Yes, my wife. Matt sighed.
He didnt have much to be proud of now, and he couldnt really blame the woman for her snap judgment. In her position, he might think much the same. But the past few months had taught him how close every person was to living on the street.
His golden life had suffered a chain reaction of tragic blows and shattered.
An ambulance arrived, and the crowd of spectators cleared a path as the rescue workers huddled around the boy and his mother, checking the childs vital signs.
Matt inhaled deeply, and looking back at the blonde woman, he pushed to his feet.
He dusted his hands off, then extended one to help the bride to her feet.
She glanced at his proffered hand, hesitated, then let him pull her from the floor.
Im sorry. I justMy husband had a watch like that one stolen, and
You thought Id stolen this one.
She turned away guiltily. It just startled me to see it. Your watch is just like Ryans and She huffed and smoothed a hand over the skirt of her wedding dress costume. Never mind. She backed away one step, then forced a tight smile. Thank youfor helping with Tommy. You saved his life. Her delicate brow furrowed, and she tipped her head. Howhow did you know what to do?
Anyone can learn CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. They are valuable skills to have. Yes, he was being evasive, cryptic, not fully forthcoming. But he didnt feel like explaining the whole sordid story of his ignoble downfallwhich hed inevitably have to. When he mentioned his medical degree, his career, the question always followed.
How did a successful doctor end up scavenging a meal from a soup kitchen on Halloween?
Well, thank you. You saved the day. Her smile was brighter now, more genuine.
Matts gut kicked. Her smile transformed her already beautiful face to nothing short of breathtaking. Not for the first time, his own ragged appearance left him feeling awkward and embarrassed. He nodded to the woman and turned to make his way through the crowd. He needed air, and the small room at the Community Aid Center had begun feeling cramped, stuffy.
As he stepped out of the building, the crisp autumn breeze nipped at his lungs and bit his cheeks with a sobering reminder that winter was mere weeks away. If he didnt want to freeze at night, hed have to continue renting his ramshackle room at the Woodgate Inn. Which, in turn, meant hed have to find a new source of income.
The irony of his situation appalled him. He had a medical degree, had graduated top of his class. But thanks to his appearance, his lack of transportation or a permanent address, he couldnt find a job that paid enough to make his child support payments and also get ahead. The tanked economy didnt help, either. The few available jobs were grabbed up by mill workers whod been laid off, or clean-cut, white-collar men taking second jobs to cover their mortgages.
Pulling his collar up against the cold wind blowing off the slopes of the North Carolina Smoky Mountains, Matt squared his shoulders and headed down the street. He was through feeling sorry for himself, finished wallowing in his pain and failure.
He wouldnt let the tragic turn of fate defeat him. He had to rebuild his life. For his kids.
Hed pull through this black period somehow and get back on his feet. He wouldnt quiteven if everyone he loved had quit on him.
Tommys choking had rattled Holly, and seeing the watch, so much like Ryans, on the man at the center had destroyed her interest in revelry. After making sure Tommy would be all right, Holly had sneaked away from the Halloween party and headed to her truck.
Shed already been giving a few hours each month to the Community Aid Center when Ryan was killed. Knowing one of the people she helped at the center could be responsible for the attack on her husband disturbed Holly deeply. Shed almost quit.
But the evil actions of one person didnt negate the good she was doing or the needs of the children she met at the center. Besides, what if she heard something through her volunteer work that could help the police catch Ryans killer?
Over the past several months, shed learned more about the homeless than shed ever imagined. And many of her conceptions of who the homeless were and why they were on the streets had been blown out of the water. Many of the people she had helped had high school diplomas or professional skills, but medical bills to treat an illness had depleted their bank account. Or theyd been laid off a job and couldnt pay their rent. Or theyd fled an abusive situation and had nowhere to go.
A heartbreaking number of the centers clients were single mothers, struggling to survive and feed their kids. As an elementary school teacher,
Holly loved kids, and the needs of the homeless children touched her heart the most. Every child deserved a safe home and a roof over his or her head.
Once shed reached her Tacoma, shed decided a brief walk to enjoy the October afternoon and clear her head was in order. Shed left the veil and detachable long skirt from her wedding dress on the front seat and put on a long cardigan over the travel suit portion of the gown.