By the time I’ve searched every level of the garage for our car, and I’ve reached the top level, my lungs are burning from running. I’m so worried someone’s towed our car or that Sage is not okay, I think it’s a mirage when I finally spot the Subaru. It’s facing out, and backed in between what looks like a couple of the hotel’s service vehicles. Once I read the plates and get that this is, my Subaru I can’t even be relieved, because I’ve spotted Angel.

He’s been waiting…and he’s standing between me and where I hope my little brother is hiding.

“How did you beat me?” I ask, hardly able to speak clearly while searching dark corners for the security guard dude he was with earlier.

“Drove my golf cart, and, unlike you, I knew where to go.” He points behind him. “There’s also an elevator.”

I make my hands into fists as I stalk between him and my car ready to fling punches should he decide to move. “You can’t stop me from being here or from leaving.”

He steps back as I near. “I’m not. I won’t. I only want to talk to you.”

“No thanks. I’m done talking.” Catching my breath and frantic now, I reach the car and when I don’t see my brother, I lose composure and yell out, “Sage! Sage?”

The blanket moves in the back seat and I place my hands over my heart and allow myself to finally breathe full breaths.

He’s there.

And I’m here.

And we’re both okay and still together.

Nothing bad has happened.

Everything is going to be fine.

I don’t even care that when Sage pops his head out, my watercolors, a small easel, art books, and a few random stuffed animals that Sage swears he brought along for sentimental reasons come into Angel’s view. It ages me five years to force away the rush of tears my brother’s freckled face peering up at me through the glass has caused.

“Robin.” Sage’s eyes are stormy. “Why do you have to shout all crazy? I thought we weren’t supposed to draw attention to ourselves.”

“Sorry,” I answer, worried that Angel heard that. Quickly, I turn away to press the backs of my hands to my closed eyes. Sage clambers out, rubbing his own eyes. I get the kid is pretending he was sleeping, but I know him well enough to get he’s pushing back tears, too.

“For one so small, you are quite a fast runner,” Angel says, voice gentle like for some reason he’s also choked up.

“Running away is what I do best,” I quip, locking my arms protectively around Sage when he steps out of the car. I pull him into a hug that touches his back to my heart I breathe in Sage’s familiar, chlorine-pool-scented hair before I release him. “Forgive me if my experiences here at the Hotel Belle Paris have me thinking I can’t take another minute of this place.”

Angel quirks a smile. “I’m sure it’s been strange, but…”

“But nothing,” I cut him off and open one of the back doors to re-hide our stuff with the blanket while I continue to calm my breathing. When that’s all done and I’m not shaking or about to bawl anymore, I step back to Sage, and whisper next to his ear, “Hop in the front and hand me the extra key.”

Without a word, Sage complies and in seconds he and I are both sitting in the front seats. Glancing through my lashes at Angel-not-an-angel, I lock the doors fast. Only then do I open the window to a two-inch crack so I can ask, “Do you have my other key?”

Angel crosses those massive arms in front of his chest, but doesn’t block us completely like he did when we first drove in here. “It’s locked inside the check-in box. That’s on the entry level—but—like—wait. No.”

“I have a validated parking pass, so you won’t get in trouble, nor do I have to pay.” I push the parking pass out of my window crack, and we all watch it fall.

“Yeah, I know. We’re good.” He’s staring at where the parking pass landed, talking extra softly, like he doesn’t want to spook me. “I’ll give you the key and you can go, but first I need to tell you two things.”

I shake my head. “Take that elevator back down and meet us at the gate with the key in your hand, and then you can tell me your two things as I’m driving on by you. I don’t want to waste my gas fumes.”

“Uh…okay but…” He bites a lip, watching as I turn the key.

Instead of coming to life, the only sound my car makes is this hollow, tick-tick-tick-ticking.

“Go on,” I order when Angel still hasn’t moved.

I try the key again, this time pumping the gas pedal, because sometimes I need to do that to get it to start. Again, nothing happens besides the ticking sound, which is steadily getting fainter and fainter. I glance at the dash, realizing the radio has stayed off, and the crap-ass vent fan that runs nonstop and blows old bits of leaves and dirt in my face isn’t making its usual buzzing sound, either. My stomach flips then clenches. “No.”

