Read Never to Hope for Free Online Page B

gave me some of the tools I’ll need to do my job well.”
    “Makes sense. Why that area of law?”
    “I want to help children in bad situations; be an advocate for them.” I took a bite of my sandwich, only to realize I wasn’t patient enough to swallow before asking my next question. “Well, what does it say?” I asked around a mouthful of partially chewed food.
    He must have kicked ass at poker because with an expressionless face and a monotone voice, he said, “You’re—in.”
    When I leapt the short distance into his lap, he had to extend one arm behind him to keep from falling over. Forgetting all of the reasons I needed to keep my distance from him, I held on tightly. Excitement filled me to the brim, and this was the first time I’d had someone to share a major accomplishment with in years. After regaining his balance, he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed.
    “When’s your next day off?” he asked. “We should celebrate.”
    “I’m not a party girl.”
    “I can tell. That’s one of the things I like about you. Partying isn’t the only way to celebrate, you know.”
    “I was supposed to be off last night and tonight, but I’m covering for a girl who’s sick. I won’t have another day off until a week from tomorrow.” Talking about work made me feel dirty, so I climbed out of his lap and back to the spot against my tree.
    “How are you not completely exhausted?”
    “Trust me, I am. I just hide it well. I always volunteer for extra shifts because I need to finish saving for school. I would’ve had enough by now, but the school is raising tuition for Fall semester.”
    “Why don’t you just take out a student loan? Everyone qualifies.”
    “Because I refuse to go into debt. I will never owe anything to anyone for any reason.”
    “That seems a little extreme.” The look on his face said he thought I was being ridiculous.
    “I have my reasons.” My happiness faded as I thought about why I felt so strongly about having a debt-free existence.
    “Didn’t you take out a loan for your car?”
    “Nope. I saved until I could afford to buy it outright. That didn’t take very long because it’s a piece of shit, but it gets me to work and back.” Opening my bag of chips gave me something else to focus on for a few seconds, which was enough time to change the subject. “Let’s finish eating and go back to your place. We might be able to finish sorting through your boxes by the end of the week if we keep working at it.”
    Nodding, he didn’t say anymore; he must have sensed my discomfort and let the debt conversation go. Knowing when to back off was one of his best qualities. We finished eating in the relative peacefulness of our spot. It wasn’t until I began gathering up the trash that he finally broke the tension between us. “I don’t think I’ll ever be finished unpacking.”
    “We’ll get there.” I shoved the trash into the bag and then got to my feet. “We should make a trip to the thrift store to drop off the stuff we went through yesterday. Once we clear out some space, it’ll feel like we’ve actually accomplished something,” I told him as I handed him the backpack and then brushed off my backside. “It’ll also give us more room to work.”
    “I like how you talk in terms of ‘we’,” he said as he took my hand and started walking.
    “Don’t get too excited; I think of it as a group project.”
    *
    Thursday, we picked up a bucket of fried chicken and went back to our spot in the park. He insisted the days of nice weather would come to an end soon, so he didn’t want to miss a single one. We sat in the same spot under my barren tree. Although my tree didn’t provide any shelter from the sun, we were protected by the leaves of its brothers.
    “Most women I know would want to sit in the sun and work on their tans,” Carter mentioned as I tossed the bone from the drumstick I’d just polished off into the spot we’d designated for trash.
    “I have