Free Keeping the Tarnished by Bradon Nave Page B

appreciatively at his wife. He was thankful for her secretive efforts as the woman had changed out the bedding in the spare room to something more masculine and moved the boy’s clothes into the room without being noticed. She had taken the painting of the woman down, and Jackson had moved the remainder of the heartworm medication into the second spare bedroom. Johnny’s new clothes were placed on his bed, and the clothes that Jared had provided were hanging in the closet. Both Graye and Jackson were excited by the idea of inviting him into their home on a long-term basis. The couple had decided the best way to extend the invite was not to embark on a dramatic family meeting; rather, the couple felt a subtle invite with a twist would be less awkward for the boy.
    “Are you nervous?” Graye asked.
    Jackson inhaled deeply, glancing at his wife. “No. I think this is the right thing. I really do. The only time I question it is when I say it out loud because it sounds bat shit crazy.” He knew that would make his wife smile. She hugged him as he kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to call him up.”
    Just as the boys were wrapping up the final basketball game of the evening, Jackson summoned Johnny to the porch.
    “Johnny!” Jackson yelled to the boy from the front of the house. Both boys stopped what they were doing and turned to Jackson, who was in his scrubs and smiling near the porch swing. “Can I talk to you for a second?” the man called out to the boy as his nerves finally began mounting.
    Even from the porch, Jackson noticed Jared trying to contain his smile, as he knew what this conversation would entail. Johnny, on the other hand, appeared instantly oppressed. Jackson imagined what the boy was thinking. The thought of Johnny worrying about being taken to a shelter put an ache in Jackson’s gut. As he watched Johnny approach with a nervous smile and nearly defeated posture, he knew the boy must have been thinking he’d outstayed his welcome. “Hey, bud. Can we talk?” Jackson asked with a smile as Johnny walked up the stairs.
    “Yea, of course,” Johnny replied nervously as he leaned against the porch railing.
    Jackson could tell by his facial expression that the boy was worried about what he had to say, so he made no waste in time. “You know we have all been so busy lately, and we could really use another hand around here. I know Jared would sure love some extra help with the daily chores, and I could use another hand sometimes when I get a crazy call. So, well, we wanted to know if, well, we wanted to know if you might wanna finish up your senior year here with Jared and stick around a while.”
    Jackson studied the boy’s face—he could tell Johnny was completely caught off guard by the invitation. Jackson witnessed an array of emotions flood over Johnny as the boy’s mouth remained agape and he simply stared at Jackson with a dumfounded look on his face. Within seconds, his cheeks, which were already red from playing basketball, flushed even redder as the boy seemed to search for the words to respond.
    “Um. Well. Yes, sir. I’m not one to tell a person who needs help no, so, yea, I can definitely stick around and help out,” Johnny said as his voice cracked slightly.
    Jackson walked toward the boy and extended a friendly handshake, as if they were making a deal. As Johnny shook his hand, Jackson pulled him in and gave him a brief hug.
    “It’s settled then, bud,” Jackson said as he looked at the beaming boy. “Graye has just about got your room ready upstairs, and she took the liberty of getting you some new threads for when school starts back up.” As Jackson spoke, Johnny kept his head down. He hugged the boy again in a full embrace.
    Jackson attempted to empathize with the boy’s situation. It must have been overwhelming to go from homelessness to having a permanent sanctuary. Jackson noticed Johnny was crying. As the teen pulled away from Jackson, he attempted to dry his