Sage is pushing the CD and radio buttons. “Try it again.”

I do. This time, the key only turns, but not even the ticking thing happens.

Angel calls out, “That’s one of the things I wanted to tell you. The car died right when I parked it up here.”

“Because we needed gas?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “I hand-filled your tank but it didn’t help so I looked under the hood. It’s the engine block as well as the battery. You had an oil leak so...”

“So we need a battery jump and oil. That’s not hard.” I half hold my breath. “Unless…oil is really expensive?”

He shakes his head again. “It’s not but, when you drive a car with no oil, the entire engine will seize. It seems you ran out a while ago.”

I keep my face blank, pretending I know what seized means, but like he can read my mind he adds, “That means dead. You need a whole new engine. That’s the first thing I wanted to tell you.”

“No,” I repeat. This time I can’t keep the tremor out of my voice.

Whole new engine?

All of the air has gone out of my body as I meet his eyes through the windshield again. “This can’t be happening. I swear this place is cursed.” I glance at Sage. “Maybe we’re cursed.”

“Maybe not.” Angel steps a bit closer. “Maybe because of that car, you’ve just caught a couple of lucky breaks.” Still smiling that same, small cautious smile he’s had on his face all along, he’s approached the car window on my side. “But, as bad as the first thing was, the second thing is really good. Please come out and talk to me?”

“I’m not going to be arrested? No one is going to take my brother away from me?”

Angel shakes his head. “No. None of that. And if anyone dares try, they’d have to go through me first. Okay? It’s a promise.”

I ask Sage, “What’s your vote?”

“My vote is I don’t trust him, but so far this guy hasn’t personally done us wrong, has he?”

“Besides scaring us every time we’ve seen him?” I whisper, as Sage leans over me to look up at Angel. “Dude, I’m going to warn you. I have a knife on me and a bigger one in this backpack, and I will use them.”

“Understood.” Angel nods and smiles wider, but it’s in a way that is not at all mocking.

We exit the car and walk around to the front. Angel remains motionless, acting as if any move might startle us away.

Ashamed, weary, and more worried than I’d ever admit, Sage and I half sit on the hood of the Subaru both of us working to staple on our usual poker faces. “Okay. I’m listening. What could you possibly say to me right now that would make this situation better? Because in addition to the car being dead, I would suppose after speaking with Mrs. Hildebrandt, you already know my job interview didn’t go so well?”

“That’s where you’re wrong. It did go well.” Angel leans back against one of the garage concrete pillars.

“Oh, you’re funny,” I say.

“I’m serious.” Angel blinks. “Guarderobe needs help with that baby. They want to hire you as a temporary nanny. Ten thousand dollars a week, and you’re guaranteed the first week pay even if they decide they only need you to work one day.”

“What? What!” Both Sage and I ask at once.

“Guarderobe. Did he say Guarderobe?” Sage sits up straight and is now gasping like a fish. “Robin. You. Met. Them?”

“They’re staying here all month.” Angel nods, answering Sage before I can. “Your sister met them and helped them out. But there was a miscommunication, so she didn’t hang around long enough to hear the job offer.”

“Job offer?” I whisper, shaking my head, still wondering if I’ve heard him right.

Angel’s eyes start to twinkle. “Yes. That’s why Mrs. Hildebrandt and I had everyone help with searching for you, but then, you ran away.”

“Mrs. Felix owns this hotel, and she called HR right after you’d left. She ordered Mrs. Hildebrandt to find you, only—for a long while we couldn’t.”

“But she called me trash, and commanded you to escort me out of here.” I cover my pounding heart with one hand. I laugh a little. “That’s why you were chasing me. And that’s why they acted all weird like they’d been waiting for me?” I put a hand up to my forehead. “That’s why Royce asked if I could go with them to the concert?”

