William's interview was scheduled for Friday morning at nine AM. On Thursday, much to his dismay, William met me by my car, and I drove us back to my apartment. We’d grown close enough by now, I felt safe bringing him to my home. Plus, Charlie was still with his father.

I'm not exactly sure where he thought we were going to go, but he glared loathingly out of the car window during the ride to my humble abode. I knew it must be hard for him to see someone else live in luxury, but I genuinely wasn't trying to rub it in his face. If anything, I wanted him to have the same kind of life in the very near future. I know maintenance wouldn't pay as much as my salary, but it was a start.

My doorman smiled as we walked into the foyer and I wished him a good evening. Despite his jovial greeting, I caught him staring at William with narrowed eyes. I ignored it and hoped William didn't see it, but I'm sure he did. He noticed everything. He could tell just by the look on my face if I was having a good day or a bad day. He knew if I had something I wanted to say or if I merely wanted to co-exist in silence. It was almost weird how observant he was. I hadn't known anyone who could pick up on my non-verbal signals so well. Not even Cal when we were married.

"So, are you ready for a new look?" I asked as I found the Superman cape I used when I cut Charlie's hair.

"Just don't butcher it, okay?” Hesitation and possibly regret bloomed within his demeanor.

"I would never!" I said, aghast as I clutched at my chest. I couldn't believe this tough warrior was wearing a comic book hero cape and about to let me chop off his scraggly street hair.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be, Montgomery."

I took a deep breath and cut the first lock of William's hair. It dropped to the floor, and his eyes followed its descent.

"Not so bad, huh?"

"That was only the first cut," he said. "There's still time for you to mess it up."

"You better watch your tone, or else I'll give you a mullet."

"I wouldn't doubt it."

"I heard that!"

For the next half hour, I meticulously cut William's hair and prayed to God I wouldn't mess it up. It was probably his first haircut in years; I didn't want to disappoint him. Especially considering he didn't appear to have high expectations of my skills. I cut the long pieces and started trimming and styling the rest. My stereo played The Lumineers, the heavenly sound echoing throughout the apartment. I’d lit a few Yankee candles too. I wanted William to feel at ease and hoped the cupcake scented one would help.

"Ready to see your new look?"

"You mean my hack job?"

"I'm still holding the scissors," I warned.

When he didn't respond, I held up the mirror and watched as his eyes focused in on his reflection with fierce concentration.

"Whoa!"

That was all the reassurance I needed to hear.

"I bought a new razor and some shaving cream for you, too. It's in the bathroom."

William nodded and took off the Superman cape. He strode to the bathroom with a noticeable spring in his step. I poured myself a glass of wine and patted myself on the shoulder. Now, I just had to sweep up the hair and wait for him to shave.

Twenty minutes passed, and silence filled the apartment. I knocked on the door. "Everything okay in there?"

"Yeah!" he called back.

"Well, what's taking so long, then? Let me see what you look like."

My heart thudded with excitement. I felt like I was living Jumanji when Robin Williams comes out of the game looking like a wild man, only to clean himself up afterward and become a brand-new man.

The door opened slowly, and I stepped back to give William room to come out. My palms were sweating as I held my breath. He inched out of the room with his head down. I couldn't see his face.

"Well?"

Then, he looked up, and my breath caught in my throat. The man who stood before me looked like an entirely new person. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought William jumped out of the window, and a distant cousin took his place in my bathroom.

"Wow," was all I could muster.

A warming sensation maneuvered its way to my loins while my pulse raced. William was... HOT. His haircut made him look not only like a new man, but a professional one. He shaved his beard but kept a five o'clock shadow, which made me imagine the sensation of his scruff against my cheek. I wondered how his lips would taste. Wait! Whoa! What was happening to me? I only met this guy a few weeks ago, and I was imagining all this? I scolded myself and put down my wine.

His eyes pierced my soul, and it felt as though I was meeting William for the very first time. I imagined all the girls who must have chased after him years ago.

"That a good wow or a bad wow?"

"Good," I gulped.

He blushed, and adrenaline pumped through my veins. My body hadn't reacted this way to a man in a very long time. This was dangerous. Very freaking dangerous.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I lost a few pounds in hair," he said with a smile.

"You look, um-"

"What?" His hands darted to his face.

"Handsome," I finally managed to say.

He exhaled. "Thanks. And, thank you for helping me with, you know, everything." It was the first time he sounded more grateful than bitter.

"Thank you for letting me."

My hormones and wine had gone straight to my head. I hoped I wouldn't scare William away. Especially because we’d come so far from the first time we met. He opened up to me a little more each time we were together and lowered his walls a touch by letting me cut his hair.

Yesterday, I took a last-minute volunteering shift at the shelter. When I arrived, the other volunteers, ranging in ages from sixteen to sixty, prepared dinner to serve to those in attendance. Mark handed me an apron and a hairnet. William’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head when I served him his portion of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

“You again?” he asked.

“Me again,” I confirmed.

