The doorbell rang, sending a frenzy of excited shouts into the air, as their five kids jumped up and made a run for the door, opening it and collecting pizza boxes to haul to the kitchen table. She was surprised to see that Spuds himself delivered it and even more surprised to see he was staying to eat with them. It was only then she realized that Tucker had said pizza for eight, not seven.
Happy chatter filled the air between bites, with the kids all trying to get a word in edgewise with the man who had long ago been named their Godfather. It was good to have the extended family brought to them by the restaurant and the club. She thought about her client and wondered how she was doing so far. It made her think of her own first days and realize that she had not been alone for a single moment past her own appointment with the agency.
“It’s going to be fine,” she said to a client that was, by now, too far away to possibly hear her. She knew she would keep her cell phone close in the days to come, just in case the girl needed her.
“What?” Tucker asked, glancing up at her.
“Nothing,” she replied, grabbing a slice of pizza and biting into it. “Just trying to get some food before it’s all gone!”