Angel nods while Sage squeaks out, “R-Royce Devlin asked if you c-c could go….c-c-concert?” Sage has switched from gasping to gasp-stuttering. “Wh-whaaa? Wat-wah? That’s my dream. Guarderobe.” He points at his chest. “My dream.”

Angel laughs and speaks over Sage’s mutterings. “I think Mrs. Hildebrandt led them to believe you would accompany them to the concert, no problem, and she was banking on you taking the job.”

“Guarderobe-holy-crap,” Sage seems to be sliding lower and lower down the hood of the car like his bones have turned to water and he might need to lie down.

Angel adds, “After she found out you and I were friends she sort of blames me for not communicating properly with her. Now she’s tasked me to make it all right.”

“Only, we’re not friends.” I glance at his face as he crosses his arms.

“Yeah well, I lied about that, because I thought you needed…hell, I was trying to make things right for you.”

I get stuck boring my gaze into his, because I’m trying to understand this guy. When it goes on too long, Angel pulls back some and turns his face away like he’s embarrassed. Like he doesn’t want me to understand him.

Unaware of everything besides the part where I met Guarderobe, Sage, still ranting under his breath sits back up next to me, then scoots to peer into my eyes as he places both hands on my shoulders to give me a little shake. “So let’s recap. I’m hiding in our car snacking on lost crackers that fell under the seats, while you were in Guarderobe’s limo? Why did you not tell me immediately? Why did you not convince them to drive around here to meet me? For that matter, why did you not go to the concert with them?” He squeezes my shoulders tighter. “It would have killed me, yes. But I would have also totally understood. Why?”

I shake off his grip. “Because I thought I was about to be arrested, and because I was trying to save you from this giant guy.” I jerk a thumb at Angel. “And because I don’t give a crap about Guarderobe, and because my priorities where you are concerned are still intact. That’s why.”

“So wait, let’s keep recapping.” Sage’s eyes go saucer-round again and he suddenly looks possessed, like he’s not heard anything I’ve said to him. He hops off the front of the car, arms going to the sky again. “Guarderobe. Wants you. To work for them. Oh. My. God. So, okay. There’s still hope for me. Will you take the job?”

“Yeah? Will you?” Angel asks. “They’re going to call my phone, because you weren’t there to leave your number. Mrs. Hildebrandt says she couldn’t find one on your job application either, a huge mess up on your part, huh? Which is how the whole friends thing came up. I couldn’t just let you run away and not leave some sort of telephone number behind for you.”

His words have made the back of my neck sweat, but I don’t tell him why I left no cell phone number anywhere. Instead I ask, “What exactly did you tell them about our friendship?”

He swallows, looking more agonized than before. “Great family friends, is what I think came out of my mouth.”

My brows shoot up as he adds, “I personally vouched for you as a working reference. Said my mom would vouch for you too.”

“What?” I shake my head. “Why would you do that?”

Angel’s face colors more and he gestures toward our car. “Even though you didn’t know it yet, I knew your car was broken. And, I also suspected that based on what you two have packed in this car, that you might, actually…need a friend?”

“It’s not a crime to have a lot of stuff in a car,” I protest.

“I wasn’t implying that it was anything bad.” His voice lowers to soft again. “Just saying that I knew.” He points back toward the hotel. “Back there everything happened so fast. I’d already assumed you and your brother needed help, so that’s what I was trying to do. Help.” He blinks, eyes going over my face like he’s searching for something. “I—I like to help people. I’m chronic that way. If someone’s in need, I can’t stop myself from interfering.”

“We aren’t in need,” I bite out, trying to keep my defenses up against this guy, but now my heart’s all twisted up with the idea that he’s really nice, and that he’s put himself on the line because of us.

“Um. Well, we are in need of that cell phone,” Sage interferes. “So my sister can accept the job and all. Thanks for that at least, because that was really cool of you.” Sage is also giving Angel a funny sideways look, like he, too, is wondering why this guy would do what he did.

Wondering if he’s trustworthy.

Sage continues, “Uh…is there any way you can call Guarderobe right now and tell them Robin will take it? Heck, text them to come back and get us. Like, I’m ready to go along with them to that concert and right now. Aren’t you ready, Robin?” He holds out his hand, nodding and grinning even wider. “Here. Give me the phone and I’ll do it. Please.”