After dinner, we took a walk around the block. A cot was already reserved for him, so he didn’t have to worry about someone stealing his place for the night. We strolled the streets and gazed at the stars overhead. Even though the city lights washed out most of the stars, a few constellations peeked through.

“My dad died on September eleventh,” he’d said.

My heart lurched. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“That’s why I enlisted after college. I wanted to fight for his honor.”

“That’s a very honorable reason.”

“Are you scared you’ll miss out on Charlie’s life?” he had asked me.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, by working so much. Aren’t you afraid you’ll miss something?”

I considered what William asked. Of course I wanted to be in Charlie’s life as much as possible, he was my only child, I loved him more than anyone could love another human being. I wanted to see him grow and live to his fullest potential. I wanted to be there to kiss his bruises, wipe away his tears after his first heart break and watch him walk across the stage at graduation. I often imagined the day I’d dance with him at his wedding or hold my grandchild for the first time. Would I actually miss out if I kept up my current pace at work? Cal constantly warned me when we were together that I’d turn into a ghost of a mother. I’d be in Charlie’s life, but only as a fleeting image of who I once was or could have been.

“I try to be there for him as much as I can. I can only do so much being a single mom.”

“We can always do better,” he had said thoughtfully.

A crater appeared in my gut. Could I do better? Could I be home more for Charlie? I shook away the revelry and brought myself back to the present moment.

"So," he said.

"So?"

"What now?"

"You gotta try on the suit!" I reminded him.

William shuffled his feet. "That's right. Uh, but is a suit really necessary? I mean, it’s only a maintenance job."

“I don’t think it could hurt your chances. Better to overdress than underdress, right?”

“Uh, yeah. Right.”

I dashed to my bedroom, and William followed. I opened my walk-in closet with him at my heels, then handed him the suit from the clothing rack by my shoes.

"This closet looks like something out of a movie.” His eyes bulged and he ran his hands along the clothing neatly hung with care.

"Well, Cal never let me have anything like this at our house, so I figured I'd splurge this time around."

William looked down at the suit I'd handed him. "So, this is your ex's suit, then?"

"Yes, but it should fit fine. Go! Try it on." I ushered him back into the bathroom.

"Do you mind if I take a quick shower first? I don't want to get the suit all dirty." He shrugged as color returned to his cheeks again.

I never spent much time thinking about how William managed to bathe, if he did at all. By now, I’d grown accustomed to his musk.

"Not at all. Be my guest.”

He smiled and closed the bathroom door behind him. He turned the water on, and the powerful jets pounded against the tiles. While William showered, I stood by the island in the kitchen and started dinner.

I didn't have too many ingredients available to make something super fancy and filling, but I had everything I needed to make fettuccine alfredo. I mixed the ingredients for the sauce on the stovetop when I heard the bathroom door click open followed by soft footsteps sounding on the hardwood floor.

I looked up, and my heart stopped: William decked out in a suit combined with his new haircut shocked me like an electric current.

"Does it fit okay?" He slowly turned around.

"It's perfect!" I exclaimed. "You're going to wow everyone tomorrow. I just know it."

"I'm not getting my hopes up," he said.

"What are you talking about? You're going to knock 'em dead!"

"I don't have much job experience outside of the military, Amelia." Frown lines creased his handsome face. “And it’s not like I can use my old bosses as references for the jobs I had after I left the Army. Plus, you’re still forgetting I don’t have a permanent address.”

"You deserve a second chance, okay?"

He stared at his feet, and I sensed his walls build back up again.

I cleared my throat. "Listen, William. It's a great opportunity, and we've all gotta start somewhere. I put in a good word for you, and even though I'm new myself, I seem to have some pull already."

He nodded. "Well, what if I get it?"

"Then we celebrate!"

"I mean, what would I do for an alarm clock to get there on time? What would I do for transportation?" I saw the panic in his eyes as his chest rose and fell quickly. He struggled to catch his breath and sat down on the living room couch.

I lowered the heat on the alfredo sauce and strode over to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed him against my body. It was the first time he let me give him a hug. His acceptance of my gesture surprised me, but I rolled with it.

"Everything will be okay. I promise. I will help you with anything you need."

William finally pulled away, but his smile lingered. In that instant, everything made sense: we were magnets, finally connected, fitting perfectly in each other's arms.

“And, I do have a solution for your address problem.”

“What do you mean?” His smile wavered.

“I was talking to Mark, and he told me about a halfway house near the shelter.”

“That place costs money,” William said.

“Well, it’s a good thing I have some of that.”

“I can’t let you do that.” He shook his head, a frown forming on his face.

“Don’t worry. You can pay me back once you get the job.” I waited for the smile he wore earlier to return.

“I can’t accept your money.

“What if I charge you interest? Like a loan?”

“I’ll have to think about it,” he answered, biting his lip.

As much as I tried to help him, it felt like taking two steps forward and three steps back. I realized he wasn’t used to this much help, having lived on the streets for the past six years, but it was time he figured it out.