It wasn’t that Grayson thought this was a bad idea. Making a better space for some homeless teenagers was obviously a great thing to do. But he knew it might also make him confront some things he’d rather avoid. On the other hand, he could be an adult about this and separate his feelings from the task at hand. It was a project. Nothing more.
Grayson kind of tuned out while Helena and Nolan discussed the best time to go see the shelter. He pretended to study the paint chips Nolan had left out so his face wouldn’t betray him. Nolan and Helena seemed to agree on something, and then she said good night and walked toward the door.
“You okay?” Nolan asked after Helena left.
“I’m… yeah. I’m fine.” Grayson smiled. “Where do you want to eat tonight?”
SINCE CONSTRUCTIONwas still going on at the Cruz and Dunlop homes, Nolan and Helena decided there was no time like the present, so he, Grayson, and the whole camera crew drove over to Rainbow House.
The executive director of the shelter knew they were coming, but they’d be ambushing the kids. Nolan had been told that there were seventeen kids currently living at the shelter, and some of them were attending nearby Harvey Milk High School, so they wouldn’t be around during the day to help out. He’d seen a couple of photos of the space, and he guessed the bulk of the work would be painting and deciding on new furniture. The project was being sponsored by an online furniture store that would ship anything he wanted for the room in short order.
On the drive over, Nolan said, “Are these kids even going to know who I am? I don’t see the point in ambushing them.”
Grayson shrugged. He’d been quiet all morning. Something about this project was bothering him, but every time Nolan asked, Grayson said he was fine. Nolan supposed Grayson didn’t exactly owe it to Nolan to tell him all of his secrets, especially given the strange limbo status of their relationship—Grayson insisted he wanted to stay, but Nolan suspected he’d bolt as soon as the baby showed up.
But that was a problem for another day. He pulled into the tiny parking lot next to the shelter and parked in the back, careful to stay clear of the basketball court drawn on the blacktop.
A tall man ran out into the parking lot as Nolan was getting out of the car.
“Hello!” the man said. “I’m Marcus Jackson, the executive director of Rainbow House. I’m such a big fan, Mr. Hamlin. It’s thrilling to meet you.”
Nolan shook his hand. “Nice to meet you too. Do the kids know what’s going on?”
“I told them we’re filming something for a TV show, but that’s really it. So everyone who was around this afternoon is in the common room right now. I figured once your cameras were set up, you could walk in and surprise everyone.”
“Are they gonna know who I am?” Nolan said.
“A few of them will. I like to watch Stacey Lewis’s show with whoever is around in the common room on weekday mornings.”
Helena walked over. “I’ll get the cameras set up. You guys chill in the parking lot and I’ll come get you when we’re ready.”
Helena followed Marcus into the building.
“You okay with this?” Nolan asked.
Grayson seemed agitated. He chewed on his thumbnail while they stood there. “Yeah.”
Nolan started mentally designing the space rather than trying to force Grayson into conversation. Marcus and Helena came back out about ten minutes later.
“I figured Marcus could bring you in and introduce you to the kids,” said Helena. “They’re waiting.”
“Game face on,” Nolan told Grayson.
Grayson managed to pull it together for the ambush. He grinned when he and Nolan entered the common room, which was indeed a huge space. It was also an eyesore. The walls were painted dark blue and chipped in many places, the furniture was all beat up and threadbare, and the whole area felt more like an elementary school cafeteria than a nice common room where teenagers would want to hang out. There were even a couple of cafeteria tables—the long ones with bench seating attached that could be folded up—on one side of the room.
The kids seemed excited. There were ten teenagers in the room who all hopped up and yelled when Nolan and Grayson walked in.
Since Grayson was still being weird, Nolan took the lead. “We’re here,” he explained, “to make this space fabulous!”
The kids all cheered.
At Helena’s suggestion, they all sat down on the sad old sofas in one corner of the room, and Nolan started peppering the kids with questions about what wasn’t working about the space.
A girl with long, dark hair who introduced herself as Marisol said, “Well, the furniture sucks. It’s not comfortable. It’s old. It’s ugly.”
“Right,” said Nolan. “Easy fix.”
“It’s so dark,” said a boy with purple hair named Ander. “It’s not bad during the day when we open the curtains, but at night it can be hard to see in here.”
