would you get funding?”
“I made some calls today, and there are several organizations interested in helping out. I’ll have to talk to Luisa about it first, see if maybe she could apply for grants or find if there’s any money for it. But you know how it is with kids. They’re constantly hungry. And if there’s a way to keep them occupied all day, at least in the summer months, it would go a long way toward keeping them out of trouble.”
Kal waved his cutting knife at Rafe. “I think it’s a kick-ass idea.”
He was glad his brothers agreed with him and didn’t think it was a stupid suggestion.
Now he just had to shove them out of the way so he could find some room to make his barbecue sauce.
He put a saucepan on the range and added oil and sautéed onions and garlic. Then he tossed in the rest of the ingredients, including his secret spicy ingredient, and let it all simmer for a while. He took a taste and grinned. “Oh yeah, perfect.”
“You’d like to think so,” Jackson said, looking over his shoulder. “But, sadly,