Chapter 2
“Want me to come in with you?” He asked his son.
Ebon and Rashaun gave him identical horrified looks, so he turned for the coffee shop on the corner. “I’ll come pick you up in an hour, then.”
He cast an inquisitive eye over the man at the school doorway. Must be one of the leaders. Not half bad either: tall and slender, but with enough muscle beneath his neatly pressed uniform shirt to show his fitness. Skin the color of old mahogany and black hair barely long enough to show the hint of a curl. Hisyardstick-straight back did hint at a no-nonsense nature, but if the boys thought he was “p cool,” he must have a more relaxed side. Didn’t look Hispanic, so this must be Mr. Hill.
Kit nearly ran into the open door of the coffee shop. He needed to quit daydreaming about hot guys. He ordered a coffee and sat by the window to people-watch. His mind kept returning to the intriguing figure of the Scout leader. Kit liked his men tall and muscular, and if truth be told, he did tend to paymore attention to darker skin. He liked to joke that he liked his men the same way he liked his coffee: hot, sweet, and black.
* * * *
After nearly an hour had passed, Kit returned to the school to join the small group of other parents already gathered on the sidewalk. He nodded to Rashaun’s Aunt Flora, but made no attempt to join her. The woman would talk your ear off if you gave her half a chance.
One of the other women strode toward him, a hand outstretched. “You’re new. I’m Rosa Sanchez.”
Rosa introduced Kit to the other parents. They wanted to know more about him, of course. Some of them turned away with condescending smiles when he said he waited tables at Chez Nous, even though it was oneof the most popular (and expensive) restaurants in the city. Kit made a good salary there, and the manager was willing to give him the day shift to work around Ebon’s school hours. He didn’t see any reason to be ashamed of his job, though he could probably make more if he went back to school and got a business degree.
He did hand out a few of his business cards to parents who seemed interested in music lessons for their kids, but he didn’t mention the band. Not many parents would be impressed to hear he played bass for a heavy metal group. He spotted a few furtive glances at his ponytail, but that was hardly a dead give-away at his third job. He’d have gotten more blatant stares if he’d not worn a long-sleeved button-down to hide the obligatory tattoos all rock musicians seemed to collect.
Finally, the school door opened and the troop spilled out, chattering excitedly to one another and calling goodbyes. Kit spotted Ebon in the crowd and gave him a little wave. Ebon wasn’t quite old enough to pretend he didn’t know his father in public, though Kit was certain that day would come. The boy pelted across the sidewalk to Kit’s side, a wide grin on his face.
“Dad, we’re going on a field trip next week! And I showed Mr. Lopez my knots and he said I could get a badge as soon as I’m old enough to be a Boy Scout.”
A stocky Hispanic man crossed to shake Kit’s hand. “Joe Lopez. Your son’s a real trooper. Glad to have him in the Scouts.”
Kit didn’t spot the very interesting Mr. Hill in the crowd. Maybe he’d stayed to clean up, or vanishedout a back door. Ebon regaled Kit with the details of his meeting all the way home. It was good to have the kid so excited. Cub Scouts might be one of the best ideas old Mrs. Kennedy had suggested, back at that parent-teacher meeting. Ebon had been having trouble before, struggling with getting his work done, disinterested in the schoolwork. Now, he was eager to read his Scout book, and Kit only had to threaten to take the book away to get the boy to finish his homework. He wasn’t making all A’s by any stretch of the imagination, but at least he wasn’t in danger of failing any longer.
Ebon fell asleep with his beloved Scout book in his hands, and Kit took the time to pick up the apartmenta little. Tomorrow was Friday, and the band was performing at a new club. Alicia would be sitting with Ebon, and Kit didn’t want the young lady to feel like she had to clean while she was here. He’d really lucked out getting a sitter who’d accommodate herself to his oddball schedule. Alicia was willing to house-sit for two nights every weekend while Kit worked the clubs Fridays and Saturdays. She was even willing to take the odd weekday shift if something came up unexpectedly. Worth every penny he scraped together to pay her.