Angel grins. “Nice try, but I think I’m in enough of a mess for lying to my boss. I’m also about to be fired if your sister doesn’t back my story to say that she and I are at least friends. If I give you Guarderobe’s private number, I will never recover my hard-earned reputation. I’m considered very honorable at this hotel. The best way to save everyone would be for you two come to my house. Eat dinner with me and my family, where we will start being friends with each other, and wait for them to call. It’s a win-win. I will get what I need, and you will get what you need.”

“Like I said before, we aren’t in need,” I grit out, still hating that word.

Angel shrugs, pulling a face that says he doesn’t believe me.

Oblivious, Sage has begun skipping around the car. “Robin. It’s exactly like you said. We’re fine. It’s all falling into place. We’ll be able to find a great apartment. Yes! Oh, yes! And, I’m about to be the brother of Guarderobe’s personal nanny!” He’s patting at his pockets. “Crap! I miss Twitter and my cell phone right now. Why did you make us leave all electronics? Imagine the Snapchats I could send right now. This is torture.”

Sage is close enough that I swing out one leg and gently kick him as he passes by. He knows the rules and he’s just blabbed that we’re searching for an apartment and that we left our cellphones behind. My glare for him is so fierce that Sage finally connects and calms enough to realize he’s slipped. The dancing enthusiasm goes out of his eyes some as he tries to recover with, “I mean, if I had not lost my cell charger, then I’d tell everyone you met Guarderobe. Everyone! That’s all.”

I roll my eyes at his lame backpedaling as Angel comes to lean on the hood of the car along with me, taking up the spot my brother has vacated.

“You can’t tell anyone you met them,” Angel says. “That’s part of the deal. If either of you blab to even one person, we’re all going to get sued by the best-paid attorneys in the world. I will get fired, your sister will never start this job, and none of us can afford what it will cost to bail us out of that kind of trouble.”

“Not ever?” Sage stops mid step.

“Not without permission. Guarderobe’s legal team has made that clear. Mrs. Felix has even more attorneys that work for her on hotel staff, and she also commands everyone’s silence. I’ve heard the band can sue for the smallest infraction. Ever since they’ve been in residence it’s all hush-hush and serious smack downs for any hotel staffer that mentions interactions with the band. We’ve all signed stuff about this. NDA’s. Non-Disclosure Agreements.”

Sage’s expression sobers even more. “Robin, if you become the nanny, you’ll be part of the inner circle. Bet you’ll have to sign a whole book.”

Angel nods. “She will. And thanks to what happened at the limos today I’ll have to sign the same documents you sign, as does my mom. I told them it would be okay to send your papers to my house.” He looks away, obviously embarrassed about lying again, “Because…I, uh…in addition to saying how we were great family friends, I told them you were also staying with us while you job hunt. I might have implied you may be staying with us for the whole summer.”

“What? Y-you assume a lot, don’t you?” I stutter out, shocked all over again.

“Only when I’m hoping for the best.” Angel shrugs.

“Wonder whose band member’s baby it is?” Sage asks, already going back to his favorite topic. “My guess it’s Hunter Kennedy’s baby. He’s been dating Vere Roth forever, maybe they hid a baby bump. It could also be Adam’s baby, because Adam’s all old, like twenty-five or something. Only, he hasn’t had a girlfriend in like forever. He’s the loner, the moody one. It’s been so long since he’s dated anyone in public, people think he might be gay.”

Angel adds, “I’ve also heard that rumor about Adam. My guess is that it’s Royce Devlin’s baby. He’s the one that goes through fashion models and movie stars like he’s eating skittles. Once a month I see photos on Instagram or on magazines where he’s at premieres or events with a new beautiful girl draped on his arm.”

Sage rubs his chin, acting all grown up and wise. “Royce is the band’s bad-boy, no doubt, but I also know from social media that his dates are set up by his public relations team. Usually that means they aren’t serious girlfriends.”

