Family for Keeps & Sadie's Hero by Margaret Daley Page B

before he saw more than she wanted him to see.
    Mac covered her hand next to her plate, forcing her attention to him. “I hope his case manager will find a relative to take him in.”
    “They’ve been looking for over a year, since he became a ward of the state. There may not be anyone. Johnny doesn’t say much about his family. He won’t talk about his mother, who died last year, and I don’t think his father was ever around much. From what Mrs. Hocks has said, he abandoned them long ago.” She slipped her hand from Mac’s grasp, feeling the imprint of his fingers as though it was a brand.
    “No one should have children unless they are willing to take care of them. They’re too precious to ever take lightly.”
    She didn’t want to get into the subject of having children. That possibility had vanished for her when Kevin had been taken from her. Their dream of a large family was just that, a dream. Twisting her napkin in her lap, she searched for a topic of conversation that wasn’t so painful. “Tell me about your work at the halfway house. You said you were fixing the roof and fell off the ladder when you broke your leg. Do you work there often?”
    “I don’t usually do those kinds of things at the halfway house, and after that accident, I’ll make sure I hire someone to do it from now on. Being a handyman isn’t my area of expertise.”
    “What is?”
    “I usually hold counseling sessions several times a week. I spend most Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons there.”
    “Counseling? You’re a counselor?”
    “I majored in psychology in college, and after I quit football, I went back for my masters.”
    “I thought you were a businessman.”
    “That, too. I have investments and the foundation to look after. But my love is counseling. I wish I could do more, but I do have those other obligations that are important to me, too.”
    “Why the halfway house?”
    “I’ve seen what drugs can do to people.”
    “So have I. Some of those emergencies I told you about my first year were drug related. Not a pretty sight.”
    “Then you understand why I have to do something. I had a friend in college who got involved with drugs. I couldn’t help him. He died of an overdose. I promised myself then I would make a difference.”
    “I think that’s why I became a nurse. Like Casey, I like people and found I wanted to help.” Tess relaxed in her chair and sipped her coffee. She liked Mac a lot. He cared about others and wasn’t afraid to show it. “In school I was good at science and for a while thought about being a chemist. Then I decided in college that I didn’t want to be stuck in a lab, working with test tubes all day. I wanted to work with people, particularly children.”
    “I think my most rewarding work is with the youth group at church. Some of the most confusing, trying times for children are when they are in middle school. I find myself looking forward to teaching them each week about the power of the Lord’s love. It has sustained me through a lot of rough times.”
    The devotion and intensity emanating from Mac reminded Tess of Kevin. She frowned and looked away, not wanting to remember anymore that evening. “I’m glad God is a comfort to you.” She finished the potato chips on her plate as though it was important that she eat everyone of them.
    “What happened, Tess?”
    “Let’s just say I was abandoned in my time of need and leave it at that.” She stared at her empty plate.
    “If you want to talk, I’m a good listener.”
    “The counselor in you?”
    “The friend in me.”
    “There’s nothing to say. I would rather leave my past in the past.”
    “Well, did I ever tell you about the time the kids in the youth group had me skateboarding in the parking lot?”
    She shook her head.
    “I crashed and burned several times. I’m surprised I didn’t break my leg that day. I will say those kids make me feel young.”
    Tess laughed. “You are young.”
    “Sometimes when