Trust in Me Read Online Free PDF

become, he would. Real proud."
    Kevin gave Sam a weary grin and held his breath as the worst of the vagrant's sour stench passed him.
    "I promised your daddy I'd look after you and your mama  'fore he died in Iraq, you know. He was a good man, too, Kev. A real good man. Died for his country. Saved my life. Watchin' out for his woman and kid was the least I could do."
    Kevin nodded, only half listening. He heard the same discussion of his father every time Sam happened by.
    The disheveled man heaved a deep sigh. "'Cept lately, seems you're the one takin' care of me. Lookin' out for ole Sam, just like your daddy did in Desert Storm."
    That admission caught Kevin's attention. This was a change from the usual litany. "I'm glad I can help. Just returning the favor. There were plenty of times you got us out of a tight spot when I was a kid."
    Sam sighed again. His gray eyes looked sad, though surprisingly more lucid than they had in months. The man's grip on reality waxed and waned like the lunar cycle.
    "Why don't you head in to the bathroom and take a cold shower while I get something fixed for dinner?" Kevin nudged the man in that direction. "Toss your clothes out the door, and I'll get them washed for you."
    It would take several runs through the machine at the Wash-a-teria to kill the stink on Sam's clothes, but Kevin wouldn't begrudge the man the extra effort or quarters cleaning his clothes demanded. He owed Sam a lot.
    "All I was planning for supper was a bowl of Raisin Bran. That okay with you?"
    "Sounds fine, Kev. Thank you, son."
    "All right. Go on and get cleaned up."
    As soon as Sam meandered into the bathroom, Kevin pulled out his can of Mountain Spring air freshener and liberally treated the interior of his trailer. Sam's version of a Frank Sinatra classic boomed from the shower when Kevin went in to retrieve his clothes from the bathroom floor. Holding the shirt and pants away from him, he hurried the smelly things outside where they'd stay until the trip to the laundry later in the week. After washing his hands, he found the last set of clothes he'd washed for Sam and set them out on the back of the toilet.
    For the rest of the night, Sam provided a distraction for Kevin. Rather than dwell on the explosive situation waiting tomorrow morning at Lowery's, Kevin played Sam's favorite game of "Remember when..."
    Still, he thought about Claire often, especially when Sam reminisced about his not-so-secret crush on Kevin's mother.
    Claire was a vision straight out of Kevin's dreams, but dreams were fairytales. Kevin was grounded in real life.
    Real life was a dear family friend who'd lost touch with reality when Kevin's mother died of cancer. Real life was scraping up the cash to pay Harrison University for the upcoming semester. Real life was a broken TV, no phone or air conditioning, and a semi-reliable 1972 Harley.
    Somehow he figured Claire had no need for any of his real life cluttering hers.
    ***
    The next morning, Claire stuck her purse amongst the clutter on the shelf in the manager's office at the hardware store. After finding a carpenter's apron in the closet where Kevin said they'd be, she put the store uniform on over her Donna Karan skirt and silk blouse. She hadn't questioned her outfit choice until she arrived at the store and Kevin had surveyed her clothes with a stricken expression. Her only thought when dressing that morning had been to appear professional for her first day at work, yet still be fashionable and ladylike, the look her mother had mastered. Kevin's obvious dismay told her she'd already messed up.
    While she fumbled behind her neck, trying not to pull her hair as she adjusted the apron strings, a tall, wide-shouldered teenager with black hair sauntered into the office.
    She gave him a friendly smile. "Good morning."
    He responded with an expletive she'd never heard used as a greeting before and with a gaping mouth that made him look like the stuffed fish mounted over Kevin's desk.
    "Pardon?"