Page 38 of Smokey's Distraction
Grabbing her purse, she got out of the car and walked toward the youths.
“Hi.” She smiled broadly.
Grunting, the boy exhaled a stream of smoke that swirled around in the air above his head. The girl leaned back against the step, clasped her hands around her knees, and fixed her eyes on Ashley. With neither replying, Ashley hefted the strap of her purse higher on her shoulder and climbed the steps to the front door.
Several minutes later, she sat on a metal chair, looking around the cluttered office overflowing with folders and boxes. On one of the shelves of a bookcase, she noticed a few framed pictures of a small boy and girl.
“Sorry for the mess.” A tall, slender man, who looked to be in his late thirties, walked toward the desk. “I’m trying to sort through case files and send them off to storage so I have room for the new folders.” Pushing a bunch of papers across the desk, he took his seat and grinned, displaying his dimples. “I’m Brady Shelling.”
“I’m Ashley Callahan. We spoke on the phone about doing some volunteer work.”
The director’s eyes swept over her before settling on her face. “Right.”
She shifted in the chair. “As I said on the phone, I can put in about eight hours a week during the evenings and weekends.”
“Do you cook?” he inquired, his gaze still fixed on her face, as if studying her.
A small laugh slipped through her lips. “Not really. I’d prefer helping to serve the meals cooked by someone else.”
A large smile broke out across his face, making the fine lines around his eyes crinkle. “Noted.” Leaning back, he clasped his hands behind his head. “So, why do you want to work at the shelter?”
She clenched her jaw as images from her past jabbed at her brain. “The marketing firm I work for did a community project in Denver at a teen shelter, which I found to be a worthwhile experience for me. I have some extra time, and I’d like to help out in any way I can.”
“Why did you leave Denver?”
“I’m in Pinewood Springs to work on a few marketing campaigns. Once I’ve wrapped them up, I’ll be heading back to Denver. I’ll only be in town for three or four months.”And if that damn boss of mine doesn’t get his ass in gear, I may end up being here longer.
“We can always use volunteers at the shelter. The only thing we need to do is run a criminal background check. We need volunteers to help the kids out with daily activities, aid with paperwork, serving meals, and to listen to them when they need to vent. Each volunteer brings in different skills.”
“I could also help out with school assignments and job skills. Anything would work, except for cooking, which we’ve already covered.”
Brady nodded, his gaze piercing. Looking away, Ashley focused on the small children in the photos.
“Are those your kids?” she asked.
He glanced over at them. “Yes. Justin is ten, and Trina is seven.”
“They’re cute.”
“Thanks. They can be a handful sometimes. I’m divorced, but my ex and I share custody. It seems to work. What about you? Do you have any children?”
“No.” Rubbing her hands over her skirt, she peered up at the clock above the bookcase.
“Do you have to go?” he asked.
“I do. I have another work-related appointment,” she fibbed, not liking the direction the conversation was going. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk about herself, or her past.
“Do you have time to tour the shelter?”
“Yes, I do.”
He rose to his feet. “Then let’s do it.”
Thirty minutes later, Ashley pulled away from the curb in front of the shelter and merged into traffic. The facility housed twenty-four minors ranging from twelve to seventeen in age. As she expected, the residents eyed her with suspicion as Brady showed her around. They seemed to like and feel comfortable around him. Ashley knew it would take time before they trusted her as well.
Several times during the grand tour of the shelter, Ashley caught Brady looking at her, making her a bit uncomfortable. She almost decided to chuck the whole idea of volunteering at Mount Vista, but then she saw a boy of about twelve sitting by himself in the corner of the family room. She was mesmerized by his pale face, and the dark strands of hair resting on his furrowed forehead. When he glanced up, their gazes locked. She saw fear and loneliness in his eyes, causing her to suck in a breath as images of the past assaulted her. In that moment, she saw the child she had been: lonely, sad, and full of shame. She remembered the pain and resentment that festered into rage whenever one of the neighborhood kids teased her for living in a homeless shelter. She’d spent her school days scared to death her classmates would also find out that she, her mother, and siblings lived in one. Ashley saw herself as she looked at the miserable boy in the corner. She understood him, and her heart broke for him.
The honking of a horn made her jump, chasing away her thoughts. Looking over, a bicyclist was flipping the bird at a car driving through the intersection. Up ahead, she saw the sign for Ruthie’s Diner. Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since early that morning. Not looking forward to another night of take-out, she turned left at the stop sign and pulled into the diner’s parking lot.
