A Needful Heart (7 page)

Matt’s throat was tight. What if things had
gone down differently and he hadn’t been here? Gina was a
lightweight compared to Chuck, and he could have pulverized her
with a single blow. Unable to help himself, he knelt down beside
her and gripped her shoulder.

“Why did you do that?” he demanded. His voice
was harsh, but he couldn’t help it. “You could have been seriously
hurt.”

Gina looked up at him, and her eyes were
bright with tears. “I know, but Gabe didn’t have a chance. We
usually have him home before Chuck gets back from work. We lost
track today, didn’t we?”

Gabe pulled back and nodded his head, wiping
his face furiously. “You shouldn’t have done that, Gina. He’ll just
wait until I’m not coming over here anymore, and it’ll be that much
worse when I go back. He just yells a lot right now. He’s never
actually hit me.”

Gina clutched at the boy’s arm and leaned
down to look him in the eyes. “Do you think it’s going to stop
there, though? It’s a progression, and it starts with yelling and
emotional abuse.”

She snapped her mouth shut. She must have
realized what she was telling the nine-year old. That the hitting
would be next.

“Gabe, you have to be prepared to run if he
ever comes after you. You just need to get out of the house and
call me if I’m not home. Go to the hidey hole under the stairs and
lock yourself inside. Remember? I will come get you.”

Gabe nodded as if he had heard the warning
before. “I know. I will. I promise.”

Gina leaned forward and clutched him to her
again before she released him.

“Why don’t you go make some chocolate milk,
then I’ll put you to work.” Her pretty blue eyes smiled, though.
Work indeed, Matt thought.

Gabe walked to the kitchen to do as he was
told.

Gina sat on her butt with a sigh. Matt
removed his hand and sat back as well.

“Thank you,” she said with a slight smile. “I
really appreciated you watching us from the porch. You kind of gave
me the courage to confront him. I’m sorry if it’s a little
presumptuous, but I had a feeling you wouldn’t let anything happen
to us.”

Matt glowered at her words. His being there
had gotten her into another dangerous situation. Great. “I wouldn’t
have let him lay a finger on you. Actually, I think I would have
enjoyed kicking the shit out of him.”

Gina grinned and nodded, her eyes gleaming
vindictively. “I know what you mean. The man is damaging Gabe, and
there’s nothing I can do about it. Gabe’s parents were killed two
years ago in an auto accident, and sweet old Uncle Chuck was
appointed guardian. I’ve filed a report with children’s services,
and they’ve come out to do an investigation, but nothing ever came
of it.”

“I’m not surprised,” he rumbled. Thoughts of
his own jaunts in foster care tumbled through his mind. Rick had
lost custody of him half a dozen times, each time for about six
months before he’d gotten clean enough to petition the courts to
get him back. Matt used to pray that he would just leave him in the
home and forget about him. But he always came back.

“What can I do?” she pleaded as she turned to
face him. “I protect him as much as I can, but I’m afraid my
interference is just going to get him into more trouble.”

Matt felt like crap because there was nothing
he could say to ease her mind. The system sucked, and the kids were
always the ones to pay.

Gina must have seen the truth in his face.
Her eyes clouded over and she looked away. Her hair fell forward to
shield her face, and she was quiet for a long time. Matt didn’t
know what to do for her, so he just sat beside her.

When she looked up again, she smiled
slightly. “You’ve kind of been thrown in the deep end of my life,
haven’t you? You just see me at my best, all the time.” She choked
out a laugh, and leaned toward him. Before he could even think to
retreat, she had wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you for not
running out of here screaming. It’s nice having somebody to vent
to.”

Matt felt his throat close up at her words.
Is that actually what she thought? He pulled back to look down into
her face and search for deceit. Her eyes were as beautiful and
clear as always, and he was at a loss. Nobody had ever depended on
him before. “No problem,” he whispered. Then, unable to do anything
else, he wrapped his arms around her.

Gina sighed and leaned against him, and it
was life changing. Thirty-two years old, and he had never held
another person this way. Never had the chance to. Rick certainly
hadn’t been affectionate, and relationships since then had been few
and far between. When his body’s needs had to be addressed, he went
to the adjoining town and found somebody for the night. They
exchanged names, and that was about it. There was certainly no
affection.