“Hate to burst your bubble, dude, but babies are not about who is in a serious relationship. Royce Devlin’s obviously got the highest statistical probability ratios. Every dude in the world is jealous of that guy’s ability to get girls.”

“Huh?” Sage scrunches his face and glances at me. “Is he talking about one night stands?”

I hop down from the hood of the car as well, shaking my head. “Yes. He means Royce is a player, and yes, it’s Royce’s baby. A baby girl. Poor thing has lost the daddy lottery big-time. He won’t claim her as his own, even though her eyes are so bright, just like his are that it’s obvious he’s the dad. I don’t think I can work for a guy who won’t claim his own kid. Can I?”

“You’re working for the money. And you love babies,” Sage urges. “You’re working for the baby.”

“Is Royce why you came out of the limo all angry?” Angel asks softly. “What happened in there?”

“I installed a car seat base for them. All while that Royce Devlin was…just…completely strange. The guy was rude at first. An ass who then switched to almost nice. He even hit on me, I swear. And he did it in front of his grandmother! I think it was to try to scare me off somehow. Said it was a test, to see if I’d go for it. Him. And then,” I blink my eyes wide, “His grandmother, after getting angry, apologized along with him and they both agreed that Royce’s behavior was necessary.” I roll my eyes. “Can you imagine? They’re all so weird. Maybe I can’t work for any of these people.”

“Did you? Go for him?” Angel’s eyes are now as round with curiosity as Sage's.

“Obviously not, in case you didn’t see how I popped him in his face.”

“I did see that.” Angel sighs out a long breath.

“What? What? You did not. P-pop Royce Devlin’s face. Did you?” Sage’s smile crumples off his face.

I feel my face heating. “I used Dad’s elbow-back-smash move on him so he’d let my arm go. And I did it really, really hard.” I shrug. “It worked.”

“Of course it worked.” Now my brother’s looking at me I’m some sort of murdering monster. “A rockstar’s face is their career. If you used Dad’s move then you could have cracked a nose, or a jaw, or his cheekbone, or given him a serious concussion. The guy could be in the hospital right now.”

I put my hand up to my mouth, and if it weren’t for the ten thousand dollars I’m not going to get, I might even laugh a little. Instead, I can only pull a ragged breath, and agree with him. “I know. I don’t know what I hit exactly. I only know it made contact, because I heard a horrible smacking sound before he grunted and fell back. Which is why I’m probably not going to get that phone call.”

“Oh crap.” Sage half-kicks at one of our tires as hard as he can over and over. “Crap. Crap! And crap!”

“Don’t say crap, and be careful. Sage. You’re going to break your toe.”

“Oh, sure. You can say ass to describe the guy I’ve been dreaming to meet my whole life. You can smack that same guy in the face, but I still can’t say crap? My dreams are ruined. How about crap-crappity-hell-crap-damn? Is that better?” He kicks at the tire again. “You’re right. You are not getting this job, and I will never meet my favorite band.”

I roll my eyes toward Angel, who appears to be almost laughing all over again.

“I’m sorry, Sage. I did what I had to do,” I answer finally. “And Angel, I’m also sorry you gave them your number and said what you did. I think the phone call we should be expecting might come from the police. To file a report against me for assaulting the famous, Royce Devlin.”

For some reason Angel seems to have paled. “Please take that back. You have no idea how much it would suck in every way for me personally if the police started calling my cell.” He pulls out his phone and glances at the now buzzing, lit-up screen.

Sage hugs himself, and whisper-chokes, “Oh, God. Is it them calling already? The band?”

My heart also flips to my throat as I choke out next, “The cops?”

Angel smiles at both of us. “How about, it’s my mom texting me? The dinner offer is very real and she’s worried about her pasta timing. I already told her you both had agreed to come.”

I sigh. “You even lied to your mother?”

Sage crosses his arms. “You live with your mother? Aren’t you too old for that?”

