“Thanks,” Gary said, accepting the food and promptly offering one hot dog to the mutt.
A slow rush crept over Olivia as she watched the exchange. The same rush that always happened when she sensed a perfect photograph in the waiting. She rose and stepped back, then raised her camera to her eye. In the viewfinder, Noah stood over the man, his hands stuffed in his pockets. The contrast to some might look like a strong, powerful, and wealthy man standing over a poor man. But the look in Noah’s eyes declared they were equals. Maybe that’s what made him a good senator. And what made him a great man.
Gary took a big bite of the hot dog and muttered, “Good to see the aliens haven’t gotten you yet.”
Noah’s mouth twitched. “I’m one of the lucky ones. Be well, Gary.”
He gave them a final wave, and Olivia fell back into stride with Noah. “Aliens?” she asked as they passed the street vendor.
Noah reached for her hand again. “I volunteer at the shelter near here a few times a month for Sunday lunches. Gary’s always there. He believes over three quarters of our population are aliens living in the bodies of humans.”
“Mental health issues, I take it?”
He nodded. “Issues that I’m sure could be managed with medication, but it’s medication he does not want to take.”
Olivia’s heart squeezed. “He has no family?”
“None that he’s ever talked about.” Noah glanced into the storefront they passed before addressing her again. “He’s told me that he served two tours in Iraq, but I’m not certain that’s true.”
Olivia glanced back over her shoulder and found Gary smiling at someone walking by who had tossed some change into the cup at his feet. “It’s so sad, don’t you think? That someone can be so low, and yet still be so kind and smile like he does.”
“It’s honorable,” Noah said with a nod.
“It’s heartbreaking,” she countered. “I can never understand why bad things happen to good people.” Even to herself, though, of course, she did not have it as hard as Gary. But she had always done all the right things, worked hard, been good to people…and yet…Cameron and Lacie had happened.
She was sighing away that particular thought when Noah squeezed her hand, drawing her attention back to him. His expression shone with compassion as he said, “Sadly, there’s a lot that needs fixing in our world today. But where does one start?”
“At the beginning,” she offered with a smile.
Noah lifted her hand and kissed the top. “That’s the best place, I imagine. But people need to want to fix themselves, and Gary is very content with his life. Don’t feel sorry for him, he doesn’t feel sorry for himself.”
There was a certain heaviness in Noah’s voice that said he struggled with this issue as a senator. A man elected to make their state better, and yet he was still a man who could only do so much.
She tugged on his hand and gestured at Gary behind them. “True. Everyone’s measurement of what makes them happy is different. We can’t impose our beliefs on others. Just help where we can and you’re doing just that. Making that one little difference is monumental. If only everyone made one little difference, the world would certainly be a better place.”
He kissed her palm, those warm eyes intent on hers. “Is that what you captured with your camera? That singular moment when the only thing that matters is the connection between two people?”
“That’s what I try to capture, but I’m not always sure if I get it right or not.” Her throat tightened, and she nodded instead of squeaking out words. He seemed to get her like no one else did. Being around Noah felt good. Real good. And she could not help but wonder if he was always so captivating with everyone or just with her. “Sometimes I’m just lucky enough see it at all.”
He stopped then and faced her. A soft smile creased his mouth and he stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “I think you see a lot that others miss, Olivia.”
She returned the smile and had risen up on her tiptoes for a kiss when she heard a clicking sound.
Before she could even lower, a man said, “Mr. Grant, what’s on the agenda for tonight’s town hall?”
Olivia glanced sideways just in time to see a couple of reporters with cameras aimed in their direction.
Noah squeezed her fingers, returning her attention to his steady gaze. “I’ve seen what you do. This is what I do.”
With that, he strode toward the reporters, leaving Olivia thinking three things all at once.
One, this man was incredible.
Two, he was obviously bringing her deeper into his life.
Three, was she ready for that?