This warmth building in his chest staggered
him, and his heart thudded painfully. Gina didn’t seem to notice
because she snuggled down closer to him and melted, with her
forehead against his neck. Matt gritted his teeth and forced his
muscles to stay relaxed, even as her soft, sweet breath puffed
against his skin. What excruciating, delicious agony.

After a heartbeat of time, she sighed deeply.
Matt’s arms felt the loss as she pulled away and sat across from
him on the floor. Looking down at his scarred boots on her hardwood
floor, he tried to remember that he was just helping her out for a
few days. Just until he got her stairs done. He’d fix what he broke
and be gone. He couldn’t give her any more than that.

Fighting panic, he lunged to his feet and
snatched up his hammer.
Work!
He avoided Gina’s hurt
expression.

***

Gabe was a nice distraction after the
incident in the foyer. He didn’t allow her to think too deeply on
why Matt had pulled away from her as if she were poison. Since she
had made the assertion to Chuck that she was going to work him,
Gabe insisted she give him something to do so that it wasn’t a
total lie. She put him to work in the kitchen, cleaning and putting
away dishes. She showed him how to start a load of laundry and
sweep a floor, and later how to shuck corn for dinner. He was quiet
and good natured about everything, but as the afternoon wore on, he
glanced at the clock more and more.

“When do you think you should go home?” she
asked him finally.

Gabe shrugged. They both knew it probably
wouldn’t matter.

“Well, why don’t you go upstairs and watch
some TV? I’ll get dinner going, and you can go home after that.
Okay?”

The boy nodded and trudged through the
kitchen door. Gina felt bad for him, having a perpetual threat
hanging over his head. She
would
call Children’s Services
again and see what she could do.

Matt continued to work in the foyer. When she
peeked out the door, he looked well involved into pulling up
hardwood floor boards. There was no way he was cleaning up in the
next hour, so she started to cook and hoped he would stay.

Gabe came downstairs when he smelled the pork
chops frying. Gina directed him to the cupboards and the silverware
drawer, then dished him out a plate of food. His eyes widened when
he sat down to his plate, and Gina could not help but laugh. But
then she sobered. He was impressed by a meal he should be getting
every night.

Walking down the hallway, she was surprised
at the reduction of noise in the foyer. Matt was gathering up his
tools and stacking wood, but he glanced up when she neared. Gina
searched for some hint of emotion in his eyes, but he dropped his
head too quickly.
That damn ball cap
.

“I have dinner ready, if you want to come in
and sit down.”

Matt gave a single shake of his head. “No,
thanks. I need to head out. Will you be home tomorrow?” His sharp,
green eyes glanced up long enough to catch the nod of her head,
then he continued to stack tools. “I’ll be back around eight. Is
that too early for a Sunday?”

“Nah,” she told him, pushing her hair back.
“I’ll be up.”

He stood to face her. “I’ll be back then.
Call me if you have problems when you send Gabe home. Keep your
cell phone on you if you talk to Chuck.” He held out a business
card with the picture of a level running across the bottom and
several phone numbers. When she curled the card into her hand, he
turned away, gathered up his tools and headed out the front
door.

Gina couldn’t resist calling out a small
thank-you as he crossed the yard to the truck. He waved slightly
but continued to walk. She waited on the porch to see if he looked
up when he drove away, but he didn’t.

Gina tried not to let his distance hurt her.
What had she done to chill him off so quickly? Was it admitting she
liked somebody to vent to? The statement had been innocent, but
maybe he didn’t want any kind of attachments. Some men were like
that. The thought depressed her terribly.

When she returned to the kitchen, Gabe had
cleaned his plate and was looking longingly at the stove. “If you
want more, you can get it.”

But he shook his head. “No, you haven’t eaten
yet.”

Gina crossed to the table and retrieved her
plate. She realized she was too worried to eat. Dipping out a few
spoonfuls of whatever, she returned to the table. “I have mine now.
Go get seconds.”

The boy did not argue again. He delved into
the second plate, hardly taking time to breathe. “This is so good,”
he mumbled.

