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“No can do.” Parker tsked. “Back room is only open on Saturdays. I’ll take you there tomorrow, though. Meet me at five, and I’ll help you take your blinders off.”
“Whatever,” he growled.
Patty grabbed his arm as he turned away. “If even half of this shit is true, you know this freak is going nowhere near my son. And if you’re with him, neither are you. I get that you care about Robby, but don’t even try to come back to me making excuses if what Parker says pans out.”
“I don’t know what he’s talking about, Pat, but I’m going to prove to you, Robby is a good man. And Parker is nothing but a liar.”
His phone buzzed.
Robby: A friend of mine has an emergency. I need to help out. Rain check on 2nite?
Locking his jaw, he considered a dozen different responses. But this was not a conversation they could broach over text.
Matt: Can we get together afterward? I really need to see you.
Robby: I’ve got to get to the hospital. Tomorrow?
Matt: Fine.
Hopefully by then, he’d have put all of Patty’s worries to rest. And he’d be one step closer to the family he’d always wanted.
Chapter
TWENTY-FIVE
Robby
Robby woke up close to noon on the sofa at the Q-Center, his heart still aching over what had happened to Sara the night before. At least now, she was safe and sleeping soundly in her own bed.
He thought about calling Matt but decided against distracting him during a shift at the bar. Besides, he needed to fill in Paul on what had happened.
Willing his tight muscles to move from the couch, he stood and spotted the reverend and his husband peering at a laptop on the wooden table.
“Hey, guys. Why didn’t you wake me?” Robby slid into the chair beside Chris.
“Figured you must’ve had a late night if you crashed here.” Chris turned the computer at an angle so he could better see. “Look. The website is up and running.”
The homepage had a clean look with THE Q-CENTER centered in white text at the top over a navy-blue header. What looked like two hand-drawn LGBT rainbow flags flanked the words on either side. Drop down menus offered an About Us page, Directions, Services, Donations, and Testimonials.
His finger hovered over the mouse pad for a second or two before he took the plunge and clicked on the Testimonial tab. The first video box featured a still image of Sara, and as he scrolled down, box after box showed a thumbnail of one of the kids who looked to this place for help. Marshall, Vin, Meggie.
From there, he clicked on the services tab and found pictures of the new addition, the bathroom, an inside look at Sara’s room. The new bedrooms didn’t have beds in them yet, but he’d bet his last dollar the private floor space would beat the shelter experience for some folks any day.
“If you want to watch the video-clip I took of you, it’s part of the About Us section.” Chris pointed to the screen. “I know you were nervous about it, but it’s really good.”
His stomach protested just thinking about it. “Pass. Thanks, though. I’m sure you did a great job; everything about the site looks amazing.”
Chris puffed out his chest at the praise.
He pushed the computer away, dreading what he needed to say next. “Did anyone tell you what happened last night?”
The reverend shook his head. “Does this have anything to do with why you spent the night here?”
“Someone hurt Sara. A guy she met at a bar. He, uh, didn’t realize she was trans.” Robby rubbed at the hard knot in his shoulder. “She’s pretty banged up. Her arm’s fractured. She called me from the hospital last night.”
Paul sank into his chair. “What kind of world are we living in?”
It hurt to see the bleak expression on his face. “I thought maybe we could do some outreach today,” Paul continued. “Send some of the kids to the parks and libraries, hand out some cards.”
