Page 82 of New Growth
“When did you start?”
“About a month after we opened,” I said. “One of my regular clients lost her home in a fire. She had to move into the shelter and told me she couldn’t afford services anymore. So I offered to do it for free. It was the least I could do.”
He looked at me, brows drawing together as he listened, waiting for me to continue.
“But after that, I started thinking about all the women who couldn’t afford basic care like feminine hygiene, haircuts, clothes, even food. So I decided to step in. My staff loved the idea, and it just became something we all pitched in to help with.”
El glanced at the people neatly packing supplies into the van. “So you and your team do all this by yourselves?”
I nodded. “We get volunteers from time to time, but yeah… it’s mostly just us.”
“Any sponsors?”
“A few have offered, in exchange for promotion,” I said with a frown. “But these ladies have been through enough. The last thing they need is a camera shoved in their face like they’re some charity case.”
His jaw tightened. “Disgusting.”
Then softer, he offered. “Well, I’d love to help out. Maybe I could talk to the board, see if they’d be interested in sponsoring.”
I blinked. “You really don’t have to.”
“I want to,” he said firmly. “What you’re doing here is too important.”
Something in his tone made me pause. There was no angle or performance. Just him genuinely wanting to help.
“Well,” I said carefully, “I’d love for these women to get some real support if it’s offered. I’m not gonna be around forever. Anything can happen. It’d be nice to know that if something did, they’d still be taken care of.”
He went quiet at that.
Then, out of nowhere, he turned to face me fully, his expression steady.
“You’re fucking amazing, Elliot. You know that, right?”
I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden declaration. “What?”
“You are,” he said again. “The way you show up for these women so selflessly… you put them first. The way they look at you, the way you look after them. And you do it for basically nothing in return. It’s like you’re giving them back a piece of themselves.”
He shook his head, a quiet kind of awe in his eyes. “It’s beautiful to watch. People aren’t like that anymore.”
For a second, I couldn’t speak. I just looked at him, my heart thudding a little louder than before. I wasn’t used to people noticing how hard we worked at this and how much effort we put into our visits.
I swallowed, glancing away. “It’s just… something I can do to help.”
“It’s more than that,” he pushed. “You care. You love taking care of people, I can tell.”
“Someone has to,” I shrugged. “Those who can do, should.”
My words must have awakened something in him because he stiffened next to me. I glanced over to find him looking at me with the most expressive eyes I’d ever seen from him.Heavy. Curious. Heated.
“I’m so glad I met you, Elliot.”
My face was probably bright red from the heat. He wanted me to know he meant it, that I was someone he valued and respected. I wassomeoneto him.
Damn it.Time to break this up.
I stood, brushing off my jeans and breaking up the tension. “Come on. Let’s help wrap this up sowe can get out of here.”
El grinned, pushing himself up. When he stood, the gap between us closed drastically. “Yes, boss.”
