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and everything is all cleaned up and I
can kick back and relax with a glass of wine that seems so rewarding.”
    “I’m sure you work hard all day, and taking
care of a child on your own can’t be easy. I’d say you earned it.” He clinked his glass against hers. “Slainte.”
    “Slainte.” After taking a drink, she leaned back against the cushion and closed her eyes.
“You don’t need to stay if you have somewhere else you need to be.”
    “I’m quite content here and nowhere else I
need to be.”
    “Thank you for spending time with us, I
know Leo really enjoyed it.”
    “And his mother, what did she think?”
    “She thought it was really nice, too.” She
smiled and opened her eyes to look at him. “It was a nice break from our
typical weeknight routine.”
    “Somehow it doesn’t surprise me you have a
routine.”
    Lily shrugged and her face turned red. “It
makes things easier.”
    “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I think
it’s a great thing. Unfortunately, there are times when parents don’t try to do
their best for their children. It’s a nice, refreshing change.”
    “What about…” Lily looked down at her
fingers.
    “What about what? Lily, you can ask me
anything. My life is mostly an open book for anyone to find out anything.”
    “I figured everyone probably inundates you
with questions about Hollywood all the time. So I thought if it was something
you wanted to talk about, you’d bring it up. Besides, I really don’t like to
pry.”
    “Well, thank you for thinking of me. It’s
actually a nice change. Most people are looking for what they can get for themselves.”
    “How do you deal with it? How do you know
when someone is being sincere?”
    He frowned and thought for a moment before
answering. “I figure it’s my duty to help people. I’ve been fortunate and made
a lot of money. I have more than I could ever use. Yes, I like the finer things
in life, but I don’t need them. If
there is someone who needs something I have, I’ll give it to them. I know there
have been times I’ve been used, and my only hope is maybe someday they’ll be
able to help someone else when they need it.”
    “That sounds wonderful, but doesn’t it
bother you?”
    “It used to. At one point it was harder and
harder to see who was using me and who actually needed help. I ended up not
helping someone I should have. Someone who really needed it, and because I
turned my back on him, he died. He told me he needed some money to pay his
electric bill.” Devlin looked down at his glass. “I had the money, but I
thought he was going to use it for something else, so I didn’t give it to him.
That night there was an unusual freeze, it normally doesn’t get that cold in
the L.A. area, and he was at a higher elevation. They found him a couple of
days later, he had frozen to death.”
    “Oh, Devlin, I’m so sorry.”
    “I’ve carried the guilt around with me for
a long time. Now no matter who asks, I always try to help, whatever I can do.” He
tipped his glass and watched the liquid tilt. “Maybe what they use the money
for is selfish and doesn’t help anyone but themselves, but what if it was a
nice fancy dinner to impress someone? Aren’t they spending the money in a
restaurant? Maybe they’ll give the waiter a nice tip, and maybe the tip will be
the difference for one person that will help them. You never know how the
things you do will end up affecting someone else.”
    “Wow. That is amazing, a really great way
to think about it.” Lily sat there for a few minutes looking at him and knowing
there was more to this man than what was visible on the surface. She remembered
reading articles about him making his opinions heard about injustices in the
world, but she didn’t realize how much he actually gave until now.
    They talked about growing up, their
parents, the dreams they used to have, the dreams which came true, and the ones
they were still chasing. Every once in a while they’d branch