Gina laughed. The food was quick and not very
inventive.

“What do you normally eat at home?”

He avoided her eyes, and his movements
slowed. “Soup.”

“Soup? What kind?”

He swallowed heavily and cleared his throat.
“Ah, noodle soup. The kind in the plastic package.”

“Ah,” she said. “Ramen?”

Gabe nodded his head.

“What do you eat other than soup?”

He looked up at her in confusion. “That’s it.
Noodles. Chuck says it’s the cheapest thing he can buy.”

Anger tore through her, and Gabe crumpled in
his chair, thinking it was directed at him. “I’m not mad at you,
Gabe.” Gina reached across the table for his hand. “I’m mad at
Chuck. A little boy needs more than just noodles.”

Now that she knew, though, she could see it
in his body; his smaller size, pale skin. “Any time you get hungry,
you come over here. Do you understand? If I’m not here, let
yourself in and get something. You know where the key is.”

Gabe nodded obediently, and his eyes flicked
to the clock on the wall. “I better go.”

Gina agreed. It was only going on seven, but
they didn’t want to keep him out too long.

She walked him to the front door. “I’ll
whistle for you in a while, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you for dinner, Gina. It was
really good.”

Daring to reach out, she gave him a quick
hug. “And thank you for the help today.” She pulled out a few
dollars. “Put this somewhere Chuck can’t find it.”

Blue eyes glinted mischievously as he nodded
once again and headed out the door. Gina watched him until he
disappeared into his house. She didn’t hear any immediate yelling,
so she took that as a good sign. Maybe Chuck was already passed
out. She closed and locked the door, then headed for her cell
phone. Patrice answered on the third ring.

“Sorry to call you so late, Patrice. Am I
interrupting anything?”

“Oh, no. I’m just indulging in a sob-fest on
Lifetime and a pint of Chubby Hubby. I certainly don’t have
anything more interesting to do on a Saturday night. What can I do
for you?”

Gina related what Gabe had told her, and
Patrice sighed over the line. “Okay. I’ll put him on the list for a
surprise visit. You did the right thing by telling me. At some
point we’ll catch him up in something and the boy can be removed.
Did you get those classes in?”

“Yes, I did, but I’m worried that my
interfering is making his situation worse.”

“I disagree completely. What would his
situation be like if Chuck didn’t have you looking over his
shoulder?”

Gina rubbed her forehead with her casted
hand, and she had to admit her friend had a point. Chuck’s
aggression might have already progressed to physicality if she
hadn’t been around. “Maybe you’re right. It’s just hard seeing Gabe
scared like that.”

“I know, Gina. I have a lot of faith that
this situation will get better. We’ll do everything we can for
him.”

“Okay, Patrice. I‘ll have to accept your word
on that.”

Patrice chuckled. “Hey, I was in the hospital
yesterday on a follow-up, and Delores said you had another
accident.”

“Oh, God. Didn’t take her long to start
talking, did it?” she laughed. “Good old Delores. Yeah, I fell at
the office and broke my right wrist. I have a nice, ugly, itchy
cast on for the next six weeks.”

“Um--hm. That actually wasn’t the interesting
part of the story, though. Who drove you home?”

Gina was curious at the disapproving note in
Patrice’s voice. “Matt Calvin brought me home. He also carried me
in the house when I passed out and cooked me soup and a
sandwich.”

“Why on Earth would he do that? That man does
not seem like the Betty Crocker type.”

“No,” Gina admitted, “he’s not. But I think
he felt guilty for knocking me down.”

“Wait a minute. He knocked you down at the
office and broke your wrist?” Patrice’s voice had risen several
octaves.

Gina was curious at the alarm in Patrice’s
voice. “Yes, but it was an accident. We ran into each other.”

The silence hung on the line for several long
seconds. “Gina, you need to be careful. Everybody in this
department knows about Rick Calvin. It was long before my time, but
the stories carry on. And I’m sure they’ve had an effect on Matt.
Don’t take anything from him.”

Frowning, Gina shook her head. “Patrice, I
know he had issues growing up, but I honestly think he’s a good
guy.”