Every Night (Brush of Love 1)

“Potentially. Come on. I’ll introduce you to him.”

Everyone piled out of the car, and the kids stuck close to him. The sights and sounds were all foreign to them, and I could tell they were all nervous. The man was putting up a good front, rolling his shoulders back and trying to present himself well. But I could tell by the way he clutched the kids around him that he was just as nervous as they were.

“Foreman Duke!” I called, trying to sound professional.

“Bryan! I was wonderin’ when you’d be by. And who do we have here?”

“Daniel, sir. Daniel Lockley. And these are my kids, Paley, Desiree, Michael, and DeShawn.”

“Nice to meet everyone. So, I take it Bryan’s given you the rundown of what’s happening here?” Duke smiled and ruffled Deiree’s hair. She giggled in reply.

“A bit,” Daniel said.

“Well, right now we need help cleaning up around the site. Shovelin’ the random dirt piles, smoothing everything down. Eventually, we’ll need help with painting the walls of the mobile homes and installing basic fixtures. We’ll teach you things too, like how foundations are laid, how to properly measure and put down carpet, and how to hook up plumbing. Things like that.”

“I’m up for anything, sir. I’m just incredibly thankful for the opportunity.”

“Bryan always makes sure to bring me hard workers. You a hard worker, Daniel?”

“The hardest. Before my life took a turn, I was a landscaper,” he said.

“No shit?”

I silently scolded Duke for his language as the children’s eyes widened at him

“I mean, that’s good. Maybe those skills will come in handy around here.”

“Can I ask what’s gonna happen with my kids while I’m workin’?” he asked.

“See that colorful building across the way there?”

Daniel turned to look at other children running around the fenced-in building.

“Yeah.”

“That’s where they’ll be.”

“Is it possible for them to take the payment outta my paychecks?” he asked. “I wanna make sure they get paid for their time.”

Duke shot me a look of approval as a small smile crossed my face. “We have an arrangement with ‘em. Don’t worry about that. You drop them off there in the mornings, come over here to work, and then go get ‘em when you’re done. They’ll be fed and playin’ with other children the whole day.”

If I wasn’t sure about the tear in the car, I was definitely sure about the tear cascading down his cheek now.

“Food and friends?” he whispered.

“Food and friends,” I repeated. “That place stays open until seven, so on the days you go to your sessions, you can clock out around four thirty and go before you pick them up.”

“Seven ...” Daniel trailed off.

“I told you they’d be taken care of,” I said.

“When can ya start?” Duke asked.

“Now. Or, er, whenever you need me,” Daniel said.

“Good. Follow me and let’s go get ya set up. Bryan here’ll run the kids across the street.”

Daniel hesitantly went off with Duke to get set up as I crouched down to the level of the kids. Their eyes were trailing behind Daniel, wondering where he was going and when he was coming back. I could see the fear in their eyes. The way their bodies were starting to tremble.