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“Thanks Her name’s Catherine Brooks”
Luke stood as Catherine caently draped slack suit was the color of ground cinnamon and the perfect complement to her deep auburn hair and brown eyes Fashionof her clothes and the casual elegance of her shoulder-length hair only served to convince him that she was yet another woman with more money than sense Unfortunately, their kind showed up whenever Lost Angel got a mention on the local news
At first, he’d actually believed the sophisticated women could contribute more than money, but when none had lasted more than a week or two
, if that long, he’d lowered his expectations accordingly Because Lost Angel extracted the same dreadful toll on volunteers that it took on its directors, they were always in short supply, and he was forced to welcome each and every one
He doubted his faded Madras sport shirt and comfortably worn jeans would i there had only a few changes of clothes, he didn’t need suits He noted the si band on Catherine’s left hand and assu her diae by not siraffiti-scarred block where their converted church stood and driven home
He still had to dig deep for a smile “Good afternoon, Mrs Brooks We’ve had nearly fifty calls today and half a dozen others stopped by to inquire about volunteering Were you also inspired by Channel 4’s piece about us on last night’s eleven o’clock news?”
Catherine took the straight-backed chair he indicated and then replied in a voice that was soft and pitched low “I’m sorry I seldoeles Times that piqued my interest”
Luke dropped back into his chair He picked up his pencil and tapped the eraser against the desktop in a o, Mrs Brooks, so it couldn’t have prompted much in the way of interest”
Catherine cocked her head slightly and tucked her hair behind her ear “Do you usually make fun of volunteers?” she asked
Luke thren the pencil and added high-strung to the list of faults he’d assigned her the instant she’d slipped through his door She had a death grip on a sli more substantial than her car keys, cell phone and Visa card He doubted she would even h the interview, let alone return to do any useful work
“Please forgiveday,” he stressed “Whatever inspired your visit, it’s appreciated If you read the Times’ article, then you kno desperate our situation truly is”
He ticked off the statistics on his fingers “One out of every four runaways in Ae have been abused and actually believe if they escape a miserable situation at home and make it to Hollywood, they’ll quickly becoe nuroups are preyed upon by the unscrupulous scus or use the kids for sex or, in most cases, both
“This old church was on the verge of being conde, it’s all we can afford to rent I’d like to believe we’ve actually done soh Now all I can promise is a lot of tedious paperwork, absolutely no benefits and nothing in the way of pay If that sort of drudgery actually appeals to you, Paive you an application on your way out”
Catherine scanned the office that was little more than a ashed cell It was furnished with a battered desk, computer and mismatched file cabinets, but no attractive artwork, live plants nor personal ite view of the building’s weed-strewn parking lot
“I was hoping for soers,” she argued persuasively “I know Lost Angel provides clean clothing as well as hot meals”
With long, dark lashes, she had a fawn’s touchingly innocent gaze, but Luke doubted she was stupid, and he’d already brought the interview to an end Without shame, he chose the quickest way to be rid of her “Do you have children, Mrs Brooks?”
For a brief instant, Catherine’s gaze strayed toward the cracked linoleum “No, but I am a former teacher”
“Really? Where did you teach?”