One ink-black brow shoots up and Angel frowns first at me, then at Sage. “If you come eat dinner with us, half of what I said won’t be a lie anymore. And yes, I live with my mom and you will see why when you meet my family in person.” His expression grows more earnest. “I told my mom a lot. About you, your car and how you’re stranded. She’s also offered you two a place to stay tonight. If you need one. I think that you do. Don’t you?”

I back away from him. “We don’t. And how could you tell your mom a lot about us when you don’t even know us. We spoke for like ten minutes max. You don’t know anything.”

The air grows tense.

Sage stands up from where he was flopped on the pavement and comes to stand next to me, taking up my hand. I can tell he’s trying to play along, but doesn’t want to.

Angel points to the car again. “Like I said, I saw the stuff you have packed in the car. And I saw you both eating your…lunch. I think you’re out of money, you’re out of luck, and if the kid was eating dry oatmeal packets this morning and snacking off what’s left under the seats, you’re also way out of food.”

I can’t think of anything to say that’s not a lie, so I simply stay quiet and cross my arms.

Sage does the same.

Angel’s voice drops to feather-soft as he asks, “You two are homeless, aren’t you?”

His words have knocked the air out of my lungs and turned the back of my throat to sandpaper. I’m suddenly trying to decide if the word homeless sounds worse than what I was calling us yesterday in my head: teen runaways.

Are we now homeless teen runaways?

Or, have we been that since we stopped staying in hotels?

Homeless. Teen. Runaways.

I glance at Sage’s face, which has gone completely pale.

“Dude,” my brother says firmly, sounding all offended. “No one is homeless here. We’ve been car camping.”

Angel taps his fingers on the hood of the car. “I know what homeless looks like, and it looks exactly like you two look.”

“And how do we look right now?” I finally respond, trying to sound tough like my brother.

“Like you’re afraid, but you’re both trying to be brave. Like you want to say yes to me, but you’re tracking each other’s signals in case I do something off that would make you want to bolt. Like you two are about to break down as much as your car did. Like if days like today keep repeating themselves, you will wind up in some kind of danger or…worse.”

“How can you tell all of that?” Even though I’d tried to hold it steady, my voice has wavered and that salt-water taste is hitting in the back of my throat again.

“Because I’ve been there.” Angel answers after a long beat. “Because you and Sage remind me of how my sister Cara and I used to act when we were once in your same shoes. We tried to stay positive. Tried to make things seem fun, told each other all would work out when our mom couldn’t be with us and my sister got really stubborn and kept trying to make it right, all while, despite our best efforts, our whole world fell apart around us.”

I snap, “That’s not what’s happening to us and—how dare you assume that I—”

He holds up a hand so I stop. “I don’t pretend to know your deal, nor will I pry, but ten years ago, when I was thirteen and skinny and hungry all the damn time like your brother is now,” he points at Sage. “I thought I could protect my eighteen-year-old sister, and she thought the same about protecting me. We were vulnerable, on the razors edge, shit out of luck and money, whatever you want to call this moment that I think is happening to you two right now. My sister—Cara, I loved her so much.” He winces, and his face looks like it’s crumpling as he adds in a whisper, “Things got out of control, and she wound up dying.”

Sage puts his hands over his mouth as I gasp out, “Oh God, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, but we aren’t in that type of a spot. Not even close.”

“We denied it, too. Okay?” He shrugs. “Maybe you’re not at rock-bottom where we were, but we didn’t know we’d fallen so far until it was too late. Either way because I’ve met you two, and because of my sister and our past, I had to butt in and ask.” Angel’s voice returns from sad to steady. “Which is why, for tonight, maybe longer, my mom and I invite you to car camp at our house.” He glances at our car. “Only without the car, considering…it’s not going anywhere.”

