Evan gobbles down the additional pizza and sips the water. Wiping his hands on his jeans, the grease from the slices not visible with the other grime the fabric contained. “Thanks ma’am. Preach, I’ll try to be in the shelter before it closes tonight. Gotta run.”
Em gasps and looks around. “He’s gone. Where did he go in such a hurry?”
Noah shrugs. “It’s hard to tell. These kids always have a hustle going. I hope I see him tonight at the shelter. I hate when they sleep on the streets.”
“With men like Ace walking around, I understand the desire to have them in under your shelter. Is Ace homeless?”
“No, he isn’t. I’ve got more bags for the homeless. Do you want to help me hand them out?”
She bites her lower lip while her stomach clenches like the fists she saw on Ace. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Great,” he says, standing and moving around to pull her chair out for her. “I started at the opposite end of the boardwalk today so we’ll just finish heading towards Waves Casino.”
They make their way down the boardwalk, stopping to hand out bags to anyone panhandling on the boards or sleeping on a bench.
Em makes her way to the railing. She props her elbows on the top rail and feasts her eyes on the blue water. Inhaling the salty smell of the ocean, while watching the waves crash into the sandy shore. “I never grow tired of this view or the smell.”
Noah chuckles. “It’s calming to many people. I love this view myself but often, don’t take the time to look.”
“I’m sure you have no time to look. Where do the bags come from that you hand out?”
“We get a lot of donations that I roll around and put into the bags I hand out. While I try to make all the bags the same, it doesn’t always happen. I keep extra toiletries at the shelter so everyone can shower with soap and brush their teeth. It’s those little things that matter so much.”
“It’s a nice thing you do. How’d you get started with this?”
“My family has always volunteered at shelters and soup kitchens. I’ve seen the difference it makes and I know the difference He can make. It seemed a natural course once I became a pastor. You and I help people.”
She shakes her head slightly. “I help my family. You’re helping strangers. That’s a tremendous difference. Everyone helps their family.”
“Ahh,but that’s where you are wrong,” Noah says with a slight smile, his hands on the railing and his eyes straight ahead. “A lot of these kids don’t have family who help them. Their families are the reason they’re on the streets.”
Em glances his way, watching his longish brown hair move with the wind. “And that’s not right. Why have children if you won’t love and cherish them?”
“That’s a question I ask myself a lot.”
“I look at my niece and nephew and my heart melts. I just love them so much. I know that feeling won’t ever change. I just don’t understand it. I think about Evan, he’s so young, and he’s supporting himself doing who knows what. He should be at home and going to school.”
“He’s twelve. His mom remarried, and the stepdad was abusive. In a variety of ways.”
Her heart drops like the waves on the sand. “Will there be room for him at the shelter tonight if he shows?”
Noah drops his hands from the rail and turns to face Em. “I always have room. If I have to open cots into the game room, I will.”
Em nods. She fishes around in her handbag and pulls out some bills. She grabs Noah’s hand and presses the bills into the palm. “I want you to take this. It’s not a lot but I hope it’ll buy pizza or something for the kids there. You’re doing a wonderful thing Noah.”
Noah looks down at his hand. “Sure Em. I will. I promise.”
She looks into his soulful eyes and sees that his hair is hanging in those eyes. Wanting to brush the hair away from his eyes, she refrains herself. What is wrong with her? This is a man she barely knows, and she wants to push the hair out of his eyes? Good grief. She looks at her cell and clears her throat. “I need to head back. I am having dinner with Daisy tonight.”
“Right. We’ll head back.”
“Do you still see your family?”
“Yep. They do a lot of fundraising in Philly for the center. Those fundraisers result in trips to see me with everything they collected. They often stay and help on those trips.”
Smiling, her heart warmed as much by his admission as the sun on her face, she says, “That’s nice. Are you an only child?”
He snorts. “I wish. I have two younger sisters. They’re both in college and drama queens.”
Em chuckles. “Could that just be because they’re your sisters?”
“No. Seriously, if they’re around, there’s drama.”
Still smiling, she waits to see if he expounds on that statement. She doesn’t have to wait long.
“Family dinners are an event. My parents refuse to enforce the no electronics at the table and ultimately, something appears somewhere that sets one or both of them off. They’re two-years apart and run in the same social circles. I’m getting stressed just remembering our last dinner.”
Clapping a hand over her mouth, she attempts to hide her laugh.
“I heard that,” he says, looking at her sideways.
She swallows and giggles. “I’m sorry. I just thought nothing could stress you out. You handled Ace like a pro. You handle the kids and still reach out to the homeless. I really thought you were …”
“Invincible?”
“I don’t think I’d go that far. But I thought you’d hold steady for a little girl drama …,” she snickers.
“I should never have revealed my weakness. And if you ever meet my sisters, do not tell them. You gotta promise me.”
Her shoulders are shaking as the laughter bubbles out. “Oh. My. Gosh. I need a minute.”