Page 68 of Never Alone
The visitation wasn't until two. I had the morning, and Sean's was open at nine. I'd told Tessa I'd take Noah by the shop, pick up the rest of the bathroom supplies, and let the kid see thematerials we'd be putting into the house—wood, tile, the things he'd been hearing me talk about for weeks.
Noah climbed out of the truck with the supply list in his hand. He had asked if he could carry it on the way over. I had said yes. He held it the way he held things I had given him to be in charge of—with both hands, like he was afraid of folding it wrong.
The bell on Sean's door went off when I pushed it open. Sean was at the counter; Carol was somewhere in the back, on the phone in the office. The store was warm in the way Sean's store always was, the heat coming off the radiator by the front window cooking the smell of sawdust and oil into the air.
Sean looked up. Set down the invoice he'd been reading and grinned.
"Lieutenant. About time."
"Yeah."
"You missed the barbecue."
"I know. Sorry, man. We've been settling into the new place. Took longer than I thought."
Sean nodded. Then his eyes dropped to Noah and lit up.
"There he is. Cole's been keeping you a secret."
"Sean, this is Noah," I said. "Noah, Sean. He owns the store."
Sean came around the counter and crouched to Noah's level. "Good to finally meet you, bud. Cole's been talking about you for weeks. Won't shut up about it, frankly."
Noah looked at me. "Really?"
"Don't believe him."
Sean laughed. "What are we working on, bud?"
"The bathroom."
"What part?"
"Floor."
"Tile or wood?"
"Tile."
"Good answer."
"Show him the list, Noah," I said.
Noah handed it over. Sean scanned it and nodded.
"I've got most of this in the back. You want to come help me round it up?"
Noah looked at me.
"Go ahead."
Noah followed Sean through the door behind the counter. Sean's hand was on Noah's shoulder for the half-step it took to point him through. I watched them go. Sean didn't have a son of his own. The way he was already pulling Noah into the work made sense.
I leaned against the counter and waited.
That was when I heard the footsteps behind me.
"Excuse me—sorry, do you work here?"
