Chapter 8 - A Boy Named Leo
At lunch, Adrianne sat beside a sixteen-year-old boy named Leo. He had a faint scar running along his jawline and spoke with quiet, guarded deference.
"Did you know David long?" Adrianne asked gently, passing him a bowl of roasted squash.
Leo looked down at his plate. "Three years. My stepdad kicked me out when I was thirteen. I was living out of a laundromat in Eugene when David found me. He didn't lecture me, and he didn't call child services right away. He bought me a sandwich and asked me what I wanted to build."
Leo gestured toward the wide timber beams supporting the lodge ceiling. "David taught me carpentry. He helped me get my GED. I have an interview at the trade academy in Salem next month."
Leo paused, his fingers lightly tapping the table. "When David got sick, we all took shifts taking care of him. He told us that family isn't something you inherit by accident; it's something you repair when it breaks. He talked about his brother a lot."
Across the room, Julian was listening. He stood against the kitchen doorframe, a cup of untouched water in his hand, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
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"What did he say about his brother?" Julian asked, his voice cracking slightly.
Leo turned to look at Julian, noting the undeniable resemblance between the two men. "He said his brother was the smartest, strongest man he ever knew. He said Julian stayed behind to hold the world together while he went off chasing windmills. David said his only regret in this life was that he never figured out how to say 'thank you' without sounding like a failure."
