He walked out the door, shutting it behind him. He heard what appeared to be the snap and pop of bone, followed by a heavy sigh. Out in the shop, Lucy, Talia, and Phee were sitting in a booth. Lucy somehow already had ice cream in his hair. Chauncey was carrying his paper bowl toward them, bellhop cap sitting jauntily on his head. Zoe was standing next to the table, holding up a spoon to Theodore, his tongue flicking out, eyes rolling back in ecstasy.
Arthur was standing at the counter, speaking quietly to Helen. Linus watched as she reached over and put her hand on his.
“Okay,” a voice said through the door. “I’m ready.”
“Good,” Linus said. “Let’s see, then.”
The door opened. Sal looked a little sheepish, hand rubbing against the back of his neck.
“There we go,” Linus said. “Right as rain.”
Sal nodded, averting his gaze. “Linus?”
“Yes?”
Sal’s hands tightened into fists. “What did he mean?”
“About?”
Sal glanced up at him before looking away. “He said … he said he doesn’t care how much he gets paid to keep quiet. What did that mean?”
Of course Sal had picked up on that. Linus hesitated, trying to find the right words. “He … It’s foolish, really. But you’re special, the lot of you. And if the world knew how special, they might not understand. It’s for your safety.”
Sal nodded, though he looked troubled. “Hush money.”
Linus sighed. “It would appear so. But it’s not important. You let me deal with it, won’t you? Let’s get you fed.”
Helen was startled at the sight of him. She squinted at him, then back at the bathroom, then at Sal again. “That was you?”
Sal’s shoulder tightened.
“That’s so wonderful,” Helen said. “Just when I thought I’d seen everything. You get three scoops, I think. A growing boy of your size deserves it. What flavors would you like?”
Sal looked surprised. He glanced at Linus. “Go ahead,” Linus said. “Three scoops for you.”
He picked out his flavors carefully, voice barely above a mumble. Helen cooed over him, causing him to smile at his shoes. When she handed over the bowl, he thanked her quietly before heading toward the table. The others cheered at the sight of him, scooting over to make room. He sat next to Lucy, putting an arm over his shoulders and pulling him close. Lucy laughed and looked up at him, eyes bright. Sal’s arm stayed right where it was as they ate.
“I was just asking Arthur here about coming to see Talia’s garden,” Helen told him. “I hear it’s quite the sight.”
“It’s very beautiful,” Linus agreed. “She worked hard at it. I’m sure she would like to show it off. She already thinks you walk on water.”
Helen laughed. “I suppose.”
“But I do have to ask. Why now?”
She looked taken aback. “Pardon?”
“Linus,” Arthur warned.
Linus shook his head. “No. It’s a fair question. It’s not as if the orphanage is anything new. Some of the children have been there for some time. You’ve apparently been here for some time.” He looked at Helen. “Why now? Why haven’t you gone there before? Why did it take seeing the children here before you came to that decision?”
Arthur said, “I’m sorry. He’s very protective—”
Helen held up a hand. “He’s right, Arthur. It’s a fair question.” She took a deep breath. “And I have no excuse. Perhaps I allowed my perception to become … colored. Or perhaps it was out of sight, out of mind.”
“See something, say something,” Linus muttered.
Helen frowned as she glanced at the poster on the wall. “Yes. That. It’s—unfortunate. We get trapped in our own little bubbles, and even though the world is a wide and mysterious place, our bubbles keep us safe from that. To our detriment.” She sighed. “But it’s so easy because there’s something soothing about routine. Day in and day out, it’s always the same. When we’re shaken from that, when that bubble bursts, it can be hard to understand all that we’ve missed. We might even fear it. Some of us even fight to try and get it back. I don’t know that I would fight for it, but I did exist in a bubble.” She smiled ruefully. “Thank goodness you popped it.”
“I shouldn’t have had to do that,” Linus said. “They shouldn’t have had to do that.”
“No, they shouldn’t have. And though I’m just one person, I ask for forgiveness for that. I promise that I won’t allow it to happen again.” She glanced over her shoulder at the door Norman had disappeared through. “I’ll do my best to make sure that everyone in the village understands that all of the children from the orphanage are welcome at any point. I don’t know how well that’ll go over, but I can be very loud when I need to be.” Her eyes were twinkling when she added, “I wouldn’t want to be thrown against a wall.”
Linus winced. “Marty?”
“Martin,” Helen said, rolling her eyes. “Came and told me all about it. My nephew is an idiot. J-Bone fired him as soon as he regained consciousness. I would have done the same.”
“I won’t disagree with you there.” He hesitated. Then, “Do you think he’s going to be a problem?” At the very least, if word got out, he could see Extremely Upper Management wanting to get involved. Perhaps they’d even summon Lucy before them. It wasn’t unheard of. Linus wasn’t sure if he feared for Lucy or Extremely Upper Management more. Most likely the latter if he was being honest with himself.
“Oh,” she said. “Don’t worry about Martin. I’ll deal with him myself.”
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what that would entail. “Will he listen?”
She snorted. “I oversee his trust from his parents, may they rest in peace. He’ll listen.”
“Why?” he asked. “Why would you do anything at all?”
She reached out and took his hand in hers. “Change comes when people want it enough, Mr. Baker. And I do. I promise you that. It may take some time, but you’ll see. Today has been a swift kick in the seat of my trousers.” She squeezed his hand and let go. “Now. What flavor would you like?”
“Cherry,” Linus said without thinking.
She laughed. “Of course you do. Two scoops, I think.” She sang a quiet song as she went to give him just that.
Linus looked up to find Arthur staring at him. “What?”
Arthur shook his head slowly. “I don’t know why you can’t see it.”
“See what?”
“You. Everything you are.”
Linus shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not much, but I try with what I have.” Then, “I—I shouldn’t have pushed. Making you all come here like I did. I should have listened to you.”
Arthur looked amused again. “I think it all worked out. Some bumps in the road, but it’s nothing we couldn’t handle. Lucy didn’t actually kill anyone, so I call that a win.”
“Two scoops of cherry,” Helen announced. “For each of you.” It was bright pink with little bits of red fruit. “On me.”