Free Tender Touch by Lynn Emery Page A

request.
    Jade blinked at him. “Certainly, Eddie.”
    Damon had watched her lips move and the
swing of her thick hair with each movement of her head. “Well,
Jade, let’s get started.” He surprised himself with the ease that
her name popped out. There was no denying the rush just saying that
lovely name gave him. He held open the door for her.
    “Goodbye, you two,” Eddie called out.
    “See ya,” Damon shot back. He gave him a
sharp scowl that told his friend he knew what he’d been up to. To
his chagrin, Eddie gave him a thumbs-up sign then darted off down
the hall before Damon could respond.
    “Where would you like to go first?” Damon
walked beside her down the hall leading from the main offices
deeper into the center.
    Jade felt good being near him. “You choose,”
she said with a smile.
    Damon forgot about Eddie or his annoyance as
he looked into her eyes. “Let’s start with the large community
room. It’s where we have lectures and workshops open to the folks
in the neighborhood.”
    Jade followed him into a room that could
seat up to fifty people. Rows of chairs were set up. At the
opposite end of the room, across from the double doors leading
inside, a podium with a microphone was set up. Several large tables
were scattered around with pamphlets spread on them.
    “What kind of workshops?” Jade forgot to be
uneasy. It seemed quite natural to be here with Damon.
    “We have speakers on a wide variety of
topics. Mostly we set up events based on our surveys of the folks
and comments we get from them. For instance, you can see the last
lecture was on crime prevention.” Damon pointed to a brochure on
home security.
    “That’s great.”
    “Yeah, a prominent police chief from North
Carolina credited with turning his city’s crime problem around
came. He talked about making the community better with recreation,
neighbor-hood events for families and things like that as a way to
reduce crime. We had a tremendous turnout,” Damon said with
pride.
    Jade strolled around reading the few
brochures left scattered along the tables. “Yes, but what I meant
was how you based your programs on what the people who live here
said they wanted. That’s unusual. Most of the time, a group of
professional social workers decide what kind of programs they think
are needed.”
    “Well, Eddie and the other social workers
here have a very grassroots approach to their work. After all, this
is really their center—which is why our policy requires that at
least fifty percent of the board members live in the Gracie Street
area.”
    “That must make a difference in how this
center is run compared to more traditional programs.” Jade could
not help but catch his excitement at what was happening here in one
of the poorest, most neglected parts of the city.
    “A huge difference.” Damon launched into a
full-fledged description of the governing body as he led her toward
another section of the center.
    For another thirty minutes, he talked about
services offered such as the day-care center and parenting classes.
They met staff and some of the neighborhood residents. Jade
marveled at how the relatively modest center seemed to compare to
full-service agencies in cities twice the size of Baton Rouge in
terms of its comprehensive approach.
    She felt a growing appreciation for this
man, who seemed as dedicated as any social worker she’s ever met.
Strange for a businessman to take such a personal interest. He had
not grown up facing the hurdles of those who lived in the inner
city. Yet he showed genuine compassion for the poor people who face
daily hardships—something quite exceptional in most of those born
to a family with money and status.
    Jade watched his face brighten when they
were surrounded by the toddlers in the Headstart class. He was
relaxed with the elderly students in a nutrition class. This caring
man intrigued her more than ever. Damon Knight seemed a far cry
from the wealthy playboy she’d built him up to be in