His eyes flick over me and Sage again. Then, like he didn’t just rip out his heart and share too much of his past and personal pain with us, he pulls in a big breath and forces a smile as he points toward where the sun has finally set. “We live on a small farm about eight minutes up the highway. If you don’t like what you see, I, or my mom, whomever makes you feel safer because ultimately your safety is what this is all about, one of us will drive you straight back here. If you need to sleep in your car like I think you’ve been doing for a while, I will come back here and park nearby to watch over you and try to help in a different way. Even if it means I get no sleep, and even if you don’t take the job, or don’t want to be friends, even if all of this gets me fired I can’t stop myself. It’s your choice, but unfortunately it won’t be mine. It’s not easy to trust strangers and to invite them home, but in your case…the similarities between you and Sage seem exactly how Cara and I were ten years ago.” He points at me, “How you look—and how you two act and interact, is exactly how Cara and I used to be when we were together. Frankly the parallels are freaking me out, to the point where I must listen to my gut, to my heart, hell, and to my mom. The idea of you two has made her all emotional. Without sounding crazy, because we’re not that, we both feel like my sister, Cara, is somehow deeply involved in bringing us all together.”

Flushing, at that last comment like he’s not at all one to say stuff like this to anyone, he turns away and directs his comments to Sage. “If you do stay, you’ll have to eventually tell us your deal. Oh, and I’ll have to ask you to promise that you’re not into drugs or going to steal from us, or anything like that.”

“Dude. Really? We won’t even-ever come close to doing those things,” Sage protests. “Wow. No way.”

Angel nods, staring into my brother’s earnest expression. I see a layer of worry instantly removed from his face. “Good, because we’ve got my two little cousins living at home, too. I won’t let them be hurt or afraid. This job supports them and my mom which is, again, why I can’t lose it. Please.”

Humiliated, humbled and feeling like a failure even more than I did this morning, I feel my lungs collapsing along with an anguish that’s crumpling my resolve to push this guy away despite how his questions have made me mad.

My voice is very quiet as I answer, “I can only tell you that we want to move to Orlando. That I came here to get a job so I can support my brother while our father is, uh, working overseas. That’s our only story and that’s all I can tell you. For now, anyhow. Maybe forever.”

“So you’ll come to dinner?” Angel blinks, like he’s good with what I’ve said. “Eat and rest? See if you do get the job at least?” When his phone goes off again, Angel starts texting, walking over so I can see what he’s written: Ma, text me a photo, a selfie of you and the girls. Whatever you are doing right now, so I can show Robin and Sage who is who.

Someone texts back: I’ll do it, but you get yourselves here. My beautiful sausage is almost cooked and I want to add the pasta to the water.

In a few seconds, his phone dings again.

He hands it to me so I can see a photo of two little dark haired girls wearing princess-bride outfits paired with little plastic, glass-slippers. They’re both blurry because they were twirling around in front of a kitchen table that is in perfect focus. The water glasses are already filled and there’s a big basket of bread. Each place has been set with white plates, and it’s all on top of a red and white checked tablecloth just like the kind you’d see in in Italian restaurant.

While I’m holding the phone a text comes in that says: I couldn’t do a selfie. They wanted to dance for you.

“Aww,” I hear myself saying while he laughs, reading the text.

“My cousins are called Anna and Julia. They’re my uncle’s kids. They’re six and seven. This job pays for their princess outfits. I’m sort of their stand-in daddy because, using your words, those two girls also lost the daddy-lottery. They lost the mommy lottery, too.”

I stare at the photo and push away thoughts of our own mom and how she left me and dad when I was smaller than these two girls--when Sage was only a baby. Getting dumped by one parent was sad enough, I couldn’t imagine how I could have faced that reality without my dad holding steady as our rock.

Angel continues, “The only downside to this offer is that the room you and Sage will be sleeping in matches their horrible outfits. Princess-bride junk infects that room down to the pillowcases. We are very far from a perfect family, but we do have fun.”

Sage squeezes in to see the photo, too. Guarderobe forgotten he whispers, “It looks so nice in that kitchen.”

“Promise me no more questions? None?” I look up.

“Promise.” He bends down, like he’s trying to really connect to me. I swallow, looking as deeply as I can into his eyes. I’m trying to see any sort of flickers that would make his offer ring false, but there’s only truth, sincerity and a deep sadness, one I now understand, behind his obsidian gaze.

He whispers, voice all broken up again. “It’s safe. I understand you don’t know us yet. I can only repeat, my family…we’re safe.”