“He will?” She looked to where Will was standing, seeing that he was upset that she was crying.
“Yes. Will has a knack for helping kids. He helped me once when no one else would. I wouldn’t trust him with you unless I was 100 percent positive that he can do the same for you.”
Tears sliding down her cheeks, she leaned her head back on car seat. “Okay.”
“Practice that number I gave you every day, but you only call if it’s really, really important, okay?”
Evangeline stopped crying, holding her hand out expectantly for the phone that he taught her to use. Hammer laughed, patting his shirt pocket to make sure his phone was still inside.
“Will is going to buy you your own.”
“A shiny one?”
“I’ll tell him to let you pick it out.”
“Okay.” Evangeline opened her last piece of candy to put in her mouth. “Bye, Hammer.”
“Bye, kid.”
She impatiently watched as Hammer shut the car door, then stood outside talking to Will. Her mind was already on the shiny new phone that Hammer promised her. She was going to pick the shiniest one the store had.
She gave a bright smile when Will got into the car behind the steering wheel.
“Can we go get my phone and badge now?” she asked eagerly.
“Yes. You comfortable back there?”
Nodding, she waved at Hammer as the car started moving.
“Can I have another piece of candy? I don’t like this one.” Evangeline stuck out her tongue to show him.
“How about we get you some real food first, and then I’ll let you pick another one?”
“I’m only hungry for candy.”
“After you eat.”
“Okay.” Swallowing the small piece of candy that was in her mouth, she scrunched around in her seat to reach in her pocket.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” she lied without remorse, finally able to get her hand in her pocket and pull out what she was after. Unwrapping the wrapper, she placed the purple candy on her tongue, finally content. Then she looked up to see Will staring at her from over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” she mumbled around the candy.
“Ginny, it’s not nice to steal.”
“What’s steal?”
“I’m pretty sure Hammer told you what stealing is, but in case he didn’t, it’s taking something that’s not yours.”
“It’s not stealing if I share.” Scooting in her seat to get in her pocket again, she held out her hand. “You can have the green ones.”
“Who taught you how to do that?”
“What?”
“Steal.”
“Manny. We shared everything.”
“You did?”
“Mmmhmm,” she said around the candy. “He was my best friend in the whole world.”
“Was?”
“I can’t play with him anymore.”
“Maybe one day you’ll be able to play with him again.”
“That’s what Trudy said.”
“She did?”
“Mmmhmm. She said it would be a long time, but that I had to go somewhere else first before I could see Manny again.”
“To stay with Hammer?”
“No. To Heaven.”
Chapter Four
“Can I go outside to play?” Evangeline looked up from the doll’s dress she was trying to hook her badge onto.
“In a little while.”
Expecting to get the same answer she had been getting since she had come to stay with Will, she wanted to jump up and down in happiness, but the sad look that Will gave her stopped her.
“I don’t want to play outside. I’ll just stay here and play with my doll.” Protectively putting her arms around her mound of toys, she scooted herself behind a chair that was next to the couch.
“Ginny—”
“I don’t want to play outside. I want to play in here with you,” she pleaded, tilting her head to the side to peek over the arm of the chair at Will. “Please.” She bit her quivering lip, holding her doll tighter.
“Sweetie ….”
A knock at the door had her scooting backward until she hit the wall. No one had knocked on the door since Will had brought her to his home.
Leaning her head sideways, she saw a tall man come inside. He was bigger than Will and looked the same age. The bushy beard hid most of his face. The coveralls he was wearing reminded her of the clothes Hammer had given her that were too big.
“You’re early, Freddy.”
“I have to get Ezra and Leah picked up early. No need me making two trips when one will do.”
“I told Ginny it would be later today. Maybe we should wait until tomorrow if it’s more convenient for you.”
“Where is she?”
Will pointed to the chair where she was hiding. “Behind the chair. But if she doesn’t want to go, we’ll wait until tomorrow. I can put off Rachel from coming back from staying with her niece for a few more days.”
Evangeline pressed back against the wall as the man moved to stand over her.
“She’s a little thing, ain’t she?”
“Yes,” Will said gruffly.
The man pushed the chair aside, then squatted down next to her. “That’s a pretty doll. What’s her name?”
“Molly.”
“That’s a pretty name. My little girl has a doll. She named her Issie.”